Passalacqua

I just returned from a trip to Italy with my in-laws. I had no roll in planning and was really just going where I was told, so I was oblivious to the hype around the hotel going into it. The other necessary context is that we were also traveling with a 14-month old baby. This meant that for many of the outings I stayed back for nap time with my daughter while my wife went with her family, then when she woke up, we would hang out at the hotel. The hotel itself is stunning. The grounds are gorgeous. However, other hotels are beautiful, and other grounds are beautiful, other locations are beautiful, etc. etc. What sets this hotel apart from anything else I have ever experienced was the staff. They were simultaneously very formal while also being so familiar that I had to remind myself that it is inappropriate to hug them after an interaction. I could say many things about them but I will share a few small anecdotes that perfectly incapsulate the experience. 1. For my daughter's afternoon nap, I would let her sleep on my chest somewhere outside on the grounds. Every time I did some staff member would see me, walk over and whisper to ask if the bambini would like a blanket. 2. After having lunch in the bar several times, the staff all knew her name and my daughter was getting more comfortable with them. While I was having lunch they would call her to walk to them then as she would walk to them they would act like they were going to tickle her and she would run back to me cackling. 3. When the weather took a turn for the worse, the spa manager noticed me walking with my daughter and came over to say, "sir, normally the spa is not for babies, but with this weather, your daughter will need something to do for fun. If you would like to use our indoor pool, just call the spa and I will tell you when it is empty so she can enjoy a swim." 4. At most hotels the housekeeping staff barely makes eye contact with you. here that is not the case. One evening, my daughter was wearing toddle "walking socks" that are sorta like hospital socks for babies, but she wanted to go outside and so her socks were getting wet. One of the housekeeping staff that looked like she was ending her day walked by us, and then without saying anything caught back up to us. She had retrieved a set of baby-sized hotel slippers and stopped to help me put them on my baby girl! I was so touched. When I relayed the story to the hotel manager he said, "as a father, I have goosebumps, and as a hotelier as well. I will relay this to the housekeeping team and they will appreciate it." 5. Lastly, on our last night at the hotel we sat down for a fancy candlelit dinner in the main dining room. A four year old (my niece) was having trouble sitting through dinner, so her mother told her that since she had already eaten enough she would set her up with her tablet to watch a movie in the next room while we finished dinner. When her father went to check on her, he found the hotel manager en

Stunning property, fantastic food. Service was very average, spiders in the room (x5), suit was ruined during turn down service (which the hotel fixed at my insistence) - there was also absolutely no accountability or apology for any of the above or for locking us out of the property for 30 mins after a boat ride organised by the hotel. Not what you’d expect after paying EUR1300 a night.

I'm pretty sure that 99% of the guests at Passalacqua are not reading or writing TA reviews. This gorgeous hotel oozes luxury and exclusivity. It is spectacular. Stunning design, every single detail. Your eyes relax because of the beauty. I don't know, maybe some will quibble with this or that, but for me, this was one of those rare, very expensive, luxury hotels that delivered. Our room was SO BEAUTIFUL. The spa was SO BEAUTIFUL. The pool was SO BEAUTIFUL. And we felt so well attended at each moment. The first morning we ordered room service, I was startled by the knock on the door five minutes later with our coffee. We loved our boat ride on the lake. We loved aperitivi at the bar. I almost cried when it was time to leave. What a special place. I hope to return some day. Grazie!