It’s the sign of a perfect holiday when you come home rested and rejuvenated. But as OK! discovered, living la dolce vita on Italy’s Lake Garda can also make you feel years younger. For starters, the surrounding beauty will immediately make you exhale and forget your troubles.
We based ourselves at Lefay Resort & Spa, perched high above the village of Gargnano on the western shore. It offers stunning views over the lake below that are instantly calming.
When we weren’t sitting on the terrace and sipping an Aperol spritz while gazing at the scenery and gawping at the array of glamorous guests, there was plenty to experience and add to that sense of time slowing down.
At Lefay Resort there is more than 4,300 square metres of pools, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas to pass time in a state of bliss.
We took our pick from the property’s stunning pools to float away stress. There’s an indoor saltwater flotation 'lake', an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, and an infinity pool that appears to drop directly into Lake Garda 600 metres below.
Guests can sample seven different types of sauna if they want to turn up the heat, or jump in the huge whirlpool with that picture-perfect view.
When we were feeling more energetic, we visited the Technogym, which is packed with state-of-the-art workout equipment. For more gentle exercise, we walked the 'therapeutic path' around the resort, leading through woodland and out into the open meadow above the resort for even more spectacular vistas, interspersed with areas for reflection and meditation.
Try the longevity wellness trend
Do you have a specific area of your health that you’d like to address? Lefay’s spa method combines the principles of classical Chinese medicine with modern Western techniques to address issues including sleep, weight management, stress, detox and fitness.
Experts can help visitors recharge their batteries and assess the damage that non-holiday-mode life can wreak on body and mind.
Treatments in a bespoke five-day plan can include moxibustion (the burning of Chinese herbs close to the skin), reflexology and tuina massage to get your energy flowing.
A new longevity programme also includes cryotherapy and revitalising body and face massages. Whatever you choose, there will be consultations with the spa doctor and personalised recommendations for exercises, herbal tea remedies and lifestyle changes to ensure that at the end of your stay you leave feeling calm, refreshed and ready to face anything.
What to eat at Lefay Resort & Spa
The resort’s chefs use local produce such as olive oil and citrus fruit grown by the lake to tempt diners with a contemporary take on stellar Italian classics. A new fine-dining restaurant, Gramen, is plant and fish-based, while the Lefay Spa menu offers low sugar and salt choices and weight-loss-friendly dishes. We can vouch that healthy food has never looked or tasted so wonderful!
What to do at Lake Garda
We were whisked to the other side of Lake Garda in Lefay’s speedboat to lunch in the beautiful waterside village of Punta di San Vigilio. Hollywood legends Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were regular visitors here during the golden age of cinema and more recently Drew Barrymore, Tom Cruise and Bradley Cooper have followed suit.
Also across the water is lakeside Malcesine, considered one of Italy’s most beautiful villages.
If sports are your thing, there is sailing, windsurfing and diving. Hikers are rewarded with majestic lake and mountain views from picturesque villages on the shore. A sight that’s also worth seeing each September is the jaw-dropping Centomiglia, a sailing regatta over a 100-mile course that draws participants from all over the world.
Dragging ourselves from the luxury of the resort, we got our culture fix at the famous Vittoriale degli Italiani, a monumental citadel with theatres, gardens and historical exhibits built by the poet Gabriele d’Annunzio, which is now one of the most popular museums in Italy.
We packed for home feeling totally refreshed and wishing we could take with us the warm and friendly staff and our gorgeous Sky Suite with its unforgettable Lake Garda panorama. How would we cope without our own private sauna and terrace with outdoor heated Jacuzzi? Thankfully, the memories will last forever.
How to book
Nightly rates at Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda start from £332 in a prestige junior suite (double occupancy), including breakfast and spa entrance. Book at lefayresorts.com or through booking sites such as Trip Advisor and Booking.com.
