La Foleia

Style

We’re in the Monet

Setting

Waterside whimsy

Between Villa Padiglione and Villa Ottagonale – the whimsical duo of powder-puff-pink confections that face each across La Foleia hotel’s tranquil lake – lies a miniature world of possibilities. Bathe in heated natural rock pools, forge a path through water lilies and lotus flowers in the painted wooden rowboat, and lose yourself among the garden’s dreamlike maze of cypresses, Japanese maple and giant bamboo. Or just sit on your veranda, idly doodling dragonflies over an elderflower spritz and a light Piedmontese lunch prepared by the relais’ private chef. Nearby Lake Maggiore promises waterside pursuits on a grander scale, including mountain hikes, vineyard tours and boat trips to the extraordinary Borromean Islands.

Facilities

Habitaciones

Two enchanting lakeside villas, each with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and English garden-style waterfront verandas.

Checkout

11am. Check-in, 3pm. Early check-in and late check-out can be arranged for a fee of €250 when availability permits.

Más detalles

Rates include an Italian breakfast daily and access to the wellness area from 10am to 7pm (on request). There’s a minimum two-night stay at weekends.

Also

Unfortunately, La Foleia is not suitable for wheelchair users.

Lavandería

Piscina

Restaurante en el hotel

Servicio de habitaciones

Spa

At the Hotel

Free WiFi, wooden rowing boat, Lavazza coffee machine with compostable pods, Wilden Herbals teas, fruit basket, minibar, TV or projector, speaker or sound system, and bath products from Floris London and Höbe Pergh.

Our Favourite Rooms

Both villas at La Foleia are showstoppers. But, Padiglione edges it for sheer bonkers brilliance. Strap in for the drawing room fresco, a wraparound English garden scene with a few incongruous extras: palm fronds, lush fruits, tropical birds and…a monkey with a magnifying glass. Cast your gaze out through French windows and across the stone veranda to the kind of lily-covered lake that would make Monet swoon, or find a quiet nook beneath the gently sloping ceilings of the corridors and bedrooms, perfect for browsing coffee-table tomes on art and horticulture from the pavilion’s extensive library.

Poolside

The spring-fed natural rock pools overlooking La Foleia’s private lake are open between 10am and 7pm and heated to 38°C in winter.

Spa

Set in splendid gardens, La Foleia’s wellness area (open from 10am to 7pm) comes with two heated rock pools that overlook the lake to the riot of wisteria on the opposite shore, plus a Finnish sauna clad in cedar and antique oak, and an outdoor shower. Access to the wellness area, massages and other treatments can be organised on request.

Packing Tips

You don’t have to be a Monet or a Manet to be inspired to pick up a brush here. A basic set of travel watercolours and a sketchbook will be enough for most amateurs to have a go at capturing the dusky pink twilight on balmy summer evenings. The lake’s largemouth bass population will mostly take care of the mosquitoes, but it wouldn’t hurt to carry a natural repellent like lemon eucalyptus oil with you, just in case.

Also

La Foleia’s magical gardens – all lotus-strewn lakes, lofty cypresses, bamboo forests and wild wisteria clouds – was designed by master horticulturist Gianfranco Giustina, head gardener for Isola Bella and Isola Madre on Lake Maggiore.

Niños

La Foleia is a grown-up kind of place (think of the upholstery, darling), meaning there are no specific facilities or clubs for Little Smiths. However, a total of four bedrooms across the two villas does make this an option for family stays.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Villa Ottagonale’s veranda glasshouse at dusk, with neighbour Villa Padiglione glowing dusky-pink across the water, is a tough act to follow.

Código de vestimenta

Milan couture for Vogue-worthy fashion shoots on the lake, or draped around lichen-dappled statues in the gardens; cotton slacks and loose linens for catching the breeze on boat trips to the Borromean Islands.

Hotel Restaurant

La Foleia’s private chef uses seasonal local produce to conjure regional Piedmont specialities, served on your veranda (or drawing room, depending on the weather). Knowledgeable staff can recommend the best restaurants-with-a-view in the nearby lake resorts of Arona, Stresa and Baveno.

Hotel Bar

You can order drinks, including La Foleia’s signature elderflower spritz, until 8pm.

Last Orders

You can order drinks to your villa – or if you’re feeling particularly decadent – to the rock pools, between noon and 8pm. It’s local beers and ready-mixed cocktails from the minibar after that.

Room Service

It’s all room service here, with breakfast, lunch and dinner available between the hours of 8am and 9pm.

Planes

La Foleia is around a 35-minute drive from Milan Malpensa Airport. Transfers can be arranged for €100 to €115.

Trains

Trains from Milan and Malpensa Airport serve the station at Arona, a 10- to 15-minute drive from the hotel. Transfers from here to La Foleia cost €35 to €40.

Automobiles

Rural Piedmont isn’t exactly rife with public transport and your own set of wheels will come in more than handy for exploring the shores of Lake Maggiore. You’ll find all the usual rental suspects at the airport and there’s free private parking at La Foleia.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Star of the show around these parts is Lake Maggiore: an endlessly scenic and vast body of water that spans three regions across two countries. La Foleia is just a five-minute drive from the lake's southern shores, from where water-based activities and fine road trips abound.

Try a drive up to the gloriously green Alpine hills that provide the backdrop to pretty Verbania, from where bucolic wanders through lush valleys and precipitous peaks are punctuated by chocolate-box villages and ridiculous views over the Borromean Gulf to the islands. Or head along the eastern shore for the likes of Angera, with its picturesque hillside churches and imposing mediaeval fortress, which houses a rather less fearsome collection of 1,000 dolls from across Europe.

Strike out on a self-guided road trip to Piedmont’s most celebrated vineyards around Ghemme and Gattinara, renowned for their bold and spicy reds. That said, a wine-tasting tour organised via La Foleia may prove less likely to end in potentially marriage-ending squabbles about who should be the designated driver and who the designated drinker.

The relais can also organise boat trips out onto the lake itself, including to the Borromean Islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre with their opulent Renaissance-style palazzi and mix of Italianate and English country gardens. Guided trips to heritage sites including the flamboyant formal gardens at Villa Taranto in Verbania and Orta San Giulio’s romantic labyrinth of cobbled lanes and picture-perfect piazzas present further options for the insatiable sightseer.

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. .