Villa Crespi setting is absolutely special thanks to its exotic moorish design.
The Hotel exterior is really noticeable whilst the interior moorish ceilings are reminiscent of Istambul and its mosques. Common spaces are the ones you would find in a private somptuos palace whilst the rooms decor is extremely traditional with antique furniture. The four poster bed is comfortable though you would expect a better bedding from a place of this category in order to improve the sleeping experience. The large marble bathroom has just a basin and the jacuzzi bathtub is standard sized and the mosaic on the pavement was poorly refurbished. Etro toiletries are a poor choice in our humble opinion for a place that would like to be a discerning one. The pros is the fact that the bathroom has a nice garden view and the room is filled with windows that allow a lovely natural lightening though the view is not exceptional. Breakfast is of good standing with organic yogurt, excellent cakes and cheeses and decent juices and honey selection. Service is attentive and professional without any special touch you would expect from a small scaled accommodation. In the end it lacks a proactive approach to better encounter customers' needs and allow that upside that the owners are eager to obtain. Considering the beatiful setting, the regarded gourmet restaurant and the amazing atmosphere, Villa Crespi has all the potentials to become a five-star luxury boutique hotel if the management spent more attentions to details.

While we were in Italy on a touring holiday, my wife and I decided to renew our 20 year-old wedding vows at Lake Orta. Lake Orta is one of the most romantic places we have been to in Italy, in fact of anywhere we have been. We thought Sacro Monte at Orta was the ideal place for renewing our vows. This Unesco world heritage site was the most beautiful setting for our romantic recommitting with a small group of dear friends.
The final treat of this especially wonderful day was a dinner and overnight stay in the gorgeous VIlla Crespi, just a short walk from the Renaissance Sacro Monte overlooking the lake.
Our afternoon tea in the cool green shady garden was a lovely relaxing way to finish our wonderful day. The staff were great, attentive to our needs, but both friendly and discreet.
We do not often write in blogs or review hotels, but this one stands out in our experience.
If you are traveling to the area don't miss Lake Orta or the Villa Crespi. We hope to return next year for another special, longer stay. Our impression was at Villa Crespi nothing is too much trouble for either the owners or staff. The rooms are both comfortable and beautifully in period with the hotel setting. The romance of staying in a luxury villa that is almost 150 years old, sleeping in beds shared by princes, poets and artists, then eating in the magnificent (2 michelin star) restaurant in the beautiful setting of Lake Orta. It was a lovely way to celebrate our perfect day second time round .... it was so special we just have to go back again to recapture it all again! Thank you Villa Crespi.

This review relates only to our restaurant experience as we didn't stay at the hotel.

We were very much looking forward to our dinner at Villa Crespi as reviews and local recommendations said that it was one of the best restaurants in the nearby area (we stayed at Lago Maggiore).

I found the service extremely disappointing because the servers all seemed to be only concerned with upselling in a very obvious way. We knew it wasn't going to be a inexpensive meal, but we also wanted to eat and enjoy whatever we ordered. I specifically asked and placed an emphasis on ordering the right amount for myself as I wasn't feeling well and didn't want a multi-course meal. The server insisted that the portion sizes would fit my appetite, but in fact it was significantly more food than he had described. The risotto starter was entree-sized, which left me no room to enjoy my entree, which was mind-blowing, but I was simply too full and had to let half of it go to waste. After this major disappointment, I even got a dirty look from the server when I turned down her offer of coffee or tea.

I am cognizant that upselling is a way restaurants make money, but this ain't no chinatown restaurant. It's a michelin-starred restaurant. I expected a better experience, my appetite level notwithstanding.

My partner and I have just returned from staying at Villa Crespi for 5 nights. Everything about our stay was fantastic. The staff were all friendly, polite, attentive (but not imposing) and willing to assist with anything we wanted or needed. As there are so few rooms, it doesn't seem busy at all - which is something we liked.
We also ate in the restaurant - the service we received made us feel like royalty and the food itself was beyond delicious.
The whole stay felt so special and I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a special treat. It's not in any way cheap - but we didn't regret the money we spent, because we enjoyed it so much. We didn't try any spa treatments so I can't comment on that.
Tip: walk down the road immediately to the left of the building (rather than the main road which takes you to the town) which is a quicker walk into town. If you do walk along the main road, you can take some steps down to the lake and walk the entire way along the lake (and it will take you to the San Rocco end) which is very pretty.