Best hotels in Lake Garda

Sirmione is a curious thing: a long, narrow peninsula jutting into the southern end of Lake Garda, topped with a 13th-century moated castle, the ruins of a grand Roman villa and natural sulphur springs that have drawn visitors since antiquity. The Villa Cortine Palace Hotel sits at its highest point, neoclassical palazzo set behind wrought-iron gates in five hectares of private parkland. Built in 1898 by a lovestruck German count for his ailing wife, today it's a Relais & Châteaux outpost with stunning, frescoed salons and Murano chandeliers. The gardens, however, full of centuries-old conifers, marble statues and ornamental pools, remain the biggest triumph.

On Lake Garda's western shore, olive groves and lemon terraces tumble down to the water, and high above is the flagship wellness resort of the Leali family, Lefay Resort & SPA. Opened in 2008, it's still the lake's headline act for serious spa-retreaters and the signature wellness method pairs Classical Chinese Medicine with Western methods that play out across a variety of programmes, longevity consultations and treatments from an in-house doctor. It's set in a stunning 11-hectare private park above Gargnano, and you'll also find two accomplished restaurants with a proper sommelier for when you're not ensconced in the 4,300 square-metre spa.