It was four years ago that I first fell in love with Lake Como… Mr S and I went on a road trip navigating the narrow roads, hair pins bends and steep hill sides of the lake in a shiny red Ferrari! Not married yet and not even engaged, a boyfriend and girlfriend who knew that each other was the one. And as we stood looking at Lake Como like a mirror shimmering before us I knew that we’d be back one day. 
And here we were back. Together for nearly seven years and married for three…and staying at a hotel that’s been on my bucket list for ages. Grand Hotel Tremezzo is one of Lake Como’s most spectacular jewels, gleaming at the edge of the lake with it’s Art Nouveau shiny yellow facade and orange canopies fringing the terrace.
You can’t walk into the hotel from street level, instead a lift takes you up the two floors and to the most regal foyer decked out in plush red velvet with Beauty and the Beast style roses taking centre stage. 
Gold accents, a huge gilded mirror and oil paintings mean that the hotel certainly lives up to the title Grand…
But one of the best things about this historic hotel is that it doesn’t take itself too serious. I mean there’s pic ‘n mix at reception! Which is slightly dangerous as we couldn’t help but have a few sweets every time we went past!
To one side of the Foyer is the T Bar, inside is a vibrantly coloured Sala Musica with it’s beautiful silk hangings. The perfect place to stop for a cappucino or one of the signature T Cocktails…though you may want to take a seat outside…
On the Bar’s beautiful terrace…
With views across the lake and to Bellagio, the Grigne Mountain…and with the hotel’s floating pool in the foreground. I loved that Grand Hotel Tremezzo was the perfect blend of classic decor with modern flair – old-fashioned Italian glamour without the stuffiness.
Golden hour when the sky turns pink is the perfect time to enjoy aperitivo!
Hotel Grand Tremezzo is actually one of the oldest hotels in Lake Como, opening in 1910 the realisation of the dream of Enea Gandola from Bellagio and his wife Maria Orsolini who wanted to create a hotel of incredible elegance and sophistication for the most cultured of visitors. Stepping into the hotel really does feel like you’re being transported back to a more glamorous era, and we felt like we were on the set on a 1950’s film! The hotel changed hands in the 1930’s bought by the Sampietro family and still the perfect location for the most stylish of travellers. Own by another Italian family since 1973 Valentino De Santis has run the hotel for six years keeping it modern and fresh. 
There’s actually five restaurants to choose from at Grand Hotel Tremezzo all overseen by Italian Maestro Gualtiero Marchesi and chef Osvaldo Presazzi. Gualtiero Marchesi is considered the founder of modern Italian cuisine – a lover of food, music and art he has created historic dishes but also modernised Italian cuisine with an emphasis on simplicity and quality. 
Chef Osvaldo Presazzi is dedicated to local ingredients and sources directly from the lake. Having been chef at the hotel since 1990, his loyalty and commitment is clear but he has also had stints at other luxury hotels restaurants such as Les Ambassadeurs at the Hotel Crillon in Paris and Il Teatro at the Four Seasons Hotel Milan. Our first night we ate at L’Escale Trattoria and Wine Bar, the hotel’s more casual restaurant – it’s also the first and only fondue restaurant at Lake Como! You can either sit on the terrace here – there’s basically beautiful views everywhere at this hotel – or can enjoy the restaurant’s cosy interior. 
As our first night was pouring with rain, we opted for the environment of the cosy cavelike wine cellar. There’s a menu of local dishes and over 1,300 varieties of red and white wine. Order up a selection of Italian cold cuts, carved right inside the restaurant, fabulous cheeses, olive oil and bread and enjoy! A glass of prosecco or an Italian wine makes the perfect pairing. You can be the chef yourself and order fondue….
Or go for some hand made pasta (we had Pappa al pomodoro ravioli and red prawns) or for some fish straight from the lake.
Another night we headed to La Terrazza, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant and perhaps the most romantic restaurant in Lake Como! Usually I have huge FOMO and want to leave the hotel and try different places for dinner, but we were determined that our three year anniversary would be a relaxing holiday so we only actually left the hotel for dinner once! 
Hollywood actress Greta Garbo loved Grand Hotel Tremezzo and I could just imagine her sitting on the terrace and gazing across the beautiful trellises. The hotel is even mentioned by her in the famous 1932 film – Grand Hotel – and described as ‘that happy, sunny place.’
The candlelit glow and views of Lake Como at La Terrazza are utterly exceptional and I would definitely say one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever been to.
Dishes were as beautiful and romantic as the setting. Including artichokes Roman style. 
Lobster on pepper sauce.
Garlic and chilli pepper spaghetti with clams (shared Lady and the Tramp-style).
Turbot and courgette spaghetti.
And incredible desserts of chocolate souffle and wild berries, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry sauce.
If it’s cold or raining the inside of the restaurant is beautifully elegant and views of the lake are framed by picture windows. 
Breakfast is also served at La Terrazza with a buffet laid out the regal Sala Regina with it’s accents of gold and blue. Honestly I wasn’t blown away by the buffet but views of the lake while I enjoyed my morning coffee and croissant more than made up for it! The other restaurants are T Beach and T Pizza but I will be covering those in a subsequent post.
There are only 90 rooms in the hotel and the luxury rooms are elegantly decorated and have views of the hotel’s park or balcony. The hotel’s historic suites are named after great ladies associated with the hotel. Suite Carlotta is inspired by the style of Princess Carlotta, Suite Aurelia named for a member of the family includes her personal antique collection and Suite Greta is of course named for the Hollywood actress who was so in love with the hotel. The latter is the most important historic suite and has a terrace with beautiful lake views. The hotel’s Rooftop suites, where we stayed, have more modern decor than the historic suites and each has an outdoor jacuzzi bath.
Our Rooftop Corner Suite offered panoramic views of the lake and it was utterly perfect – perhaps one of my favourite hotel rooms of all time!
Once again the room perfectly combines antique and contemporary with actual artworks from the Grand Hotel Tremezzo private collection. Beautiful Italian design furniture and a hand picked collection of books from Ultimate Library, chosen echo the themes of La Dolce Vita and beautiful Italian design that permeate through the hotel.
And being left a bottle of champagne and scrumptious Italian chocolates was a fantastic treat. 
I loved the gold pineapple lamps on either side of our King-sized bed – just perfect for Instagram 🙂 . As I always say, luxury is in the smallest detail and the bedsheets and towels were some of the softest I’ve ever experienced. 
The bed also has a huge floor to ceiling window and Juliet balcony looking right out to the lake so that you can appreciate the view and the romance of the setting anywhere in the room. 
Service whilst staying in the suites is utterly wonderful too and there’s a VIP check in on arrival, a dedicated concierge desk and even your own private butler. 
The Cedarstone bathroom was utterly gorgeous, and I loved the freestanding double sink in the centre and the full size luxury ESPA products. 
The beautiful bath is serious #bathgoals and has a panoramic view. So often bathrooms have no natural light so a huge window out to the lake was truly spectacular. Are you ready for the best bit? 
Our outdoor terrace with a private heated jacuzzi!
And the location of the corner suite meant we had a wraparound view of Tremezzo, Lame Como and the mountains beyond. 
As well as the floating pool below.
Perfect for breakfast in the room…
Sunsets…
Or just a bit of me time…
I think it’s clear to see why I fell in love with Lake Como all over again the second time around and I can’t to tell you more about our time here.
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