The Overwhelming Beauty of This Fabled Lake Como Hotel May Bring Tears to Your Eyes — Here’s Why

It was a nerve-wracking approach to Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. After a vertigo-inducing drive on the coast-hugging road to Bellagio, we found ourselves in one of Italy’s dreaded ZTLs, or limited traffic zones, sure we’d taken a wrong turn. The lane got narrower and narrower as we crawled through the tourist-packed historic center, trying to ignore the stink-eyed stares of pedestrians who had to move out of our way. Something seemed wrong. But as soon as the gate attendant raised the bar to usher us into the hotel parking lot, everything was suddenly alright again.

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni is one of the undisputed grand dames of Lake Como and, along with Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Grand Hotel Victoria, and Villa D’Este, is among the lake’s legendary villa hotels. Like its illustrious peers, Serbelloni began life as a private estate, built in 1850 as a birthday present for a contessa, who apparently didn’t appreciate her husband’s gesture. By 1873, it was the Grand Hotel Bellagio, and in 1919, it was acquired by the Bucher family of luxury hoteliers, who are still the present owners.

Despite some downsizing during the Great Depression (the adjacent Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center was once part of the estate holdings), Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni emerged as the go-to place for Italian and international elites through the decades. Wealthy families from Milan, as well as names like Churchill, Roosevelt, Rothschild, and Kennedy, have all checked in here, as have a bevy of Hollywood stars from the silent era to the present — a week before our visit, Woody Harrelson had signed the guestbook.

The Buchers, now in their fourth generation at Serbelloni, have consistently made additions and improvements to the property without ever losing touch with its historic grandeur. Original frescoes, coffered and vaulted ceilings, statuary, and artworks still adorn these hallowed halls, and preserving them can be challenging. “It’s hard to find artisans to do restoration work,” says general manager Jan Bucher. And because of the age of the building, there are no blueprints that show where water pipes or other utilities are located, so finding them for repair or replacement is something of a scavenger hunt. “It’s funny, really,” says Bucher. “Frustrating, but funny.”

But back to our grand entrance from the touristy buzz of Bellagio. As I checked in, my husband, our daughter, and her friend gaped at the Grand Hall, the original marble staircase, and the diamond-encrusted Rolexes for sale in the lobby.  Moments later, we were slack-jawed at the lake views from the balcony of our Deluxe Room, which my husband and I toasted over a glass of Champagne and a slice of almond cake. There’s a next-level beauty here, in almost every inch of a hotel that is every bit of its era but not stuck in the past.

Read on for my full review of Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni.

The Rooms

Villa Serbelloni’s 94 rooms and suites are spread over the original villa, and two wings were added in the late 1800s. They range from 312-square-foot Classic rooms, which overlook the lake, the hotel’s wooded parkland, or Bellagio village, to Deluxe rooms, like ours, which have sitting areas and more square footage. Ours was on the side of the building, with an unobstructed view of the lake from our private balcony, accompanied by the twitter of songbirds from the garden.

All rooms have updated marble bathrooms with separate tubs, walk-in showers, a separate water closet — always a nice touch — and bespoke soaps, creams, and bath salts. Antique furnishings and amenities like coffee makers, minibars, safes, and WiFi are standard in-room.

Suites range from two-room Junior Suites to palatial spreads named for their illustrious past guests: the John F. Kennedy Suite, the Churchill Suite, and the Franz Liszt Suite, named for the Hungarian pianist who composed here. They smack of old-world glamor, with decorative ceiling moldings, fabric wall coverings, gilded furnishings, and sweeping lake views.

Villa Serbelloni is currently renovating its rooms and suites in stages. Ours was not yet renovated, but I did get a peek at some renovated rooms. Overall, they feel lighter, with subdued color schemes and parquet instead of carpeted floors and heavy patterned fabrics.

Food and Drink

The Royal Breakfast is an abundant buffet, with several food stations, including one dedicated to pastries, offered in the Salone Reale, the chandeliered, mirrored hall once served as the villa’s ballroom. Everything we tried was delicious, but the crispy-sweet waffles are not to be missed.

La Goletta is Villa Serbelloni’s more casual dining option, with a poolside terrace and an indoor dining room with a woodsy, nautical theme. The menu features a range of familiar Mediterranean classics, seafood, and some pan-Asian surprises, like shrimp bao buns.

Fine dining restaurant Mistral is the one that made me cry — or at least get teary-eyed. The Champagne was waiting at our outdoor table, which offered a ringside seat to a glowing sunset and the rising lamplight of villages on the other side of the lake. I don’t think I’ve seen a more perfectly beautiful setting. We enjoyed the seven-course tasting menu from executive chef Ettore Bocchia and an excellent wine pairing. Signature experiences here are old school and new: traditional lobster in Cognac and pressed duck are prepared tableside, as is Bocchia’s one-of-a-kind liquid nitrogen ice cream.

In addition to the pool and beach bar, there’s Terrazza Darsena—the only bar we didn’t try—and Verri’s, the clubby lobby bar, which offers cocktails and evening aperitivo nibbles in the Grand Hall. Had our table at Mistral not been waiting for us, we could have lingered here, sampling one complicated cocktail after another and hoping to spot some low-key celebrities.

Activities and Experiences

We never touched our car after we arrived and could have easily just camped out on the property without feeling like we’d missed much. But a boat tour of the lake onboard a classic Riva boat is a nearly iconic (yes, I said it) experience as your guide recounts the history of the lake’s famous villas and their even more famous owners and guests. The hotel partners with Taxi Boat Service for these private tours.

Take an early morning walk, run, or hike with one of Villa Serbelloni’s guide-trainers for something more active. These excursions combine fitness and sightseeing and allow guests to enjoy Bellagio’s charming lanes and majestic lake views before the daytime ferry crowds descend. Otherwise, simply walking and shopping are my favorite pastimes in Bellagio. The Villa Melzi botanical gardens are among the finest in Europe and are within walking distance of the hotel.

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni has a beach with loungers and umbrellas and a few areas to venture into the chilly lake. Offshore, there are two swimming platforms with diving boards. From our seat by the pool, we watched as a young woman worked up her nerve to dive back into the cool water — to a chorus of onshore cheers once she finally made the plunge.

The Spa

The Luce del Lago (“Light of the Lake”) spa offers a full menu of face and body treatments, many with a predictable focus on anti-aging and rejuvenation. In a couples’ treatment room, I was dusted in 24-karat gold powder and wrapped in foil before a shoulder and neck massage and facial. At the next table, my husband opted for the jet lag treatment, which focuses on (in his case, aching) feet and includes a head and neck massage.

Outside, there’s a large, glamorous swimming pool where you can bring your drink (served in a plastic glass) or grab a lounger and order lunch. But we spent most of our time in the heated indoor Serenity Pool, with its bubbling massage bed and other jet features. Nearby are wet and dry saunas, plus an adjacent kids’ pool.

Family-friendly Offerings

We were pleased that our tween daughter and her friend could join us in the Serenity Pool, where we spent most of our leisure time. The neighboring kids’ pool, with a waterfall and play area, is ideal for younger kids. The outdoor pool has shallow areas for children but extends to a depth of three meters. Courageous kids and their parents can also swim in the lake, which was still quite chilly in mid-June.

We saw plenty of families with young children, and the hotel will arrange babysitters. When we dined at the grown-up Mistral, the girls opted for room service, which was a treat for them. Otherwise, La Goletta and the pool bar, where burgers and fries are offered, are the best options for kids.

Accessibility and Sustainability

For those with limited mobility, virtually all areas of the hotel are accessible, though the lake itself is reachable only by stairs. Bellagio village tumbles down to the lakefront, and certain areas are reached only via stone staircases or steep paved inclines.

Sustainability initiatives include photovoltaic panels, which generate clean energy and run the hotel’s air conditioning system. This is combined with a lake water cooling system that pumps cold water from the lake for cooling and then returns it, in purified form, to the lake. Solar heaters are also installed for hot water and indoor swimming pools. Chef Bocchia is known for his meticulous sourcing of ingredients, including ethically produced foie gras and foods from local, sustainable producers.

Location

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni is located in Bellagio, which sits on the tip of a landmass that splits the lower half of Lake Como into two parts. For those who don’t drive to Bellagio (apparently, the road we took from Lecco was the “easy” route), ferries run by Navigazione Laghi ply the lake towns, with more frequent service in the summer months.

The closest international airport is Milan Malpensa. Milan Linate and Milan Bergamo airports handle mostly domestic and intra-Europe flights.

Note that Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni closes annually from November through February.

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay

Shoulder season at the hotel is March to May and September and October when Bellagio is less crowded, lake waters are chillier, and pleasant weather is less assured. Room prices are slightly lower in these months. You can also forego the lake view (sad but doable) and save as much as several hundred euros on your room.

The hotel is affiliated with Signature Travel, Internova Travel, and Hidden Doorways. Guests booking through these networks can enjoy perks such as upgrades upon availability, special amenities in their rooms, and complimentary Royal Breakfast.