Why guide?
In a area notoriously overrun in summer time by water-seeking vacationers, Grand Hotel Victoria cuts via the chaos as a sanctuary of quieter, extra non-public rooms, gardens, patios, and high quality eating.
Set the scene
Lake Como lures vacationers like a siren tune, besides that tune is traditional Italian opera, bellowing from the grandiose lobbies of its hospitality gems like Grand Hotel Victoria. Arguably one of the celebrated resorts in Lombardy, this waterfront magnificence, which simply debuted its personal seaside membership, sits atop the crowded waterways like a crown with sides of luxurious at each flip and angle.
In an space that actually sparkles when the solar hits the waves excellent, a brief boat journey led me to the property’s Menaggio port the place I encountered the utmost in splendor as quickly as I stepped on land and was instantly handed a vibrant Aperol spritz and guided via an orchestra of wisterias, magnolias, and peach timber.
The backstory
During the Belle Epoque, a.okay.a. “The Beautiful Era,” Grand Hotel Victoria welcomed predominantly English, German, and Russian households touring from Switzerland’s Engadin area in the hunt for a picturesque vacation. While a lot of the lodge’s authentic Art Nouveau–model structure stays intact, it has undergone main renovations (as just lately as 2024) to cater to clientele who respect modern finishes with nods to the constructing’s previous.
The rooms
Inspired by the colour tones of its surrounding mountains and iconic lake, which some visitors can survey from their non-public balconies, rooms and suites are wealthy in pine greens, timber browns, and powder blues via curated decor, paintings, and furnishings. All areas are fitted with state-of-the-art expertise, together with press-of-the-button curtains and dimmable lights, although there are over 10 lodging kinds to select from, every with distinct perks corresponding to walk-in showers and wardrobes, outsized terraces, and standalone tubs. This makes the lodge very best for repeat visits, as visitors can expertise the property from utterly totally different vantage factors every time they guide a reservation.
Food and drink
A large veranda with lakefront views performs host to Lago Restaurant: Grand Hotel Victoria’s reply to an amazing demand for traditional, but modern Italian meals. Though the menu teems with acquainted favorites (risotto, raviolo, cavatelli), Chef Maichol Morandi gives a novel spin with impressed accoutrements like frog legs, mushroom dashi, and black garlic ketchup, respectively. I washed the meal down with one among many bottles from Italy’s famed wine areas, together with a rose-kissed Barolo from Piedmont.
Lago’s sister restaurant, 1827, takes fashionable fare to even higher heights as a “sushi and fusion bar” the place Japanese approach and delicacies duets with Mediterranean ingredient staples corresponding to amberjack, tuna, and pink shrimp. Enjoy a tasting menu for a considerate and numerous collection of what’s contemporary from the ocean’s bounty or order à la carte.
The spa
Erre Spa is a lot greater than a haven of head-to-toe massages and physique wraps—it may be an all-day sensory journey with a sturdy listing of wellness facilities like water paths, chromotherapy, waterfall showers, an ice room, a Himalayan salt room, and a star-lit scorching tub space. As a play on Earth’s components, there are additionally two themed rest hideouts: Fire and Lake, with the previous composed of a four-meter hearth and cocoon pods to lull bleary-eyed vacationers to sleep. Standout therapies embrace a Balinese flower facial, in addition to a conventional Polynesian lomi-lomi therapeutic massage with sluggish, mild, and nearly kneading-like actions that ease rigidity and enhance blood circulation.
The neighborhood/space
Boating from port to port has its unsurprising attract with Villa del Balbianello’s terraced gardens and history-filled property topping any must-visit listing. Of course, a visit to Lake Como calls for stops at Bellagio and Varenna, amongst different wisteria-lined villages, however Grand Hotel Victoria’s dwelling of Menaggio charms visitors with bustling promenades and cobblestone streets that bloom with specialty meals shops, gelato outlets, and clothes boutiques.
The service
Swift, attentive, and pleasant however with out the pretentiousness of white-gloved butlers, Grand Hotel Victoria employees embrace Lake Como’s laidback and carefree angle. They’re the primary to supply help, whether or not it’s to plan a day journey or pour a chilly beverage, however removed from intrusive.
Eco effort
Sustainability is on the forefront of Grand Hotel Victoria’s ethos, incomes the property a coveted DCA ESG certification that signifies excellence in 5 distinct hospitality classes: human rights and labor situations, well being and security, visitor administration, area people improvement, and cybersecurity.
Accessibility
The Lake Como space typically struggles to supply a variety of accessibility options, although Grand Hotel Victoria has constructed ramps, routes, and rooms that accommodate wheelchairs and walkers. Service animals are additionally welcome.
Anything left to say?
Though summer time months draw swaths of tourists, Grand Hotel Victoria offers a welcomed respite via its model new Victoria Beach Club. In addition to cozy loungers and two lake-adjacent infinity swimming pools, the oasis of rest touts on-site eating places, bars, and even a kids’s swimming space with aquatic video games. And when you’ll by no means catch an Italian muttering the phrase “la dolce vita,” this trove of waterside paradise definitely embodies the impression of a really candy life.