Simply fantastico

THESE two magnificent hotels are both set beside glittering waters, have fascinating histories and are celebrity magnets.

Italian hotels

THESE two magnificent hotels are both set beside glittering waters, have fascinating histories and are celebrity magnets.

VILLA D'ESTE, Lake Como
It is impossible to visit the Villa d'Este and not think about the many famous people who have stayed or dined there. Or who might have slept in your bed at one time, swum in the pool or just walked the same corridors. Royalty, Hollywood celebrities, world leaders, famous authors and ordinary billionaires have all stayed there over the course of its more than 500-year history.

And it's easy to see why the great and the good flock to this luxury Italian hotel on the shores of Lake Como every summer. It's a truly unique hotel. There is nothing else like it on Lake Como, or anywhere else for that matter. It's grand and opulent but also warm and friendly. Walking up the sweeping staircase to your room after dinner each night makes you feel like a character in Downton Abbey (if the fictional Crawley family holidayed in Italy, that is). At night, the Veranda restaurant has a dress code and men must wear jacket and tie. Most rooms have views and contemplating the lake can occupy plenty of time. For the more active, there is a well-equipped fitness centre with an indoor pool; tennis courts; hiking and running trails; and the Golf Club Villa d'Este, which is 15 km away.

Must do: Walk - or jog - the "Fortress" hiking trail on the property for spectacular views of the villa and lake.
Details: Villa d'Este is open from March to mid November each year.
Address: Via Regina 40, Cernobbio, 22012.
Contact: + 39 031 3481; villadeste.com Or book through Leading Hotels of the World on 02 9377 8444 or lhw.com/villadeste

HOTEL CIPRIANI, Venice
Like the Villa d'Este, the Hotel Cipriani has hosted more than its fair share of celebrities over the years. From its opening in 1956, the hotel was a favourite of the Hollywood jetset. Today its most famous guest seems to be George Clooney, judging by how frequently his name comes up in conversation at the hotel. Clooney has a villa on Lake Como (which is approximately 300km away) and has made the Cipriani his home away from home. He's even worked with the hotel's head barman Walter Bolzonella on a signature cocktail, La Nina's Passion. Bolzonella has been with the Cipriani for 34 years and if he's working the bar when you're there he will be more than happy to tell you the story on the drink he created with Clooney.

Hotel Cipriani opened in 1956, the brainchild of Guiseppe Cipriani, the founder of Venice's famous Harry's Bar. His idea was to build an exclusive hotel within easy reach of St Mark's Square but one that was also far enough away to be quiet and private. Hotel Cipriani is just four minutes by boat from the main part of Venice and a free shuttle service - called Shirley, and which operates 24 hours a day - ferries guests back and forth from a designated wharf in front of St Mark's Square. It is unlike any other hotel in Venice. If you're familiar with luxury hotels in Venice, the first thing you'll notice about the Cipriani is its size. It's actually more of a resort than a hotel, with an Olympic-size pool (the only one in central Venice), a clay tennis court (also the only one in Venice), extensive gardens, a beauty and wellness centre and three restaurants to choose from.

Many of the rooms in the main Cipriani building have views of the Lagoon and the 16th-century Benedictine church, San Giorgio Maggiore; others face on to the hotel's gardens. For a view back to St Mark's Square, consider a room in the Palazzo Vendramin, an additional wing housed in a 15th-century palace. It opened in 1990. From there and the adjacent Palazzetto, you have one of the most incredible views anywhere in the world.

Must do: Discover Venice by kayak. The Cipriani can organise a guided kayak tour that will take you to parts of Venice that most tourists don't get to see. It's a wonderful experience to kayak down the Grand Canal.
Details: Hotel Cipriani is open from March to November each year.
Address: Giudecca 10. Venice, 30133
Contact: + 39 041 240 801; hotelcipriani.com Or book through Leading Hotels of the World on 02 9377 8444 or lhw.com/cipriani