LUXURY FOR LESS

LAKE COMO

3 NIGHTS’ B&B FOR £1,845

AFTER being foiled by James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, multimillionaire supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld retreats to a hotel on Lake Como. And it’s easy to imagine that Ian Fleming was writing about the spectacular Grand Hotel Tremezzo.

This art nouveau landmark is more than 100 years old and has 90 rooms with views of the lake and the Grigne Mountains. Explore the towns of Como, Lugano and Bellagio in a Venetian water-taxi, or take a chauffeured tour of the grand villas, abbeys and castles scattered along the lake’s shores.

When it’s time to relax, go for a meal in the hotel restaurant, which showcases the best of the region’s produce and culinary history.

Book at grandhoteltremezzo.com

... OR FOR £422

DESPITE the glamour, and fierce competition for hotel rooms during the summer, a visit to Lake Como doesn’t have to break the bank.

Next door to the Tremezzo, the Grand Hotel Cadenabbia has views of Bellagio, welcomes pets and offers free breakfast.

The quirky rooms were renovated in 2017 and some have balconies.

The hotel has a variety of excursions including trips to Bergamo, Villa Balbianello, Villa Carlotta and boat tours to the centre of the lake.

Book at grandhotelcadenabbia.it/en