Villa d'Este

Me and my family decided to had a Christmas aperitivo at Villa D’este, and we made the right decision. In winter this place looks like a fantasy story, the light that welcomes you since the gate make you feel like passing in a magic portal.

With the exception of our executive guest room at 2100 Euros/night, our stay at Villa D’Este was magical. The property is magnificent, the service first class, and the experience is second to none. The restaurants are great and the food and wine were excellent. I would recommend staying here to anyone! Having said that, everything at the Villa D’Este is very expensive! Our “executive” room, with a partial lake view, was small, tired, and unimpressive. The room was comfortable but lacked storage space and the basics (in-room coffee/tea) one would expect from a 5-star luxury property at this price level. Nevertheless, the hotel definitely lives up to its reputation and I would definitely stay here again!

This hotel is rightly a member of Leading Hotels of the World. The building is well maintained and it has an idyllic position on Lake Como. We stayed here largely because of its mention in the Michelin Green Guide to Italy. Staff were very helpful when we discovered that we should have reserved a table at the Grill and Platano restaurants on arrival if not well before. On the downside, we felt that the restaurant availability issue should have been highlighted earlier. Dining at the hotel is an integral part of the experience as it is a resort style hotel. I appreciate the reason for the jacket requirement at the Veranda but we travel light (hand carry only on airlines) and I wasn't going to bring a jacket half the way round the world to dine in an ambient temperature of 36˚C as it was when we were there. The one dining "experience" that was freely available was the "Sapori di Mare" meal, which was good but offered far too much food. One should finish a good meal feeling satisfied but we felt bloated. The gardens are well maintained up to a point. Some of the space is now taken up by tennis courts and I was a bit disappointed by the state of the "hiking"/jogging paths. These are definitely worth exploring and give splendid views on to the lake, villa and grounds but were covered by fallen leaves (in June) and we found one of the jogging direction signs lying on the ground at a path junction. With all the staff around, perhaps someone could be spared to sweep away the leaves and maintain the signage? Better signage of the "hiking" trails would definitely add value to this part of the experience.

Situated on the shore of Lake Como Incredible

Villa d’Este is undoubtedly a beautiful property with an iconic location on Lake Como, but unfortunately the service fell far short of what one would expect from a hotel of this caliber and price point. The most frustrating aspect of our stay was the complete lack of basic in-room amenities and the staff’s inability to address even simple requests. One evening I called and asked if a tea kettle or coffee maker could be delivered to our room so that I could make tea. The staff seemed genuinely confused by the request. A short time later, room service arrived with two empty cappuccino cups—and nothing else. No kettle, no hot water, no coffee machine, and no tea. In what world can someone make tea with two empty cappuccino cups? The entire interaction was so bizarre that it felt like a comedy sketch rather than service at one of Italy’s most famous luxury hotels. Service throughout the property was consistently slow and often nonexistent. At the bar, it was common to wait 30–45 minutes before anyone came to take an order. More often than not, we eventually had to get up and physically find a waiter ourselves. Another major issue was communication. A significant portion of the staff struggled to understand basic English. To be clear, I do not blame the employees themselves. They were generally polite and doing their best. The responsibility lies with management. At an international luxury hotel that caters to guests from around the world, staff should be properly trained and equipped to communicate effectively with guests. On multiple occasions we would order something that was listed directly on the menu, only to be met with blank stares and obvious confusion because the staff had no idea what we were asking for. Again, this is not an employee problem—it is a management and training problem. What makes this particularly disappointing is that Villa d’Este charges rates comparable to the finest hotels in the world. At that level, guests expect attentive service, prompt responses, and staff who can confidently handle basic requests. Instead, we experienced long waits, poor communication, and a level of service that was shockingly below luxury-hotel standards. During the same trip, we stayed at Funken Lodge in northern Norway. Many people would assume that a small hotel in the Arctic could never compete with a world-famous property like Villa d’Este. However, when I say that the service, hospitality, and professionalism at Funken Lodge were ten times better, I am not exaggerating. The difference was remarkable. One hotel seemed genuinely focused on anticipating guest needs and delivering exceptional service, while the other appeared content to rely on its reputation and location. The setting is spectacular, but a beautiful property can only carry a hotel so far. Unfortunately, the service experience was one of the most disappointing I have encountered at a luxury hotel.