Hotels – global hotel system

Please note: Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace is open annually from April through October.

Midway down the southwestern arm of Italy’s sublime Lake Como is the town of Tremezzo — just one of many spectacular towns by the water, it’s as stunning as any of them, and is home to something rather impressive: the Grand Hotel Tremezzo Palace.

This is a grand hotel in every sense, having more in common with the stately palaces on Lake Geneva than with the trademark Italian villa hotel. Twelve acres of parkland surround the century-old building, and a hundred massed windows face out over the lake; every room overlooks either the park or the waters of Lake Como.

The interiors are elegant, leaning more toward an authentic and well-preserved tribute to the spirit of 1910, rather than the lavish set design of the much older Villa D’Este, down the road. The style is Liberty, the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, admitting a decided French influence as well as some English elements — unique indeed for a hotel in the heart of Lombardy.

Golf and tennis facilities are close at hand, and the Tremezzo offers no fewer than three outdoor pools, as well as a spa and fitness center, and access to the sporting possibilities of the lake. Three restaurants serve upscale Italian fare, two of them with breathtaking views of the water, and a cocktail bar and a wine bar serve as the centers of the hotel’s nightlife.