Style: Belle Epoque meets designer
Scene: Lakeside on Lago de Como
Seen in the lobby: Well-dressed Milanese,  stylish travellers and (occasionally) the owner's new baby hugged and coo'd over  by smartly dressed staff

It is the kind of place where I’m inspired to finally write that novel on my balcony-with-a-view or meet a mysterious Italian in the red velvet lobby. Or possibly meet my Italian and then write about it…

 Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a place of romance and possibilities. Lakeside on Lago di Como it glows golden in the early morning light, the perfect spot for an extended Italian Idyll of the very best kind.  The hotel has been entertaining guests since the days of grand European tours in the early 1900s and to my mind she’s the most beautiful hotel on the lake.  Despite the name some are grander, some are more modern but none has the welcoming warmth of the family-run Grand Hotel Tremezzo.

Please don’t misunderstand me, for all her history and tradition this hotel is no slouch in the style stakes.  Her tangerine awnings seem to flutter like eyelashes and there’s a necklace of pretty lacy balconies adorning her façade. Yes, this property is more the hotel equivalent of Monica Belucci than a fusty Grand Dame. 

See our video diary HERE

The De Santis family have owned the hotel since 1975 and since she became CEO in 2010  the charming and effervescent Valentina De Santis  has given the hotel an elegant makeover. You can see her influence in the lolly-bright colours of the chairs in the sitting room, the strawberry-red velvet love-seat in the lobby and the award winning and sublimely indulgent T Spa, voted best in the world by Conde Nast in 2016.  The new spa suites, draped in lilac and dove-grey, mean the spirit of the ESPA spa floats right back to your room.

However it is hard to beat sitting on the balcony in my Lake View room over-looking the spectacular water-on-water floating pool (another Valentina innovation) and the lake and mountains beyond. And if it’s the ultimate view you are after check in to the Penthouse Suite with it glass doors opening on to a rooftop balcony.   Although TLTB is also rather fond of the Suite Greta (named after Greta Garbo) on the first floor of the Palazzo with is huge terrace and  extravagant circular bath.

“That happy sunny place on the lake”

 Greta Garbo on Tremezzo in ‘Grand Hotel’ (film, 1932) ??

My stay at Grand Hotel Tremezzo is filled with memorable ‘moments’, the hotel seems to create them effortlessly. There is drinking champagne at the lido bar watching the ferries buzz by as the bubbles fizz in my glass, and evening Aperol spritzers in the wood panelled T Bar  (I’m sensing a theme here). Then there’s  that  magical dinner on the terrace of La Terraza restaurant. Signature dishes created by Maestro Gualtiero Marchesi served with a flourish by black suited waiters as classical music played  and lights twinkled like fireflies on the other side of the lake.  And how could I forget floating in the infinity pool at the spa (did I mention the hotel has three pools) , wandering around the flower-filled garden or  climbing up to the viewing point high above the hotel where Bobo the toy bear (named after Valentina’s childhood toy) sits in state surveying his kingdom. As I said, ‘moments’.

Lake Como is ringed by pretty villages and opulent villas (and yes, Mr Clooney’s villa is nearby). Starting this season Grand Hotel Tremezzo also manages the opulent Villa Sola Sobiati, a 17th century mansion which was once the private home of one of Lombardy’s noblest families.The art-filled villa is now available exclusively to guests of the hotel.

The hotel’s private launch (all polished wood and classic style) can take you on tours of the lake with a stop-off at such delights as Villa Del Balbianello, where Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Casino Royale were both filmed. The Villa was home to Count Guido Monzin and the entrepreneur and explorer has left a legacy of amazing antiques and art. 

The concierge can also organise a shopping trip to the nearby village of Bellagio. Wandering the cobblestoned streets and stairways you’ll find art and antique shops, bookstores, boutiques and cafes just begging you to sit with a coffee and while away the time like a local. The Giardini Villa Melzi park has a gazebo which is Valentina De Santis’ favourite spot. Not surprising, since it offers a perfect view of her Belle Époque hotel across the lake.

I stand there, gazing across the lake too and the hotel seems to stare back – beautiful, timeless and serene.

Check in: Via Provinciale Regina, 8, 22016 Tremezzo CO, Italy

Ultimate Luxury: The rooftop Penthouse

Most Indulgent Moment: An afternoon in the three-floored spa

Insider Secrets: Did Valentina ever really own a Bobo bear?

The Little Things: The elegant glass bon-bon jars in the lobby are a favourite with guests

Junior Luxies: Welcomed and fussed over

Dress code: Casual elegance

Perfect luggage: Prada bag, LV suitcase

Dent in the platinum:

Luxury Link: www.grandhoteltremezzo.com , www.preferredhotels.com