Hotel Ristorante Villa Crespi - Reviews
Mystery Inspector's Reviews
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14 May 2011
Top 3 reasons to stay at the hotel:
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The only drawback to staying at Hotel Restaurant Villa Crespi is that you will not have a view of one of the most impressive buildings in the Lake Orta region. The property is really one of the architectural crown jewels in a landscape studded with magnificent villas. In fact, it was quite common for my wife and I to encounter tourists and passers-by gathered at the gates taking pictures of the building, the beautiful grounds and the magnificent cars parked in the carport. I would need a PhD in English to provide you with a just and fitting description of the sheer impressiveness of the decorations and details running throughout the hotel – so since a picture is worth a thousand words, I suggest you view the photos on the website. I can assure you that, unlike some hotels, Villa Crespi is not posting the 1 or 2 most amazing images that needed to be touched-up in Photoshop; the rooms, halls and corridors really are that ornate. While we were checking-in the manager explained that it took over 30 years to complete the decorations! If you are used to staying in chain hotels, even luxury ones, efficiently fabricated from rebar, concrete and glass, a weekend at Villa Crespi will transport you to another world.
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In case you needed a second reason to consider visiting Villa Crespi, the hotel houses a 2 star Michelin restaurant. I may be showing my naiveté, but at first I was skeptical about the level of diversity and ingenuity that I would encounter with Italian cuisine (as I am used to traditional Italian cooking, I guess). Boy, was I wrong! The restaurant offers several tasting menus, in addition to a la carte, and we decided to splurge for the ’10 course’ menu prepared according to the whims, and by the hands of, Chef Cannavacciuolo. Everything was simply amazing. Before the first course arrived, our waiter ‘covered’ our table with fresh baked breads representing all of the major styles throughout Italy. It took almost all of our willpower to not devour everything and save room for the first course. The meal challenged all of my conceptions about Italian cuisine: only one of our dishes contained pasta, the chef employed surprising and innovative techniques (‘liquid salad’) and inventive flavor & textural combinations (raw egg yolk with fresh scampi – yum). Somehow, despite the meal being 10 courses, we never felt uncomfortably stuffed. The portions were exactly the right size and everything was perfectly balanced and seasoned. Of course, if there is anything you don’t like, or if you have any food allegories, the chef is more than willing to accommodate (i.e. my wife hates pigeon). The meal challenged my preconceptions in another way: each dish was paired with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine. As someone who is used to bubbly as an aperitif, I was amazed to discover the different flavors – ranging from the familiar French and less known Italian varieties, to the intensely mineral tasting Austrian vintages I never new existed (and have been searching for at my local wine shops). Each glass was expertly presented and explained by our sommelier. The next morning, as I was exploring the grounds of Villa Crespi (trying to walk off dinner) I discovered the restaurants’ garden. I could tell that the ingredients were fresh, but I didn’t realize the staff was picking the herbs, salads and vegetables virtually ‘to order’.
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Finally, if money is no object, why not reserve the hotel’s stunning Maserati GT. That’s right, the beauty is parked in front of the hotel and available for guests to book for a few hours – to a full day – four touring around the Lake Orta region! How many hotels can offer this kind of experience? And if Maserati is not your thing, the concierge at Villa Crespi can arrange for another make (i.e. Mercedes SUV) to be delivered to the property.
Overview:
Upon driving through the gates of Hotel Restaurant Villa Crespi we were immediately greeted by the porter, who was carrying an umbrella to protect us from the light drizzle that was falling.
We were delighted to learn during check-in that, as SLH guests, despite being several hours early we would be allowed to use the room straight-away, and we had been given a free upgrade to one of the most enchanting suites in the hotel. The receptionist informed us that we could have had one of the ‘biggest’ rooms in the property, but she thought we would appreciate the charm of room 213, as well as the beautiful view over Lake Orta from our wall-to-wall windows. After dropping our bags in the room and quickly freshening-up after the 3 hours drive from Lausanne (near Geneva, Switzerland) we consulted with the concierge and decided to walk to the neighboring lakeside village (about 10 minutes walking). Be sure to bring some Euros and an appetite as the shops are teeming with dried mushrooms, fresh cheeses and locally produced salamis. With evening approaching it was time to return to Villa Crespi for a shower and to change into semi formal attire for dinner at the property’s 2 Michelin star awarded restaurant. While waiting for my wife to get ready I had just enough time to relax in the lounge with a book and an aperitif. As already mentioned, our meal was outstanding. I highly recommend that you pay a little bit extra and try the 10 course tasting meal personally prepared by the head chef (vs. one of his sous chefs). One other detail that I appreciated – despite requesting dinner reservations just a few days before our arrival we were given what I considered to be one of the best tables in the restaurant. The next morning we were up early to enjoy strong Italian coffee and more delicious food for breakfast (think fresh mozzarella, baked breads, prosciutto and locally produce yogurts). Before heading-out for a bike ride around Lake Orta we asked reception if we could store our bags and possibly use the showers in the spa before driving home, and we were delighted to learn that we could use our room for as long as we wanted (between the early check-in, free upgrade and late check-out we were definitely getting a good value). If you enjoy cycling (or don’t want to take the hotel’s Maserati) I highly recommend going for a ride around the lake. It should take you 3 hours and is ‘mostly’ flat, unless you’re like us and decide to explore the single-track mountain bike trails running through the hills above the lake (in that case you may not return until 7pm). Here’s my last tip: no trip to Italy is complete without some gelato – and there is a great gelateria located across the street from Villa Crespi (again, organically and locally produced). Enjoy!
• Before heading-out for bicycle touring asked if we could store bags and use spa shower before it was time to drive home. To our delight we were allowed to use the room for as long as we needed.
• Wonderful day riding around the lake (easy, flat, normally takes 3 hours – unless your like us and decide to explore the off road mountain bike routes – in which case you may not get home until 7pm). Not to worry locals are happy to point you in the right direction in case you get lost.