Best Western Albavilla Hotel ★★★★

Romance flows through Italy’s veins. In everything it does, from art to cuisine and even the landscape itself, it is wholly enchanting and utterly irresistible. At least I’ve always thought so. And even though the Northern Italian countryside isn’t as famed as its neighbours Venice and Florence for its beauty, it definitely should be. The “Triangolo Lariano”, in which we find our residence The Albavilla Hotel ****, is comprised of a trio of beautiful lakes surrounded by incredible scenery. Which in turn makes our hotel all the more striking – in contrast to the timeless nature of its surroundings the Albavilla Hotel **** is a vision of ultra-modern cool.

The design of the hotel is, in a word, sleek. We both loved the bold choice of colour (used tastefully, naturally), bringing life to the dark wood furniture in clean minimalist lines. The avant-garde glass architecture bathed the room in light – it was simply gorgeous. Our room followed the same minimalist style as the lobby; although that wasn’t to say it wasn’t cosy. The bed was layered up with delightfully decadent throws and duvets, perfect to snuggle up in during those chillier nights.

The Gruppo Plinio, the owners of the hotel, are well known throughout Italy for their excellent restaurants and the food here was certainly no exception to their reputation. Breakfast was served from 6:30 for early birds but, if like me you found it hard to tear yourself from the warm luxury of your bed, it’s available until much later. There was, of course, a wealth of treasures to discover beyond our room – excursions navigating the breathtaking nature around us was our favourite way to while away the days here. My boyfriend and I left feeling just as enchanted as we did all those years ago – and I’m positive the Albavilla Hotel **** will bring you under its spell, too.