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Great Atmosphere, Attentive Hosts and a Stunning Setting Too……Hotel Britannia Excelsior, Lake Como, ItalyBy Gilly Pickup
The uber-hospitable hotel owners, husband and wife team,
Ross (who is English) and his delightful Italian wife Doriana, pride themselves
in making guests feel at home and I loved the thoughtful personal touches I
found on arrival in my room…. a wicker basket bursting
The dining room with its spectacular ornate ceiling and glorious chandeliers is roomy enough so you don’t have to earwig into the neighbouring table’s conversation unless you particularly want to. I would do cartwheels to eat the ‘trapenese’ again – this dish made with simple ingredients (spaghetti, olive oil, basil, tomatoes, pine kernels, parmesan and walnuts) is simply mouthwatering. Perhaps the experience was enhanced because we were being serenaded at the time by a brilliant-voiced local tenor who also doubles up during the day as the town’s butcher. That evening I chose strawberries to complete my meal - the most luscious and fattest I have seen in many a year - doused in fresh lemon juice, white wine and a sprinkling of sugar.
So there you have it. A charming, unpretentious hotel with undisputed wow factor, great value for money, top notch service and in a fabulous setting to boot. What more could anyone want? For More Information: Besides the Hotel Britannia Excelsior, Ross and Doriana Whieldon own the following hotels in Italy: Hotel San Marino Grand Hotel Pinetamare Hotel delle Mimose ALL IMAGES BY GILLY PICKUP |
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TM
In
the cutesy town of Cadenabbia di Griante, surrounded by astonishingly
eye-popping scenery and located slap bang on Lake Como, the welcoming, friendly
Hotel Britannia Excelsior is a great place to spend a holiday. This 19th century
building, with frescoed ceilings and air of graceful sturdiness, exudes a proud,
though slightly faded grandeur which its clientele, who seem to be largely post
baby-boomers, appear to thrive on.
For
centuries the town of Cadenabbia was the ritzy place to be seen and attracted
the movers and shakers of the day. People like novelists Shelley and Stendhal,
the poet Longfellow, Queen Victoria, and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer came
here to meet, mingle and spend their holidays and many important personalities
in the fields of music, art and literature were guests of the Hotel Britannia
Excelsior.
stayed in a large suite - that is ‘large’ as in huge – cheerfully bright with
polished wood floor. White Regency style furniture, velvet cushioned Queen Anne
chairs, heavy rich red patterned curtains and matching bedspread gave it
something of an extravagant, regal air. And the views – oh those views! – they
are so cornily beautiful that when
you
first wake in the morning you could possibly think you had died and gone to
Heaven. Standing on the sunny balcony under a cloudless azure sky, you feel you
could dip your toes in the massive expanse of sapphires that is Lake Como. If
anyone has found a better place to chill and let the world go by, I’ve yet to
discover it.
To
be fair, only the best rooms and suites have that mind blowing lake view, though
occupants of the other rooms certainly have no cause for complaint with glorious
mountain views to soothe the soul.
with
plump, glossy peaches, succulent oranges, grapes, limes and apples, a chic
bottle of French sparkling wine and vase of fresh flowers in the bathroom. And
ah, the bathroom with its fandabaroony Jacuzzi bath was so comfortable - I’ll be
honest here - that I gave fleeting consideration to sleeping in it. A good
supply of complimentary toiletries were available as well as plenty of soft,
chunky white towels.
Food
in the Britannia Excelsior is tasty, varied, abundant and served by good
humoured staff. Nardino the head waiter is a real gem, a professional waiter of
the Old School who looks after his guests every whim so admirably. Sadly, these
days, staff of his calibre seem to be few and far between. Waiting at tables is
often regarded as something temporary to pass the time - a foolish notion,
because when done properly, a la Nardino, waiting is an art form.
What
is particularly attractive about this restaurant, besides the food and choice of
wines is the cosseting, the smiles, the way mealtimes are made to feel like an
extra special occasion. The hotel also has a pleasant bar to relax in and
lounges to – well, lounge in, as well as a swimming pool and pleasant gardens if
you just want to sit and swoon over the scenery.
Should
you want to go out and about, there are no shortage of places to visit in the
surrounding area. The hotel is ideally situated with postcard-pretty Bellagio,
‘pearl of the lake’, only a short ferry ride away, or visitors can hop on a bus
to visit the silk producing town of Como at the foot of the Alps and come back
by boat.
Nearby,
glorious Villa Carlotta, dripping in history, full of beautiful stuccos and
frescoes, is also a must-see for visitors.