Laqua by the Lake

Style

Luxury lakeside lodgings

Setting

Imagination-sparking shore

Switch your mind into screen-saver mode at Laqua by the Lake. Its setting – by the silvery waters of Lake Orta, buffered by the misty tree-flocked mountains of Piedmont’s natural parks – spurs idle reveries, while treks, ski sessions and all manner of water-based fun give some oomph to escapism. Lake-side residences of this calibre (dressed in travertine, marble and locally sourced wood) are a rare luxury in this glamorous lacustrine region, and offer romance with a rooftop Jacuzzi or family-friendly seclusion with a huge private garden, as you wish. Celebrity chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo oversees dining, a beach club lets you feel the sand between your toes and a breathing coach brings home that sense of calm; and underlining it all is that tune-in-and-switch-off view.

Facilities

Rooms

18 luxuriously appointed apartments.

More Details

Rates usually include a generous Italian breakfast.

Also

When it comes to food recommendations, we’ll happily take the word of a man who’s reached the upper echelons of cooking glory, written several cookbooks and appeared on Masterchef Italia. The lobby boutique sells some of chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo’s favourite things: prosecco, limoncello, red tuna, bottarga, olive oil, rice… And pastry creations such as plum cake, pistachio or honey torte, and mojito-infused rum babas to take home. Plus, you can get copies of his book and – curiously – a chef teddy bear for kids.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Beach club with a sand-dusted sun terrace, jetties, e-boat, paddleboards, e-bikes to hire (for an extra charge), lobby boutique, free WiFi. In rooms: Satellite TV, coffee machine, air-conditioning, bathrobes, Etro bath products. Most apartments have a private balcony or terrace, some have a garden, and Penthouses have a Jacuzzi.

Our Favourite Rooms

Each of the 18 apartments has been decorated in luxurious style, using high-quality materials inspired by the surroundings: travertine floors, Crittall windows, marble, stone and natural wood, to create modern spaces with an organic feel. We especially like the tables that look like polished tree stumps, vases of wildflowers and textured wooden feature walls.There are two choices of view: the garden or the lake, of which the latter is the comelier. Things get more cinematic in the penthouses, which have a water-water-everywhere panorama and a roof terrace with a Jacuzzi.

Poolside

The beach club’s heated infinity pool sits at the lake edge, appearing to flow into the water below. The view as you do laps is quite distracting, with Alpine drama above the water level and peek-a-boo historic villas emerging from lush greenery. And, when you’ve towelled off, you can recline on one of the white-cushioned sun-beds set on floating platforms in the water, or those on a higher tier to ensure everyone gets an eyeful of view. Staff will happily deliver wine, cocktails and snacks to your side. Things occasionally get quite active, with aquatic aerobics, Pilates on paddleboards, or guided relaxation. The lake’s waters are swimmable too; dive in from the beach club’s sandy-underfoot terrace. Lovers, take note, after-dark dips might be clothing optional.

Spa

It’s all the easier to persevere through yoga and Pilates stretches with a sparkling blue sight-for-sore-eyes to focus on. Personal trainers can put you through your paces on request. At the more serene end of wellness offerings, there’s a resident breathing coach to guide you into tranquility, and a full spa will be erected later on in the year.

Packing Tips

Bring swimming and watersports gear as well as a headscarf for keeping hair coiffed while speeding over the water.

Also

The hotel frequently holds sociable cheese- and wine-tasting events.

Children

Bambini are very welcome, and having an apartment with a full kitchen gives families a lot more space and flexibility. Junior water babies in particular will thrill at the choice of swimming spots and splash-happy activities.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

For drinks, gather at the semi-circle sofa set overlooking the water on the dining terrace, or set your glass down by a sunlounger. For dining, perhaps a private meal on your balcony.

Dress Code

Lean into the lake’s poetry with dresses that flow like verse. Gents, tailoring is a must by the beach, too.

Hotel Restaurant

Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo has garnered Michelin stars and plaudits aplenty at Villa Crespi, an extravagant Moorish residence, close by in Orta San Giulio. But, this prolific restaurateur and food writer is slowly conquering the shores of Lake Orta and the wider region, one hungry punter at a time, with his range of Laqua resorts, elegant bistros, pastry bottega, street-food stop and online deli. And, if you need more proof of his culinary prowess, you can frequently catch him on Masterchef Italia. But, that’s not the only credit to his name: we’d bestow it in spades for the wonderfully simple and locality-evoking cookery at Laqua on the Lake. While sat looking across the glittering expanse of Lake Orta, try beef tartare with champagne sauce and oysters, pizzaiola-style baccalà in an octopus jus, seafood pastas and fresh catches. The dining room, made from clean-edged blocks of smoky wood and white concrete, itself looks like a stylish table rising from the garden, but it’s all about going alfresco here – Lake Orta earned the nickname la Cenerentola (Cinderella) for its underdog status and immense beauty. If you want to try your hand at an Italian feast, there’s a supermarket just a five-minute walk away where you can stock up your kitchen.

Hotel Bar

The bar is on the dining terrace, but drinks can be ferried about the place to your whims.

Room Service

Breakfast can be delivered to your room and on request (and for an extra charge) the hotel can send a private chef along to alleviate cooking duties.

Planes

Milan Malpensa is the closest, an hour’s drive to the south. Flights arrive here direct from major cities throughout Europe and some further afield.

Trains

Handily, well-connected Pettenasco train station is right outside the hotel. The journey from Milan via Novara takes around two-and-a-half hours, and trains arrive here from all neighbouring countries and Italy’s big-ticket cities.

Automobiles

A car will come in very handy here, unless you become so transfixed by Lake Orta you find it hard to tear yourself away (easily done). It’ll give you the freedom to scope out the scenes in Milan and Turin, glide along the timelessly scenic borders of Como and Maggiore and seesaw through the velvety mountains of the Parco Nazionale della Val Grande. Each apartment at the hotel has private parking and you can acquire a set of wheels at Malpensa.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Lake Orta is the little sister to some of Italy’s more statuesque lakes at around 14 kilometres long, but it still holds a king’s ransom of treasures to explore, for which Italians would prefer to keep it on the DL. Its edges are buffered by rollicking mountains and deep-pile forest, and studded with palazzos in sugar-almond pastels. Of the medieval villages that dot the sides, Orta San Giulio might be the most charming, with its cobbled streets, convivial squares and terracotta rooftops. Life moves at a slow pace here, but the village has a lively series of events throughout the year: a jazz festival from June to September, Ortissima art festival in July, a romantic poetry festival in October and an ancient-music festival held in the 18th-century Casa Tallone on the island of San Giulio, a petite outpost with a fresco-clad basilica at its heart. While in the village, climb Sacro Monte to see a collection of picturesque chapels dedicated to Frances of Assisi and capture the photo-op view at the top. And stop by the curious ‘painted village’ of Legro, which is coated with scenes from the works of children’s storybook writer Gianni Rodari. In winter, skiing is possible on the slopes of Monte Mottarone to the north; come summer it’s a very pleasant hike with a view of the seven lakes awaiting you at the top. All lakes – Maggiore and Como are both just a short drive away and worth circumnavigating – are well served for waterskiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, tubing and, of course, whipping across the water in a speedboat like an old-school Cinecittà star. Or, hop in the hotel’s more sustainable e-boat (at an extra charge) for a jaunt out to Lake Orta’s crystal-clear waterfall or the village; they have a stash of paddleboards too. Follow up in suitably glamorous style by sunning yourself on the shell-shaped shore of the Orta Beach Club, which also has pedalos, a restaurant with molto moreish fresh pasta and a cocktail bar.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .