TWO JEWELS OF THE RCOLLECTION HOTELS GROUP

In the heart of Lake Como, in the romantic and enchanting Varenna, there are two hotels of the R Collection Hotels Group, Hotel Royal Victoria and Hotel Villa Cipressi, two reference point of the area which perfectly express the spirit of Lake Como in the most refined, intimate, and charming way with an high-profile service and hospitality that characterizes all the hotels of the Group.

The Hotel Royal Victoria is an ancient mansion overlooking the lake and transformed into a four-star hotel of exceptional charm and elegance, where the historical furnishings create a fairy-tale dimension completed by the lake view of many rooms and suites and by the enchanting view of the rooms overlooking the small square of the romantic old town.

The hotel has three conference spaces of 90 seats (Sala Vittoria), 30 seats (Sala Camino) and 10 seats (Sala Gounod) and two restaurants: the Royal Gourmet with 150 seats and the more informal Victoria Grill with 50 seats, both open to hotel guests and external customers.

The fascinating and elegant spaces make it an ideal place for meetings and events. The Hotel Royal Victoria has a private boat that offers a logistical solution particularly appreciated by guests. It is also available to those who are staying at Villa Cipressi, another jewel signed by R Collection Hotels.

The Hotel Villa Cipressi with 31 rooms and suites is a four-star hotel in which the historical presence is admirable: it is in fact a nineteenth-century historical mansion in which the pre-existing medieval references, the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, are perfectly integrated in a renovation project that valorises the ambiences and their characteristics, from the precious chandeliers to the carved wooden furniture of Larian tradition, up to the fifteenth-century frescoes of vivid and intense local colour. The hotel is ideal for events, ceremonies, outdoor activities, and creative experiences. Three event spaces - an eighty-seat pergola, a 45-seat stucco room and a 45-seat room frescoed with naturalistic motifs - and three lake-view terraces that can accommodate up to 110 people, are served by an outdoor bar and create a magic atmosphere.

What unifies and gives a unique value to these two hotels is the magnificent Botanical Garden, which is part of the noblest tradition of the Larian landscape and that gently extends over the lake. The Botanical Garden enjoys an exceptional microclimate that allows the agaves, cypresses, and palms to grow flourishing and allows you to walk immersed in the extraordinary biodiversity in the luxurious nature of these landscapes on the shores of the lake. Protected area, the garden is terraced and reaches the lake with a path on three levels and is open to the public for a fee, while it is freely available to hotel guests and participants in ceremonies and events that take place here. The garden is included in the directory of the Great Italian Gardens, and this is both a prestigious reference and a clear proof of its surprising uniqueness.

Under the management of the Rocchi Family of Como since 2019, the Royal Victoria has seen all its spaces renovated enhancing the charm of the past and emphasizing it with the comfort of modernity. The structure has in fact maintained its history by overlooking Piazza San Giorgio, the true heart of the village of Varenna, where visitors arriving by car may take advantage of the parking garage and the nearby train station. Transfers by private car from the airports are also available and, of course, the greatest charm consists in reaching the lake and landing at the hotel's private pier.

The hotel takes its name from Queen Victoria of England who, on a visit to Varenna, stayed here in 1838, but the hotel activity dates back much earlier, as evidenced by the accounting cards used today, in an original and funny way, as wallpaper in some common areas of the hotel. The occasion of the anniversary related to the royal visit is remembered on July 31 with a sweet and savoury buffet dinner with fireworks, which is served partially at the Royal Victoria and in part at the Villa Cipressi, allowing also to enhance the beautiful garden on the lake. But even New Year's Eve and other special occasions are an opportunity to fully enjoy the spaces, flavours, and fragrances of the Royal Victoria.

The breakfast room - recently renovated - offers an important buffet and allows guests to choose between vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free menus, but also between the delicacies of pastries of the continental breakfast or the espresso of the American breakfast, as a tribute to a cosmopolitan customer base with the most diverse tastes.

The Royal Gourmet restaurant stands out for its splendid veranda and offers refined cuisine in an important and prestigious setting dominated by the incomparable view of the lake, which is foreseen to be more and more accessible and direct with a new renovation.

More informal, but as well as appreciated by external customers is the Victoria Grill, which offers local dishes and wines or international cuisine to satisfy guests looking for Italian flavours in all its forms.

The rooms are divided into Prestige and De Luxe with lake view and Classic with borgo view. The two suites have Manzoni's names, the goal is comfort and tranquillity, and the suites are an ideal solution for couples. Both suites have an important balcony and an immersive view of the lake.

The lake, which the hotel overlooks, can also be experienced from the outdoor swimming pool and the small lake beach that is in front of the hotel entrance. But water is not only that of the lake, at Royal Victoria you can find a Spa Suite in all its services: sauna, Turkish bath, emotional showers with chromotherapy and aromatherapy, available for hotel guests upon reservation and for special moments of wellness experience.

The villa consists of three different buildings with historical stratifications dating back to 1400, 1600 and 1800 with rooms and suites distributed on the three structures. The recent one hosts the reception, an area where generous spaces crossed by the clear light of the lake welcome guests among woods, wrought iron and polychrome glass windows.

In an area of the Botanical Garden directly on the lake is an independent and very special structure, which houses two intimate and charming suites, where the natural stone is the absolute protagonist. The priceless view, the light and the music of the water make it a magical place for a memorable stay.  

In the main activities of Villa Cipressi, the calendar of wedding has a prominent position. It is important to underline the fact that the wedding ceremonies officiated inside have a legal value and represent one of the main factors of success, offering the possibility to exclusively book the entire hotel for the bride and groom and their guests, creating special days in which also the catering - intended in its most complete and multiform form of gastronomic offer - contributes to create a prestigious and festive atmosphere.

In addition to the unique charm of the outdoor spaces, the halls of the villa are ideal spaces to organize these ceremonies such as the Sala del Pergolato frescoed with floral motifs or the Sala degli Stucchi with elegant nineteenth-century motifs that can be the setting for various types of events. From the windows you can enjoy a magnificent view of Villa Monastero and the castle of Vezio, a true icon of this part of the lake.

In the oldest part of the villa, the Sala degli Stemmi takes us directly into the Renaissance period with a series of frescoes that reproduce the shields of the most illustrious families of Lario with their rich set of symbols and historical references. This room was completely renovated in 2018 and is notable for the extraordinary effects of light at sunset. In this older part of the villa, there are five rooms dating back to 1480 with wooden floors and large wooden beams adorned with decoration of armorial symbols.

The alternation of outdoor and indoor spaces of great beauty makes these hotel-villa a location of great charm in a refined and exclusive context.