Lake Como has no shortage of grand hotels, but a new opening in Cernobbio is offering something different: a whole apartment, no breakfast hours or shared lobbies, plus full run of one of Italy's most famous hotels next door.
Miralago Luxury Apartments is the latest addition to Villa d'Este La Collezione, the family of properties gathered by the Fontana family since they took over the legendary Villa d'Este in 2007. The eight one- and two-bedroom apartments occupy the former Miralago Hotel on the Cernobbio waterfront, a few minutes up the lake from the town of Como, and were redesigned by Milan-based studio Droulers Architecture — the same family that once ran Villa d'Este itself. Each is named after a lakeside village, and the units can be combined into a three-bedroom home for bigger groups.
The look is a modern take on a Lombard villa: high ceilings, boiserie, marble, copper and wood, dressed with Dedar fabrics and Geminiano Cozzi porcelain, mostly made to measure by Italian artisans. Kitchens come fully equipped with Smeg kit and a welcome spread of Mancini pasta, olive oil, pesto, Parmigiano and a bottle of Antinori — and a private chef can be arranged if cooking feels like a chore. Breakfast is delivered to your door if you ask, or you can take a cornetto downstairs at Caffè Miralago.
The real draw is the hybrid setup: the privacy of your own residence with access to Villa d'Este's Renaissance gardens, its famous floating pool and the Sporting Club. Across the road, Harry's Bar serves beef carpaccio (white truffle topping this season) to live piano, while Villa d'Este's fine-dining restaurant, La Veranda, is the splurge — the crêpes Suzette reportedly deserve the hype.
The concierge can arrange boat trips, which is the right way to see the lake. Como is Italy's third-largest lake, shaped like an inverted Y, ringed by pastel villages and villa gardens. Highlights include Villa del Balbianello (a filming location for both Star Wars and Casino Royale), Villa Carlotta with its spring azaleas, the gardens of Villa Melzi in Bellagio, and Laglio, where George Clooney's Villa Oleandra put the village on the map. History runs darker up north: Mussolini was captured at Dongo in April 1945.
For travellers who find hotels a bit much but don't want to sacrifice five-star extras — pools, gardens, concierge, room service — Miralago is a compelling middle ground, and families or groups of friends will get more space for their money than in most lakeside hotels.
