La Criolda is such a magical place it is hard to know where to start when writing a review. We were greeted with such warm smiles and hugs from Paola, George and Lahiru we felt like long lost family. For the rest of our stay they took care of every need and whim, nothing was too much trouble. Paola was an absolute delight, warm, bright and caring. She arranged anything we asked for, found us reservations at fully booked restaurants, taxis, boat rides, tips on markets, shops, and sights, and she was always at the end of the phone when we needed her. George looked after the house and us with quiet elegance. We would leave the villa in a flurry and a mess only to return to a spotless home, beds made, clothes folded, and wine chilled. Lahiru was in charge of the kitchen and provided us with breakfasts fit for kings everyday. Along with pastries, breads,homemade jams, charcuterie, yoghurts, cereals, every tea under the sun, he would also squeeze orange juice and cook a different hot dish every morning. In the afternoon another treat he had made would appear, a freshly baked cake, a delicious smoothy...we were so spoilt. He was always around to help, make us a drink, greet us with a smile, and like George was professional, warm and charming.
The villa is breathtaking. Every room is decorated with incredible attention to detail and elegance and individuality. Wooden floors, antiques you dream of owning yourself, enormous exposed beams, soft comfortable seating, it feels like a very old villa in many ways but architectural touches - the polished concrete staircase, the cement stucco walls, chic bathrooms make it anything but old fashioned. The inner workings of the house are very modern- lighting, fridges, tv's, blue tooth speakers in every room, the bathroom fittings, the gym the garage, security - so the house works brilliantly. The bathrooms and bedrooms are filled with thoughtful touches - practically anything you could want you will find, from Italian dictionaries to Prosecco, the bathrooms have little glass bottles filled with shampoos etc, there are dressing gowns, slippers, irons,CDs, baskets full of snacks, it really is quite extraordinary. Oh and the beds have proper linen sheets!
Surrounding the villa is a lush well kept garden, an inviting sea green pool sits just beyond the outside terrace, and from the comfy loungers you can see the lake sparkling just meters away.
We never wanted to leave and can't wait to return.