July 2013 - Grand Hotel Tremezzo

ITALIAN LAKESPlatani in Brienno, and feasted onlavaret (whitefish) served with blacktruffles from the Umbrian hill townof Norcia. (There are four blissfuldining venues, our favorite being theTerrace, where 20 tables surroundedby hedges of fragrant white jasminedirectly overlook Como’s glassysurface.) We arrived at the 12-roomRELAIS VILLA VITTORIA in Laglioby late afternoon. An intimate peachcoloredmansion, it was constructedin the 18th century by a wealthyfamily from Milan. Truth be told,after our stay at the Grand HotelTremezzo, we feared we might beunderwhelmed by this much simplerproperty. Instead, we fell in love onarrival. A friendly young womanbrought us to our air-conditionedlakeview junior suite, a spacious tworoomaerie with pine floors, washedstucco walls, a beamed ceiling andcomfortable contemporary furniture.A small Juliet balcony with a tableand two metal chairs overlookedthe lake and a pool in the gardensbelow. The well-lit bedroom camewith a very comfortable four-posterbed dressed with fine Italian linens,while the separate salon was equallyattractive and provided a whitecotton-upholstered couch. The bathwas equipped with a serviceabletub-shower combination, a reminderthat this otherwise very agreeablehotel is a four- rather than a five-starproperty.Facilities include a diminutive spawith a Jacuzzi and Turkish bath,a small lakeside infinity pool, aspacious lounge with a grand piano,and an intimate restaurant servingdishes such as leek and Parmesanrisotto, lake perch stuffed withvegetables and bacon, and escalopeof pork cooked with Marsala andserved with butter-glazed apples“Truth be told, after our stayat the Grand Hotel Tremezzo,we feared we might beunderwhelmed by the muchsimpler Relais Villa Vittoria.Instead, we fell in love on arrival. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2218hideaway report | July 2013