Hotel l’Albereta is a five star hotel set in a secluded and ancient park in the Franciacorta area on Lake Iseo. Just an hour from Milan, it makes a great stop at the end of a business trip or an art tour of Lombardy.
Once you drive through the imposing iron gates, you are certainly in a world of luxury. The centuries old creeper clad building has been modernised throughout, and the décor and furnishings are elegant, light and bright, with creams and pastels predominating. Furniture is a mixture of antique and modern, and flowers are everywhere. The staff greeted us very professionally, and dealt with check-in and our rather copious luggage with aplomb.
We chose the Lake Tower Suite for our stay, and were delighted with this beautiful quiet room, with its large lounge area, huge bathroom with a Jacuzzi and a amazing multidirectional shower. The bed was soft as a cloud, with beautiful linens, and we particularly liked the small terrace view over the grounds, furnished with quality furniture which made sitting outside at night and star watching a real delight.
“You are certainly in a world of luxury”
The centrepiece of the hotel is its spa. Offering a bewildering range of health treatments, some of which sounded rather alarming, others of which, such as massages of many kinds, were rather more enticing. There is a large gym, equipped with state of the art equipment, a steam room and sauna and a large indoor swimming pool, so if you are looking for a health and fitness break, the L’Alberta is a great choice. There is even a Wellness Restaurant for those who think it is a good idea to visit Italy and eat health food.
We enjoyed roaming the gardens, which include a botanical garden and sculpture gardens featuring some monumental modern statues, appropriate for this most art steeped corner of Italy.
We loved the shady terrace, which boasts luxuriously comfortable chairs and which has lovely views overlooking the vineyards – a great place to while away the hot afternoon with a glass or two of local wine. Of course, the food here is excellent, and we enjoyed the Vistalargo Bistro; as the name suggests, this has spectacular views and offers a rather traditional menu.
All in all, the Hotel L’Alberta did not disappoint and comes highly recommended by us.
The Bill: £290 per night
