Elegant, sophisticated, alluring and beguiling, family-run Villa d’Este – a striking 16th century beauty on the shores of Lake Como – marked its 150th anniversary as a hotel in 2023 by remaining open through Christmas and the New Year. So loved was the move, the hotel has continued the trend this year too.
The range of special events and activations include a dedicated chocolate room; Friday Jazz by Blue Note – Milan’s famous club (until 27 December) and facials by premium brand Biologique Recherche (until 6 January) to give a new-year glow.
Staying open longer may be a new thing, but underpinning the seasonal activities is Villa d’Este’s never-faltering well-established excellence. Service is impeccable – many of the staff have worked there for many years – while superb facilities, which include indoor and outdoor pools, a beauty centre, a Technogym, tennis and squash courts, and a range of activities such as helicopter and supercar rides, and cocktail classes and chef’s table dining, ensure a packed diary for those who desire one.
Others find joy in exploring the 25 acres of gardens, following a trail that climbs up past flower beds and water features, antique statuary and a mock fortress, to high vantage points that provide soul-calming views of Como and the pastel-coloured mansions that belong to another time and world.
Cernobbia, a pretty town of winding, narrow lanes that connect one enticing restaurant with another, is just beyond the property’s gates and is an easy place to spend an afternoon – especially in December when its Christmas market is in full flow.
Villa d’Este has 152 rooms and three suites and a third of these are in the Cardinal Building, with the remainder in the Queen’s Pavilion. Each is as grand, exquisite and spacious as the other, and classically decorated – as you would expect from a property originally built as the summer residence of a Cardinal, and then passed from one aristocratic family to another, until 1873 when it was bought by family that still owns it today. There are also four villas, including Mosaic House, which has just one suite.
The style throughout is opulent – Murano chandeliers, marble bathrooms, embroidered silks, works of art, antiques – and yet not at all imposing. The ambience is immensely warm and welcoming – as it might be if, say, your closest friends won a fortune, bought a mansion and then invited you to stay for as long as you wanted.
In this dream, your dining options would be exactly as they are at Villa d’Este. Its numerous restaurants, bars and pop-ups offer enormous choice, from La Veranda’s fine dining, served with any number of bottles of wine from the 6,000+ cellar, to Italian/Japanese fusions in Il Platano and all-day winter dining at Greenhouse, which serves burgers, sandwiches and an unforgettable, buttery plate of tagliolini with white truffle.
Villa d’Este’s appeal is, like its beauty, timeless. Its charm and pedigree are universal. It appeals to all ages, through the ages – and now, also in the winter.
How to book it
Rooms at Villa d’Este start from €810 in low season for a classic double room for two people, including breakfast, or from €1,145 in high season.
