In an increasingly rapacious Italian hotel scene, some iconic family-owned properties retain that made-in-Italy, one-of-a-kind elixir that the bigger players can only dream of. The decadent Grand Hotel Tremezzo is decidedly one of these: It has been in family hands since opening in 1910 and comes with Grand Tour charm in spades. Sitting a little back from Lake Como, looking out onto Bellagio, the Liberty-style building conjures a Grand Budapest Hotel set, an impression that grows when you enter the formal lobby with its sweeping red-carpet staircase, antique gilt-framed mirrors, and marble-encased bathrooms. I also love the flowers in abundance all over the property. But the hotel still manages to feel intimate thanks to its smaller cozy spaces: a cocooning spa with a heated swim-in, swim-out pool and Santa Maria Novella products; an outdoor pool surrounded by a forest of trees and blooming flowers; and tucked-away bars and corner banquettes in the restaurant (be sure to try the gold-leaf risotto). The hotel effortlessly pulls multiple punches, with a covetable shop stocking brands like Bric’s Milano, Borsalino, and Chez Dede, and a beautiful vintage wooden boat for lake excursions and to avoid road traffic. But the true pièce de résistance is the floating pool sitting on the lake—cinematic grandeur incarnate with a Lido-like beachfront, bright orange and white umbrellas, and chic custom loungers. —Ondine Cohane, contributor

A historic private villa since 1787, Passalacqua is Lake Como’s newest and most impressive hotel. Expectations ran high at the 2022 unveiling of Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s little sister—which is thrice the size—having been acquired and reimagined by the same owners. The new iteration has been met with much fanfare— features editor for Condé Nast Traveller U.K. Lydia Bell says it's a “practically faultless creation.” From hand-blown Murano chandeliers to suites with original frescoes and veiling carvings, the devotion to detail is exquisite. As is the swimming terrace.

The construction of something entirely new on Lake Como was always going to raise suspenseful eyebrows—but Sereno's bold, fresh look very much reflects the area's healthy atmosphere. The whole place is fun and clever. Moveable screens on the balconies transform each bedroom into a super-private, inside-outside den. A gorgeous pool sits close to a private stretch of beach by a pontoon bobbing with hotel-owned Rivas. Executive Chef Raffaele Lenzi serves wonderful modern Italian food in the restaurant, but be sure to walk into the town of Torno, 10 minutes away, to Ristorante Vapore, which is beloved of Robert De Niro and is where locals go for a great binge of clam pasta and octopus carpaccio.

Once the lakefront estate of Italian opera singer Giuditta Pasta, Mandarin Oriental took over this 75-room grand dame in 2018. Milan-based designer Eric Egan made over heavy interiors (also behind the Belmond Hotel Caruso revamp), sharpening the meticulous gardens and floating swimming pool. Mandarin Oriental added a lounge for afternoon tea and a spa in the basement, bringing in Italian chef Massimiliano Blasone to oversee the resort’s restaurants and bars. This was the Mandarin Oriental's first European resort and a rare new arrival on the lake—yet it slotted into the scene seamlessly.

With 18 suites (all with views over the lake) accessed sharply from Como's one road, this place feels definitively private, set apart, very much on its own picturesque high pinnacle hanging over the water. Part of a 19th-century property previously owned by the Lombardi family, it has something no other five-star hotel around here can quite claim: a very secluded pontoon that guests can swim off directly, bothered by nothing but the occasional boat dropping somebody off for lunch. (Inexplicably, most hotels don't encourage swimming in Como itself). It's worth coming to eat (just-caught fish and tomatoes from the hotel gardens) even if you don't stay, but there is something particularly authentic about this side of the lake and it would feel a shame to not sleep here, too.

Preposterously and hilariously grand, this is where Elizabeth Taylor came to hide out at the start of her affair with Richard Burton. As the great director Mike Nichols later recalled, so long as she wore a large-ish hat, nobody gave her a second glance. Built in 1568 as a summer residence for a wealthy cardinal with a passion for art, the hotel has an immense 17th-century shelled grotto, decorative gardens lapped by water so clear you can see pebbles fall to the distant bottom, and chefs in high white hats inspecting the engraved glass on bridal tables. In the morning, breakfast of Sicilian cannolis and iced espresso is taken as the sun starts its journey across the lake, settling on a flower-plumed promontory beyond. Boats cut through the water, leaving a fizzing trail behind. Everybody sits and watches—wondering where reality leaves off and dreaming begins.

This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller U.K.