Hotels du lac

Make like the Clooneys and stay in waterfront splendour

EDEN ROC, ASCONA, LAKE MAGGIORE

On Italy’s border with Switzerland, at the foothills of the Alps, two picturesque lakes zigzag their way through premountainous valleys. You’ve heard of one before: Lake Como, the sometimes home of George and Amal Clooney; a belle époque playground where the world’s nobility ride Vespas without helmets and sip Aperol spritz on terraces that lick at the edge of pellucid natural water. As Clooney once put it: ‘At Lake Como, you live your life the way you’re supposed to live your life if you’re lucky.’

Just 30 miles to the west of Como, Maggiore is similar in size, length, topography and climate, yet its name carries none of the instant celebrity of Como, nor the tourist recognition. Which, it turns out, is lucky for some – because Maggiore is every bit the alluring lakeside retreat of Como.

The lake’s northernmost tip is technically in Switzerland (the locals quip it’s just like Italy except the trains run on time), and it’s here in the town of Ascona that you’ll find the five-star Hotel Eden Roc, with its 95 rooms, four restaurants, three swimming pools, 2,000 sq m of spa facilities, and one private beach. It’s an enchanting place to spend time: the flamboyantly neomaximalist furnishings of local designer Carlo Rampazzi wouldn’t look out of place in a Federico Fellini film, while Swiss punctiliousness keeps the joint ticking along.

As for what to do, you might take the hotel’s classic Riva speedboat to the nearby botanical park on the Brissago Islands, sample the local white merlot, and go walking in the hills around Ascona. Or you might simply lose a day on a lounger by the infinity pool with Maggiore stretching out in front of you. This is the dolce vita that George was talking about – and there isn’t a photographer in sight. — Jonny Cooper

BAUR AU LAC, LAKE ZURICH

Heading north to Zürich, Baur au Lac may be wincingly expensive, but it’s the only hotel in town to sit in its own manicured lakeside park, close to the glossy shopping street Bahnhofstrasse. Open since 1844, Baur au Lac prides itself on its friendly, old-school service, but also on its newer notions – from the modern take on haute cuisine at the Michelin-starred Pavillon and its annual pop-up Nobu restaurant, to the earlymorning yoga sessions in the park.

BURGENSTOCK, LAKE LUCERNE

Half a billion Swiss francs went into reimagining the belle époque Bürgenstock Resort overlooking Lake Lucerne, where Sophia Lauren and Audrey Hepburn once lived. Reopening about a year ago, it’s now four hotels (ranging from three- to five-star), eight restaurants, a medical spa and the most extraordinary 10,000 sq m Alpine Spa, forged from an original building. The (revamped) original funicular whisks guests between lake and resort.

1. EDEN ROC, ASCONA, LAKE MAGGIORE Doubles from £277 (edenroc.ch). Swiss flies from London Heathrow to Zurich from £148 return (swiss.com). The Swiss Transfer Ticket for the train costs from £120 return (swisstravelsystem.co.uk). 2. BAUR AU LAC, LAKE ZURICH Doubles from £672 (bauraulac.ch). 3. BURGENSTOCK, LAKE LUCERNE Doubles at the most affordable option, the three-star Taverne 1879, from £200; day pass for the Alpine Spa, from £80. Doubles at the five-star Bürgenstock Hotel from £961, including entry to the Alpine Spa (buergenstock.ch/en)