Centuries-old Italy villa on the edge of Lake Maggiore

• The romantic Lake Maggiore: Sitting right on the edge of its shores is Relais Villa Porta, an 18th-century villa and former hunting lodge surrounded by private parkland. Behind its historic façade, you'll find period features and local artwork. Wander the garden's winding paths to the private harbour, where you can sun yourself by the water under a fairy-tale turret draped with climbing roses.

• La dolce vita: The hotel restaurant is situated right on the lake shore, offering al fresco terrace dining with breathtaking views over Lake Maggiore. The menu boasts hyper-local ingredients – alongside perch and other fish caught straight from the lake, the local bresaola and goat’s cheese have been singled out as exceptional.

• Room with a view: Individually decorated rooms are of varying sizes and boast stunning lake views. All are designed in an elegant Mediterranean style. Your Double Plus room with lake views is done up in a rustic contemporary style, with earthy tones and an accent wall with distressed wallpaper making for an elegant cosy vibe.

How to get there

The hotel is situated roughly a half hour's drive from Switzerland's Lugano airport, or an hour and twenty minutes from Milan Malpensa airport. Either way, we recommend that you hire a car in order to make your journey smoother and so you can explore the spectacular landscapes around the hotel and the lake.

Entry requirements

The passport, visa and health requirements at the time of booking can be viewed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website for UK citizens, and on the Department of Foreign Affairs website for IE citizens. It is your responsibility to ensure that you and all members of your party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents, and in compliance with any other immigration/entry requirements before you travel, including whether your passport must be machine readable or which visas/waivers may be required for entry, such as ESTA for USA travel and/or ETIAS for EU travel. Please also be sure to check the validity of your passport and allow up to 10 weeks for passport renewals.