Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda - Hotel Review Luxury Executive

On our way back from the Piedmont, my colleague Felix and I decided to spontaneously book another place to stay for the last night before heading home. As I did some research, prices for hotels on Lake Garda were surprisingly still very high and standard-level hotels were selling for around 200 euros a night for a double room. When I saw Lefay selling double rooms for 350 euros, I was in for some decadence. Thanks to the American Express Platinum credit card, I could access Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts where we received 100 USD Spa credit to be used at Lefay Spa, early-check-in and late check-out till 4pm as well as an upgrade upon arrival. I found it to be a pretty good deal considering Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda has long been on my bucket-list and is considered the best spa resort in Italy. A little later, we already found ourselves in a trattoria somewhere between Brescia and Lago di Garda where we had the best lasagna in our lives for a little more than six euros. Needless to describe our state of happiness when we drove up the stunning entrance of Lefay Resort Lago di Garda at 2pm.

When we arrived at the main entrance, there was of course an alley of three staff members welcoming us. One took care of the car, the other of our baggage and finally one staff member was accompanying us to the front desk. While I love hotels with a signature scent (hands down for Ritz Carlton’s scenting), I found the one at the lobby of Lefay very feminine and definitely too strong for a first impression. Check-in was a little disappointing since the lady seemed to be new and it took over five minutes until we were sitting on the terrace where we were brought a welcome drink. It is interesting that even in 2022/23, hotels cannot copy data from the booking engine, so I had to fill in the entire address including email again on a separate form. Once we finished the non-alcoholic welcome drink, of course, nobody was picking us up and when we showed up at the front desk, the staff didn’t really know how to react either. Five minutes later, when we began to ask if someone could give us the keys and show us the way to the room, a lady rushed over and began the tour. Overall the public areas are quite nice, the lobby is freshly renovated while part of the spa and the spa reception looks like out of the 2000s. I found the ways at the hotel very long, though it is a great plus post-pandemic since there one can enjoy a lot of privacy all over the resort.

We have booked a Prestige Junior Suite with twin beds and received an upgrade to a Deluxe Junior Suite with a king bed. Even though the front desk attendant asked me again at check-in if it is correct that I booked twin beds and I confirmed, the king bed was still here even after turndown service. Needless to say, the housekeeping needed to come and prepare twin beds as requested before we went to bed. Besides the bed hassle, the suite was very nice though would not be willing to pay the surcharge for the same Junior Suite just to be one floor higher. Actually, I would suggest staying in their entry-level category and having a private garden with sun beds. Overall the room was recently refreshed (except for the bathrooms but they were in perfect condition anyways) and we loved the stunning lake views. I have to highlight the amazing bed and bedding which was a real treat after four days of Italian-four-star-hotels. I was a bit disappointed that we did not receive a welcome amenity although we booked with a premium travel agent. A bottle of wine, a welcome note or some kind of gift would have been much appreciated in this kind of hotel category. Besides the missing software, the room was clean, fresh and very comfortable. Obviously there was no noise from outside and the soundproofing of the rooms is also quite good as we could not hear the neighbors.

While the room and wardrobes were recently replaced with a fresh white tone, the bathrooms remained the same during the soft renovation in 2021. I found the size of the bathroom to be really spacious and overall enjoyed the ambience and amenities. As a toiletry junkie myself, the Lefay branded toiletries were not my cup of tea - too feminine and like a throwback to 2005. Apart from that, the shower had good pressure, the housekeeping was flawless and the towels were replenished twice daily. I appreciated the window in the bathroom so one can take a bath while looking over Lago di Garda. After we inspected our room, we were ready to explore the much-talked-about Lefay Spa. I immediately checked treatment availabilities with the spa front desk so I could use the 100 euros credit before we left the next day. They offered me three possible appointments within 24 hours which was really impressive to me. Finally, I went for a classic 60-minutes deep-tissue massage just after breakfast. Overall the massage was perfect and the therapist took great care of my pain zones. I felt this was the real highlight of the stay and I can now understand why wealthy Milanese love to call Lefay their home for the weekend. Of course, we shall not forget about the views and the spectacular one-of-a-kind infinity pool that definitely plays in another league compared to other infinity pools.

The Lefay Spa is a destination itself and one can spend two days here without having seen it all. It’s like an Atlantis of the alps. There is the main indoor pool which is connected to an outdoor pool, perfectly heated to 30 degrees Celsius. Right below the two main pools lies a small grotto jacuzzi and then comes the stunning infinity pool with its 25 metres. Unfortunately, the two outdoor pools were closed which we weren’t informed about at the booking stage. Then comes their vast offer of saunas and steam baths: from an olive tree sauna (50-60 degrees celsius) to a Hamam with 45 degrees celsius, there is the right place to relax for every kind of traveller. Our favourite place at Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda was the brand new Adults Only Spa with a warm jacuzzi (where you could even swim lengths), relaxation rooms as well as a panoramic sauna overlooking lake Garda. Both, Felix and I agreed that this is one of the most stunning saunas we have ever been at. We very much appreciated the fact that all over the spa they offered tea stations, healthy snacks and water free of charge. Towels were replaced immediately when guests left and therefore the spa felt it was in perfect condition with a good amount of staff members. There is also a weekly programme for yoga classes.

Coming from Piedmont (the gourmet and truffle heaven of Italy), we were not much into fine dining again and decided to go for the real Lago di Garda experience: a low-key Pizzeria with a classic and simple wine from Lugana. There is an incredible low-key place just across the upper entrance gate of Lefay where we had a very funny night before falling into the heavenly beds at our Junior Suite. The next morning, I was really excited to try their sumptuous buffet and oh dear, I was not disappointed this time. There was a separate room just for bread and pastries! Service was very friendly and next to a perfect cappuccino I finally got my beloved Eggs Benedict again. Not just did the products taste excellent, but the quality was above par and on top of that, we enjoyed an extended breakfast with two glasses of prosecco. Lefay indeed did an incredible job and there was nothing missing that morning. After a massage and a few rounds in the pool later, Felix and I were already on our way back to Austria. Not a problem at all as the weather wasn’t as good as the last days.

It is to say that Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda is a wonderfully located luxury hotel with an incredible spa area. Service has some more potential at certain points, however, for the price we paid I can recommend the hotel. Would I spend more than 450 euros a night? Perhaps not, also because it feels like a long-haul flight to get down into the pretty lakeside town of Gargnano!