There are hoteliers, and then there is the Bucher family, fourth-generation owners of the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, the only five-star hotel in Bellagio, Italy. Owner and general manager Jan Bucher makes his rounds on the hotel daily, walking up the very steps that he played on as a boy and making his way down corridors that he can navigate with his eyes closed.
Just like his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents before him, the property is home. His parents still live on-ground, sharing the beauty and grandeur of the hotel with visitors who wish to come home to the true tranquillity and resplendence of Lake Como.
“We’re family-owned, so this property offers a completely different story because it’s our house. Our heart and soul are here,” Bucher says. “We are really something unique. That such a palace is owned by a family, for more than 100 years, is something that nowadays is very rare to see.”
Upon checking in, it’s clear that Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni is not just another luxury hotel dotting the coast of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. From its vantage point on the Y junction where the lake splits, it has seen the most well-heeled visitors, from royalty and aristocracy of a bygone era, to celebrities and politicians through the turn of the century. As a proudly family-owned estate for four generations, it has welcomed them home with character and authenticity personally seen to first by Arturo Bucher, followed by his heirs.
Every stay truly welcomes you home to life and history on the lake. In the Queen of Sweden Suite, wake up to the tranquillity of Lake Como as coveted by Queen Silvia of Sweden herself, when she frequented Italy in the 1980s. It is today the most in-demand suite, following in the footsteps of a list of eminent culture, art, fashion, and entertainment personalities such as Tara Gandhi, Isabel Allende, Helmut Newton, and Clark Gable. Two balconies open up to views of the lake from the living room, while another lets you wake up to the quiet lapping song of the waters the moment the sun rises. Antique furniture, gold chandeliers, and fine Italian linen make every return to this regal sanctuary one not short on luxury.
Other suites tell stories of their own. In the Kennedy Suite, sink into the centuries-old silk-making tradition of Como as the Silk City, where the region’s famed silk covers armchairs and drapes across beds in specially designed silk covers hand-stitched by in-house artisans. In the Churchill Suite, bask in the history of the building with a salon built in what was the villa’s private cathedral, with the domed ceiling and arched window not only preserved but also made as the centrepiece of the room. In the Helmut Newton Suite, your breath of fresh air is merely a step away as the only suite with private access to the well-manicured Centenary Gardens. All rooms marry period ornate interiors with modern facilities, including marbled bathrooms with separate toilets and showers, double sinks, and some even with bathtubs with an inbuilt jacuzzi.
The hotel takes good care of its past but does not forget to look forward to the future. A new spa, fresh from extensive renovations, awaits on the ground floor. Spa Luce del Lago, unabashedly the largest wellness destination on Lake Como, heals with wellness practices inspired by the lake, complete with its own hammam of soft blue marble, relaxation areas with chromotherapy, and hairstyling and nail services. Hydrotherapy comes in a sleek and shiny indoor space, where hydro-pools with water kept at a constant 32°C bubbles up a massage for the whole body.
The newness continues outside, where the outdoor pool, extensively photographed and Instagrammed for its uninterrupted views of the lake, now comes with an extended private beach. There’s no better place to feel the sand between your toes than by the shores of the lake, while your favourite cocktail is brought to you. Be careful—the call of the waters for a refreshing dip or an exhilarating dive from the panoramic board is one that is hard to resist.
When your appetite awakens, indulge it at two signature restaurants. The all-day dining La Goletta lets you eat where the water meets the sky. Executive chef Ettore Bocchia crafts a colourful menu of traditional Italian regional cuisine for all occasions and times of day, underscored by the simple philosophy of banking on only the highest-quality ingredients. For a more immersive dive into Chef Bocchia’s genius, the 7-course tasting menu at Mistral Restaurant may give you a glimpse of his inner workings. As a pioneer of Italian molecular cuisine, his menu is as much theatrical as it is a gastronomic affair.
Smoke billows across the table and onto the ground with his signature dessert, liquid nitrogen ice cream, prepared tableside à la minute. Pasta, in the case of the lobster linguine with cognac, is finished in the dining room, following a spectacular flambé that has flames dancing before your eyes. Impeccable service keeps glasses filled and finished dishes whisked away in the unseen moments when you’re paying attention to the live piano music. All of the above is served with a wine list curated from a cellar of more than 400 international labels and to a view of the lake framed within floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
There are hotels, and then there is Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. Luxury resorts and exquisite villas are as prevalent at Lake Como as the talk of its azure waters and breathtaking beauty. But if a sense of homecoming, lifted by a palpable sense of personalisation, warmth, and welcome, is what you’re looking for, no matter how many times you return, there is only one place in Bellagio that can meet that. Under the careful keep of four generations of the Bucher family, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni isn’t just another hotel—it’s home.
