Grand Hotel Tremezzo

This is a stunning grand hotel, with amazing views, friendly staff, and very comfortable beds. I loved the various areas of the hotel to enjoy either a cocktail or a drink. There are two things that prevented our stay from being 5 star. The first is the use of cologne perfume throughout the hotel. I understand that Italy has a culture of heavy personal fragrances, but the entire hotel had a strong scent (I believe a signature perfume created just for the hotel), that permeated everything. My spouse and I both work in super high level restaurants in which the staff is forbidden to wear personal fragrance in an effort to ensure that the food & wine experience is experienced as intended. We went to the lakeside restaurant to grab a bite, and I ordered a bottle of water, and the water glass that was brought by the server wreaked of the cologne that the server was wearing. I had to request another glass. Also, the small face towels in the bathroom were also spritzed with cologne, so when I washed my face at night and tried to dry off with the towel, I was confronted with a face full of perfume. The other issue was the food quality. I would describe it as barely edible. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who has experienced the highest level of Michelin dining for an entire career so I really have high standards for cuisine, but still. Nothing tasted fresh or of high quality. The breakfast had a beautiful presentation, but again the product was generally subpar. Just to be clear on my priorities, while I enjoy the luxe life, I will always take a monastic hotel with excellent food over a posh hotel with average or below average food. I imagine there are tremendous logistical challenges that this area faces (most likely no nearby farmer's market that the Chef's can visit every morning), but I am always bummed when traveling not to be able to get a decent meal.

It is the one of the best hotels ever. Lake view is stunning. Hotel room and services are perfect. Bed and linens, bathroom are all very much comfortable and absolutely well-prepared. In addition, the breakfast buffet is the best of best. Highly recommend to all including honeymooners even.

We had long wanted to visit Grand Hotel Tremezzo, and finally managed to book months in advance. As frequent guests of luxury hotels, we expected a top-tier experience – but were deeply disappointed this time. We pre-arranged a luxury Mercedes sedan transfer through the hotel for two people. Instead, we were picked up in a 7-seat minivan, which felt far from luxurious. Upon arrival, we voiced our dissatisfaction to reception, but got no resolution until checkout, and only after pushing hard. Check-in was also frustrating. Our room wasn’t ready at the promised 3:00 PM. We had to keep returning to the desk until it was finally prepared around 3:30 PM, only after we insisted. Dinner was reserved in advance through the concierge at one of the hotel’s restaurants. However, on our first evening, my husband was refused entry because he was wearing classic knee-length tailored shorts. No one had warned us that trousers were required. It was embarrassing and upsetting. Service throughout the hotel was well below expectations – at reception, concierge, and restaurants. For the price point, the food and drinks experience should have been on another level, but it wasn’t. The only highlight of our stay was the Riva Boat Passalacqua tour – the Hollywood Tour around the lake. Captain Maurizio made the experience truly unforgettable and deserves special recognition. At checkout, we were again charged the full amount for the transfer from the airport. We refused to pay the full price for what was essentially a minibus, not the luxury we paid for. After insisting to speak to a manager (which took serious effort), a woman finally offered a 50% discount. We accepted, but the whole experience felt stressful and unworthy of a 5-star property. Final thoughts: The hotel is visually stunning – with incredible pools, lakeside location, and dreamy surroundings – but the service was far from five-star. Sadly, it left us with more frustration than joy.