What it’s like to stay at the second-best hotel in the world, the Passalacqua at Lake Como

“You’ll see, it’s the best hotel in the world,” said our driver, who picked us up from Milan Malpensa Airport. There was an unmistakable confidence in his voice. 

Lake Como’s Passalacqua opened in June 2022 and topped the World’s 50 Best Hotels inaugural 2023 list. It was No. 2 in 2024. Having stayed at some of the world’s most stunning and welcoming places, I am often sceptical of such accolades. When I had a chance to stay at the hotel for a night, I kept thinking, surely, the ball would drop somewhere.

It never did.

I fell in love the moment our car passed through the wrought iron gates and pulled up at the gravel driveway of the 18th-century villa. Maybe it was the romantic mist-shrouded vignette of antiquated fountains, lush lawns, and Lake Como in the background, or the charming bouquet of roses hand-tied together with a ribbon that was presented to me.

By the time I opened the door to my Isoletta villa room with a bronze key on a chain shaped with the three-pike emblem from Passalacqua’s coat-of-arms, I was besotted.

The entry-level, 430 sqm room had blushing pink walls, a king bed with a velvet and gold headboard, Venetian silk ceiling lamps and a bathroom with palace-grade Fior di Pesco marble flooring.

Steeped in history

Passalacqua had belonged to an Italian count in the 18th century and had changed hands several times under foreign ownership. The last one, an American banker, subsequently put it up for auction. 

The de Santis family, well-known hoteliers who were already owners of another historic Lake Como property, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, got wind of the auction and promptly arranged a visit to the property. Third-generation scion and now CEO, Valentina de Santis, recalled how she and her parents felt after touring the grounds. She said: “We had the same flash in our eyes and one thought in our minds: this is a dream and we want to buy it.”

Winning awards has not altered the family’s vision to create a private residence feel at Passalacqua, where the slow life is embraced, much like the villeggiatura — prolonged, restful stays in one place — that aristocratic Como families would take at the lake for months on end, their entire staff in tow.

“We created the place not from trying to follow guest expectations, but to create (what we liked) ourselves,” said de Santis. Whether it was a cooking class or a contemplative spot in the garden, she wanted guests to feel at home. “This is not a bling-bling place for showing off. It is intimate and low-key.”

Languid living

And so far, it has remained true. Even the guests were a subdued, discreet lot, which says much about the clientele they attract. Despite Murano candelabras, sophisticated Neoclassical frescos, shimmering chandeliers and artworks of various genres, the 24-key property hardly felt ostentatious. 

The rooms are spread across three buildings — the main Villa, the country house-style Palazz and the lakeside Casa al Lago — and each has its own unique colour palette. A secret bunker tunnel in the underground spa was recently uncovered and turned into a heated indoor swimming pool.

At the heart of an Italian home is the kitchen, and there were two in Passalacqua where we were allowed to come and go at any time of day. The warm aroma of fresh bakes wafted up the staircase to my room in the morning, drawing me to an endless buffet of Roman cream-filled maritozzi buns, onion crème brulée, cold cuts and cakes.

In the afternoon, it is merenda time, and pastries appear in the library, sitting so nonchalantly on a bar trolley cart that I had to ask if I could really eat them. Head chef Viviana Varese served regional specialities as if they were everyday dishes, but with a touch of finesse.

Out of the kitchen trotted out amberjack carpaccio, bone-in veal cutlet, and macaroni timbale in a rich ragu, along with wines from vineyards within a two-hour radius of the hotel.

The days pass like a picturesque postcard: A day in Moltrasio, the village where the hotel is located; wine appreciation in the cellar; and myriad selfies among the pool’s green-and-white lily-petal parasols, colourful greenhouse, and an orange buggy converted from a vintage Fiat 500.

Before we left for Grand Hotel Tremezzo, the hotel’s bartender, Alex, made me an espresso martini — a blend of almost equal parts coffee buzz and alcoholic punch, despite it being only 11am. No wonder the late opera composer Vincenzo Bellini created some of his most memorable pieces while staying here; many choose Passlacqua as their villeggiatura. It was a wistful goodbye.

Along the lake

We reached Grand Hotel Tremezzo after a half-hour drive north along Lake Como. The Art Nouveau building, featuring wrought-iron balconies and bright orange awnings, was a Wes Anderson-inspired version of Great Gatsby celebrations.

The 84-room hotel was opened by the Gandola family in 1910 and bought over by de Santis’ grandparents in 1975. It was a magnet for Europe’s glitterati and illustrious families, its soaring ceilings, ornate balconies and flowering gardens forming the backdrop of summer parties and spring revelry. Down the road is the six-suite, neoclassical Villa Sola Cabiati for exclusive buy-outs.

At 115 years old, Grand Hotel Tremezzo’s corridors and corners are a little scuffed, but its grandeur is no less diminished with luscious red carpets, ornate ceilings and jewel-toned sofas. 

My cosy lakeview room featured vermilion drapes, ornate fixtures, plush armchairs, and a marble bathroom. I had only one gripe: the power points were at awkward heights (the nearest socket to plug in the kettle was at shin level). 

But such inconveniences are easily forgotten when you are living the luxurious lake life. There are deep massages at the spa and scenic swims in the indoor-outdoor infinity pool.

We visited the nearby town of Bellagio and the iconic Villa del Balbianello, where several Star Wars and Casino Royale scenes were filmed, all via a vintage speedboat accompanied by champagne, no less.

Meals included a fresh seafood lunch by the hotel’s floating pool at the lake (very extra, but why not) and cacio e pepe at the L’Escale Trattoria and Wine Bar, where the pasta is served tableside after being tossed in a flaming block of Parmigiano Reggiano. 

The ultimate indulgence? The signature saffron risotto, topped with a square leaf of real gold at the alfresco La Terrazza, came with a certificate of authentication for the 1981 recipe by the famous late chef Gualtiero Marchesi.

Some prefer quiet, while others enjoy a bustling atmosphere. I loved the colourful energy at Grand Hotel Tremezzo, but I was less poignant when leaving. A languorous villeggiatura still captures my heart more, and Passalacqua more than lives up to its reputation as the second-best hotel in the world.