Grand Hotel Tremezzo

This hotel is a dream - but once you get there! it's a bit of a drive to get up to tremezzo (about 30-45 min) from Como town - although the drive is very scenic some parts can be a bit tricky. Once you pull up to the hotel you are amazed, I couldn't wait to get out of the car, see my room, jump into the pool, explore the grounds.. it was an explosion of senses. The service is amazing, lots of food choices (and if not you can go to one of the neighbouring towns for dinner/lunch). The only downside is that the room - beautiful and luxurious as it is, is a bit dated. we found the doors and floors were creeking, not quite noise proof, but otherwise we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Do make a point to walk up to the top of the property for a nice view.

Whether it is the location, or the fact that this was my very first time here.... is there anyone that does not like to galivant with the rich and famous. If it were not so expensive, I would definitely give it an 'excellent' rating over the 'very good' above. But on the other hand, where else could you get this level of history, pizzazz, view, pampering and service and excellence, while almost floating in the clouds.... Maybe I have been too fortunate to have had too many great things in life, that I am becoming a curmudgeon, but I do like things on the newer side, that show no wear or tear. Don???t get me wrong, this place is over the top. Was I just in a Bond movie?

We visited to celebrate my husbands birthday. The reception staff could not have been better. They remembered on our arrival to wish him a happy birthday, they ensured we had a lovely room after we requested a change. And we were given a birthday cake and Prosecco which was a lovely touch. The actual hotel is gorgeous, the pools are great, the spa is lovely as is the sauna with an amazing view. We spent time in the indoor pool (heated to 28 degrees) and the heated outdoor pool, both are lovely. Housekeeping were lovely and excellent. Breakfast is vast and fantastic with a wonderful view, service was very good, only one lady who seemed to be the manager (long brown hair ponytail, short in height) was less friendly and we heard her on numerous occasions telling off the other waiters in an aggressive tone which seemed unnecessary. Everyone else was fantastic. My main criticisms for the hotel are regarding the bar. The live music in the bar at night was poor, it was a man singing to a backing track on a keyboard. It felt like something you find at a 3 star hotel. It was not in keeping with the hotel and felt tacky for a 5 star. They should just have acoustic or solo piano or saxophone. Get rid of the backing track! This musician was more than capable of doing that which would have been more tasteful. The other issue we had with the bar was that the manager stopped me and my husband from having our complimentary Prosecco bottle (provided by the hotel) in the hotel bar. We found this ridiculous given we were given the bottle as gift from the hotel for his birthday yet we were told we can???t drink it in the bar. Particularly odd given the bar only had 3 tables in use. It was empty! The manager told us the Prosecco is meant to be drank in our room. We then asked to drink it in the lounge as it was my husbands bday. Which the manager allowed. He then must have realised how absurd and petty he was being because the place was empty. He then tried to make up for it by giving a dessert with a candle. Overall we found the experience frustrating, and the bar incredibly pretentious. The weather was mixed in mid October. Sunny some days and rainy a few days. But the place is still beautiful and lake como is lovely and quiet yet everything is still open. We took a ferry to neighbouring towns (Varenna and Bellagio) easy to use and still runs in October just less regularly. Tremezzo town is small and we ate dinner there once, I preferred the neighbouring towns mentioned above due to the wider variety of restaurants. Can???t recommend this hotel enough. It is expensive but worth it for a special occasion as it???s worth the price.