Settings hardly come more magical than a hotel and spa that seem to float above the water, especially waters as beautiful as the Italian Lakes.
That’s exactly what Cape of Senses – a new five-star hotel perched 200 metres above Lake Garda – offers guests, as CF contributor Georgie Bentley-Buckle discovers.
THE VIBE
Born in the mountains of South Tyrol, Cape of Senses is the passion project of brothers Christian and Johannes Margesin, and their father Johann. The Margesin family are Italian hoteliers who have always dreamed of creating a place that embodied their love of the Italian Lakes. So, when they found a simple plot of land (with very special views), they knew they had found a site that would make that fairytale a reality.
Opened in July 2023, Cape of Senses is a new five-star hotel perched 200 metres above Lake Garda, seemingly floating above the majestic lake. With floor-to-ceiling glass windows framing the waters, every aspect of the hotel is angled to overlook the lake beneath. The building is surrounded by many carefully-replanted olive trees and is lovingly constructed using natural materials and muted tones, ensuring it consciously blends into the landscape. Soft colour palettes complement this, accented with warm lighting and a serene atmosphere that will help you dial down to the slow pace of lakeside living.
From the daily chime of local church bells at breakfast, to the lights that sparkle on the water at night, this is a space that epitomises contemporary luxury with the distinctive soul of northern Italy. A celebration of Italian hospitality, Cape of Senses champions local dishes while keeping the spa at the centre of everything they do.
THE ROOMS
The Junior Suite we stayed in captured an elegant Italian aesthetic with soft earthy tones. Across all six suite categories (55 suites in total) this understated atmosphere remains; some come with private pools and free-standing bathtubs. For truly inspiring views book a Sky Pool Suite. Located on the hotel’s top floor, they come with a private Jacuzzi and a rooftop terrace framing the panoramic skyline. An ideal space to watch the sunset, or sleep under the stars.
FOOD + DRINK
The hotel’s two restaurants embody the best of the Italian Lakes’ culinary heritage. For breakfast sip on an espresso while casting your eye across the indigo lake. High-quality meats, cheeses, and fresh pastries filled with cream are buffet highlights, or scan the small à la carte menu for dishes including avocado on sourdough and impressively-executed eggs Benedict.
Down-to-earth flavours of country cooking and lakeside cuisine is the staple at Osteria La Pergola’s menu, and it remains true to the hotel’s Italian roots inspired by the land and sea: think veal with tuna sauce, bigoli pasta with sardines, and a gorgeous dish of spaghetti with three varieties of tomatoes and stracciatella. With little sign of the tiresome ‘familiar favourites’, the hotel encourages guests to try new and exciting, ingredient-led dishes that represent the region and neighbouring culinary influences from Austria, France, and beyond.
Come evening, take a seat at Chef Francesco Pavan’s Restaurant Al Tramonto. Both nostalgic and curious, he tells a story through every plate, with a contrast of flavours combined to surprise the palate. The terrace here is the ideal spot to sip on local wine as you watch the orange sun drop beneath the mountains. Each dish – from the beef tartare with salty oysters and fragrant wild garlic, to the meaty rabbit ravioli with green olive juice and roasted red pepper, and the dry-aged beef fillet with pickled plums – underpins Francesco’s ethos, as quoted in his menu, “I find inspiration in my surroundings, in regional products, unique flavours and the beauty of the landscape.”
THE SPA
As the name suggests, wellbeing is at the heart of this thoughtfully-designed, senses-orientated hotel. The infinity pool not only allows you to glide towards the horizon but also draws you inside to discover the 2,000-square-metre Senses Spa and its vast relaxation room fragranced with lavender, citrus and thyme. Here, you’ll find the hotel’s herbal tea corner; an upgrade on the regular ‘hydration station’; graze on wholesome snacks such as dried fruit, nuts and homemade biscuits.
Downstairs reveals Cape of Senses’ intriguing Spa Library. The team have created this unique concept – one celebrating the iconic Italian coffee book alongside travel guides, novels, and magazines – to encourage visitors to learn, feel at home and peruse a little longer.
The spa’s seven treatment rooms offer massages, facials, scrubs and more, each using natural and sustainably-sourced ingredients that thoughtfully celebrate the fruits of Mother Nature and are designed to encourage ‘long-lasting’ wellbeing. We sunk into a couple’s 50-minute relaxing massage in a room overlooking a manicured garden.
The huge spa menu fuses Western and Eastern massage techniques that will keep the keenest of spa aficionados on their toes. A collection of sensory experiences uses wild herbs and argan oils, and Tibetan singing bowls rebalance personal energy fields. The ‘Mediterranean Gold’ signature combines olive oil, aloe juice and essential oils of rosemary, juniper, and myrtle to rehydrate the skin, while more ‘traditional’ massages available include deep tissue, sports, and tension relief. If it’s relaxation you’re after, the multi-sensory luxury candle massage is the treatment to book.
Cape of Senses may be a place to relax and recline, but it also prioritises physical movement – evident in the large, high-tech gym. Each morning, guests are invited to tap into the powerful energy of the lake on the gym’s yoga platform among lemon blossoms and olive trees, before retreating to a guided meditation class.
THE LITTLE EXTRAS
This is a hotel that is passionate about offering guests the opportunity to discover the charisma of the region, beyond its polished lobby doors. Ask about their tailor-made excursions that include: meandering the snaking lakeside roads in a vintage car, e-Vespa or one of the hotel’s electric Fiat 500s; barrique cellar wine tastings; cooking classes; golf; and sunset yacht trips.
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