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Back to Villa Crespi
Hi,
We did have a good trip, but Villa Crespi was only a small part of it. This was in some ways a good thing as our experience of the hotel was not a good one. On arrival we were told that there was a maintenance problem with our room and would we accept an upgrade and move to our original room the next day. I said ok as I was sure all the rooms would be of a high quality, my only reservation was living out of a suitcase for two days. However when we did get our original room we realised we had not had an upgrade at all, just a different room with a four poster bed and a bigger bathroom. The original room had a balcony with a lake view and a jacuuzzi. How did we know it was the original room? Well, this is when it gets worse! The toilet flushing mechanism was in pieces and obviously not fixed and my wife had to go down three floors to use a toilet. We also were not impressed with the service at the hotel. On arrival having partially unpacked (we are moving rooms tomorrow), we went down to get a cup of tea. We sat out on the terrace to await the arrival of a waiter that never came and finally went to reception to see if we could place an order. We were told there would be some delay as the staff were having a meal! This level of service continued to breakfast in the morning where no one was on hand to greet and seat us and once again we had to search for a waiter to get us some coffee. On checking out I brought this to the attention of the receptionist who gave us a 15 eur0 discount, which frankly was an insult, particularly having spent nearly 200 euros in the restaurant. The service in the restaurant was a totally different experience and we find it hard to equate the two in the same business. In summary we have been to better hotels and paid a lot less! Had this been a weekend/short break we would have felt short changed and it is only the wonderful time we had away from the Villa Crespi during our 2 week break that really glossed over this experience. My comments for your web site would be: " Eat there, but do not stay there!"
Paul G.
Dear Fabio:
My wife and I just returned from Italy and a stay at the Villa Crespi. You
made a wonderful choice for us. The location is spectacular, the staff accommodating
and friendly, and the rooms very beautiful. We really enjoyed it. Incidentally,
the restaurant now has a Michelin star and is about as romantic a setting as
we have ever seen.
We also stayed at the Palazzo
Niccolini in Florence and the Anglo
American.
Both were more than we expected.
Thanks again for the usual great job we have come to expect from In Italy.
Mike S.
Dear Jessica,
We had a wonderful time, and loved the Villa Crespi. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Other bits and pieces you may like to know include:
1. the mosquitoes are awful - be prepared
2. the literature we receive about the villa crespi alluded to outlet shopping
in the area, and advised us to ask the staff. There were no outlets to be found
in our experience.
3. a restaurant on the square in Orta san Guilio called Venus is pretty bad.
Stay away.
4. there is no working fitness center, at Crespi or the sister hotel.
5. the restaurant at Crespi is wonderful.
6. a local world class restaurant Al Soriso is wonderful (and very expensive)
Janis C.
Dear In Italy,
A second trip to Lago d'Orta and the Villa Crespi and they were superb as before! This time was for my wedding and Orta San Giulio and the Villa Crespi rolled out the red carpet! Their nine course dinner at the Villa Crespi Restaurant is one for the record books and was quite an elaborate wedding dinner. Everyone there treated us to a fantastic and enthusiastic time, very welcoming on this very special occasion. It is a fairy tale setting, Orta San Giulio, and the Villa Crespi.
Thank you for your assistance.
Bob L.
Thanks for getting in touch. Anything that "forces" me to think about my trip to Italy is welcome!
Regarding Villa Crespi: I was disappointed that the hotel wasn't on the lake front. When the website said "lake view", I took that to mean that the hotel was right on the lake (as it was in two other hotels at Lake Como and Lake Garda, where we also stayed). I was very disappointed to find that I could hardly see the lake at all - it was far from the hotel, plus the intricate design of the walls on our terrace made it almost impossible to see the water.
That said, we very much enjoyed Orta San Giulio and Villa Crespi. The meal at the Villa was phenomenal - I had a tuna filet encrusted with cinnamon that you wouldn't believe! We also had an excellent meal in the town (I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but if you stand in the main square facing the lake, it's the first restaurant on the right - the one right on the water.) My husband, who's a seafood lover, said that the shrimps he had were the best he'd ever eaten.
Let's just say that the lake area of Italy is wonderful, and I'd go back in a minute. Looking forward to travelling with you again,
Sincerely yours,
Beth O.
Dear In Italy,
Villa Hotel Crespi was exotic and gracious. I have never seen anything like it. The site is perfect (easy walking distance into the town of Orta San Guilia (I think that is the correct name), which is a charming town. Lake Orta is very beautiful, and because it is smaller than the other lakes it feels less touristy and more accessible. We loved rowing on the lake and visiting the island. There is an amazingly beautiful chapel across the lake, high on an escarpment - it is a harrowing drive, but the chapel and the view are magnificent.
The meal we had a Villa Crespi was actually one of our least favorites - it is more expensive than anywhere else we visited, and actually less good. It is supposed to be a very fine gourmet restaurant, and perhaps we just do not qualify as gourmets.
As for traveling with our kids (teenagers), this was a perfect trip to do with them. They loved every minute of it - there is so much to do and to see, so that there was never a moment of boredom. Plus, they actually began to think we weren't so old and boring after all, if we could manage to come up with all this great stuff to do and these great places to stay.
I have already recommended your services to many friends, as I found you to be prompt and reliable. Hope we can go back again ourselves soon!
Lorrie M.
Dear Ghia:
I always wonder why the room I'm given is not like the one in the brochure (or web site). The confirmation said I would have a nice room with a view. As we were on the top floor of the hotel, the view could only be seen by peeking through the triangular holes in the Moroccan type decorations that surround the roof. The hotel is great though but a little spooky is you take the stairs because of the dark busts and other strange things. The food outstanding but a little tooo gourmet for us. The breakfasts were also outstanding. A unique thing (to us anyway) is that all the lights in the hallways are off. If you want to turn them on you push a switch as you exit the elevator or you room. This obviously says a lot of power and is a good idea especially for California. We encountered this in another small hotel in Venice but no one told us about it and we were stumbling around in the dark with our hands going all over the walls looking for a switch. I went back to the desk (with a desk clerk that spoke very little English) and told her to turn the lights on in the halls.
It poured rain our first day in Rome, Florence and Venice. And who said the end of May was a good time to go to avoid the tourists. I've never seen so many. It was 90 degrees in Rome and a 3 1/2 hour wait to get into the Vatican museums. We didn't wait.
In spite of our adventures we had a great time and will go again but this time mainly to the hill towns with more information on hand.
William W.
Ghia:
Villa Crespi was a real treat. It's a well-run first-rate small hotel, with every amenity we could possibly imagine. I hope to return there many times. Not unexpectedly, our dinner at Villa Crespi was exceptional. It seems that Orta San Giulio has become a popular weekend destination for Italians, but even with the crowds, exploring the medieval town and footpaths along the lake was very relaxing. Getting away from the crowds, for those who have the constitution and don't mind maneuvering mountainous hairpin turns while being tailgated by a line of motor scooter drivers, pick a road and start driving. I unwittingly committed myself to a drive "upward" from Omegna, and wound up making new friends in Quarno Sopra.
Andrea C.
Hello! Thank you for thinking of us.
Villa Crespi was delightful, as was the whole Lake Orta area. We had spent some time on Lake Como previously and enjoyed the quietness of Orta much more. We regret not having dinner at Crespi; food in town was very average, with more German influence than we were in the mood for - or used to, having spent the previous week in Umbria.
The only criticism we have is that the drive from Crespi to the Turin airport is much farther than the 40 minutes that was noted in the confirmation materials we received. It actually takes about an hour and a half to get there.
We'll definitely use In Italy in the future.
Regards,
Todd and Lisa G.
Dear In Italy,
This was the nicest hotel we stayed in. Great scenery and wonderful ambiance.
Elise O.
Dear Julie,
We loved our stay at Villa Crespi. The room was very ornate but beautiful. The hotel staff were friendly & accommodating and the food was superb! We highly recommend the Villa Crespi.
Patti & Ted H
Dear In Italy,
WOW. This place was a great surprise. And were we thrilled that we splurged for the suite. What a room! The food and wine here was as good as we found on our trip. It was nice to visit the surounding area, Lake Maggorie and the Isola Bella. But also nice to enjoy the calmness of Lake Orta. We were so happy to finish our trip here. Clearly a "must return". As well as a front runner as our favorite place. It finished a -very- close second to the Villa Serbelloni. We would highly recommend this place to others.
Mike J.