Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como
Former artists' meeting place, today a revitalized VIP oasis
08/01/2024 Reading time: 2 Minutes
The nine-part building ensemble is virtually invisible from the riverside road. There is therefore plenty of privacy and greenery: the hotel park, with a 200-year-old Lebanese cedar as its highlight, could easily pass as a botanical garden in its own right.
Very harmonious, all of it - as was my culinary introduction right after check-in: shrimp salad with rocket, fennel and orange wedges, served with olive bread on the terrace of the main house (Villa Roccabruna) from the late 18th century.
The opera singer Giuditta Pasta , the Callas of her time, once lived right here. The soprano was listened to by distinguished guests such as Rossini, Donizetti - and her lover Bellini, who composed "Norma" for her. "This link to history should be preserved," emphasizes Roberta Amaro, Head of Marketing and Communications at the Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como, "but of course we have adapted the hotel furnishings." Milan-based designer Eric Egan, known for his ability to implant historical flair into new hotels as well as injecting contemporary flair into historically sensitive tasks, has given the rooms a new lease of life. Only the "Mandarin Hall", where the reception is located and afternoon tea is served in the lounge, has a truly classic Mandarin Oriental feel.
The most gigantic residence is the 343 m² Villa del Lago, designed for six adults and two children, with its own outdoor Jacuzzi, private pier and a games room with billiards and table soccer. Price per night: a hefty 15,000 euros. Bill Gates rented a room here in 2019, in the very first season following the takeover of the CastaDiva resort by Mandarin Oriental. In the evening, you can dine in L'Aria or in the Bistrot. After octopus carpaccio and paccheri with mussels, zucchinis and mint, the nightcap at the bar becomes a veritable aria in a glass. The farewell is similarly stylish: the house car - a Tesla - purrs quietly to the ferry terminal in Como.
The opera singer Giuditta Pasta , the Callas of her time, once lived right here. The soprano was listened to by distinguished guests such as Rossini, Donizetti - and her lover Bellini, who composed "Norma" for her. "This link to history should be preserved," emphasizes Roberta Amaro, Head of Marketing and Communications at the Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como, "but of course we have adapted the hotel furnishings." Milan-based designer Eric Egan, known for his ability to implant historical flair into new hotels as well as injecting contemporary flair into historically sensitive tasks, has given the rooms a new lease of life. Only the "Mandarin Hall", where the reception is located and afternoon tea is served in the lounge, has a truly classic Mandarin Oriental feel.
The most gigantic residence is the 343 m² Villa del Lago, designed for six adults and two children, with its own outdoor Jacuzzi, private pier and a games room with billiards and table soccer. Price per night: a hefty 15,000 euros. Bill Gates rented a room here in 2019, in the very first season following the takeover of the CastaDiva resort by Mandarin Oriental. In the evening, you can dine in L'Aria or in the Bistrot. After octopus carpaccio and paccheri with mussels, zucchinis and mint, the nightcap at the bar becomes a veritable aria in a glass. The farewell is similarly stylish: the house car - a Tesla - purrs quietly to the ferry terminal in Como.
