La Darbia

The views over Lago Orta were stunning, especially at sunrise and sunset, and the food was creative, fresh, and full of regional flavors. My wife and I spent three restful days at La Darbia Resort, where the staff made everything easy with warm, attentive service from the moment we arrived. It felt like a lovely mix of luxury, peace, and authentic Italian charm. We left refreshed and already thinking about coming back. Five stars.

Our apartment-style room was gorgeous, and we felt at home right away. The resort has so many thoughtful touches, and the service was amazing, attentive to every detail. We loved the aperitivos and meals at the restaurant. Can't wait to visit their Tuscany property someday. Highly recommend.

We stayed here for our honeymoon almost a year ago, on the recommendation of our travel agent, Mr. and Mrs. Italy, and I'm still dreaming about it. I've stayed in a lot of hotels around the world, and this is one of the best experiences I've ever had. It felt like a quiet little secret, away from the tourist crowds, with such a calm atmosphere. I have to praise the people at La Darbia: their care was unbeatable, warm and welcoming, with wonderful cleanliness and thoughtful touches everywhere. It was total bliss. We're so grateful to the staff and will be back for years to come.

We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary and the end of a two-week trip to Italy, and I had high hopes for this place. We were extremely let down. The garden and views are beautiful, but we found none of the quiet, romantic lakeside retreat we expected. There were more children than adults. Without a car, you feel stranded. Taxis are difficult to find and need to be reserved, which we hadn't known beforehand. The lunch and dinner menus are the same. When we ate lunch on arrival, they brought bread we hadn't asked for, then charged 10 Euros for four slices. My shrimp pasta the first night was lukewarm and had no shrimp; my husband's fish was cold. The little pastry basket was cute, but when you order coffee, they bring two espresso cups and a small pot of hot water. That seemed to be cold too. We had room number 1, which was dark, depressing, and anything but peaceful. The patio door had no knob and wouldn't stay shut, so I tied a towel around the inside handle to pull it closed and keep bugs out. I'm only 5'2, and the shower was extremely small. These are just some of the problems. Someone needs to rewrite the website. If you're expecting a peaceful lakeside retreat, look elsewhere.