Fine Gardens Of The Italian Lakes With Andy Mcindoe from La Palma Hotel Stresa Italy
Join expert horticulturalist, writer and multiple Chelsea Gold Medallist for this truly magical tour visiting some of the finest gardens in the Northern Lakes. These include those on the Borromean Islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre, which sit majestically on Lake Maggiore. All the gardens we visit are varied and glorious in their design and range. For this five-night, six-day tour, we stay in a superb lakeside hotel in Stresa on Lake Maggiore, which overlooks the unique Isola Bella. The views from the rooftop terrace and Sky Bar of the hotel are superb and the private jetty, from which we’ll take most of our lake cruises, is few minutes’ walk away.
Stresa is a sought-after destination thanks to its climate, gardens in bloom and lakeside position overlooking the architectural beauty of the villas on the Borromean Islands. Much of our travel is by private boat as we cruise the glittering waters of Lake Maggiore. We also take a tour of a private garden by Lake Orta; a smaller yet picturesque and peaceful island and Brissago, a small botanical oasis, in the Swiss waters of Lake Maggiore. We’ll drive to Lake Como and take a cruise to Bellagio, one of the most beautiful places in the region of Lombardy, to visit Villa Melzi. From the water, we can appreciate the skill and intelligence that these lakeside garden designers have applied to take advantage of the “borrowed landscape” around them – the greater natural landscape of spectacular mountain and lake views.
FLEXIBLE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
MAKE YOUR OWN ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRAVEL TO ITALY BY EUROSTAR & TGV, SELF DRIVE OR FLY FROM YOUR LOCAL AIRPORT OR BOOK A GROUP FLIGHT TO MILAN MALPENSA AIRPORT WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS
Your Tour Host Andy McIndoe:
Andy will be returning to Italy to lead this very popular tour with his wife Ra. For many of you Andy needs no introduction! He has over 40 years’ experience in retail and production horticulture and is a regular contributor to a number of magazines, blogs and BBC Radio. He lectures to gardening groups and societies at home and abroad, leads gardening tours and is consultant to well-known suppliers in the garden industry. He has been responsible for no less than 25 consecutive Gold Medal winning exhibits at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. In Italy, local information will be provided by our expert English-speaking Italian guide.
Brief Itinerary:
Day 1: The tour commences on Thursday 13th October 2022 at London Heathrow Airport or if you are making your own arrangements to travel to Italy, it commences at the hotel in Stresa. You can join at London Heathrow (meet at BA check in 3 hours prior to departure) or travel to Heathrow by coach with Andy and other tour members from Winchester , or from Romsey’/Salisbury ( one of the local pick-up points). From London Heathrow our group flights to Milan Malpensa Airport, BA566 depart at 1505, arriving in Milan Malpensa 1805. See Page 4 for travel and flight information.
On arrival at Milan Malpensa Airport, we’ll continue to Stresa by coach to check in to the hotel. Time for a quick freshen up before a delicious dinner with a glass of wine, beer or a soft drink included plus tea or coffee after.
Day 2: After breakfast the following day, Friday 14th October 2022 we will be joined by our Italian guide as we depart for Lake Orta, the quietest of the Italian lakes. We have arranged a visit to the glorious gardens of Villa Motta. Here, as a result of the various species collected, the park is uninterruptedly in bloom throughout the year. The season starts off with rhododendrons, azaleas and spring camellias and continues with roses, osmanthuses and finally winter camellias.
There will be plenty of time to explore the historic town of Orta with our Italian guide and, time permitting, you may wish to take a short ferry trip to the island of San Giulio, set like a jewel below the Alpine peaks. Romantic, peaceful and car free, Orta is a little medieval town with cobbled alleyways lined with frescoed peach and cappuccino-coloured houses with galleries and balconies. The main lakeside square is lined with terraced cafes, restaurants, shops and traditional hotels and a perfect place to sit and watch the world go by! Look out across water and enjoy Baroque and Roman architecture in the 2,000-year-old piazza.
Please note that the coach park is uphill from Orta and approximately 10 – 15 minutes' walk. Sensible stout footwear is necessary for the cobbled streets. At the end of the day, we return to Stresa. Later, there will be an official welcome drink on the Roof Top Terrace before dinner is served in the restaurant.
Day 3: On Saturday 15th October 2022 , we’ll take a private boat from a jetty close to the hotel and visit the stunning Borromean Islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre. Our Italian guide will take us on a tour around the gardens and explain the history of the islands and the villas. Isola Bella is where Napoleon and Josephine spent time together, looking out from 10 levels of superb terraces filled with exotic, tender and fragrant flowers, with the gentle lapping waters of Lake Maggiore below. These elegant Italianate gardens surround a beautiful stately home. Isola Madre is Isola Bella’s sister island; the garden surrounding a charming villa is by contrast a more relaxed garden. It has a superb plant collection including special plants from North Africa, superb climbers, orchids and many other species. Time permitting , we may also visit "The Fisherman’s Island" - Isola die Pescatori. This is the prettiest of the Borromean Islands and the only one permanently inhabited. On the island are little boutiques and renowned restaurants where you can eat freshly caught fish. We return to the hotel jetty on our private boat with some free time before dinner.
Day 4: Sunday 16th October 2022 After breakfast we drive to Como, overlooking the south-west end of Lake Como, the prettiest lake in northern Italy with its breath-taking mountains providing a stunning backdrop. From Como we cruise to Bellagio, a picturesque town on the shores of Lake Como with little streets snaking up from the centre. A light lunch will be included during our lake cruise or locally in Bellagio. It is a busy town, popular with motorbikes, tourists and locals looking to “get away from city life”. However, just a ten-minute stroll from the ferry landing is the peaceful and beautiful “English style” gardens surrounding the neoclassical Villa Melzi. You can either tour the gardens, which host centuries old trees and rare and exotic plants or explore Bellagio independently. Later in the afternoon, we wind our way along the shores of Lake Como by coach and return to Stresa. Dinner is included on our return.
Day 5: Monday 17th October 2022 After breakfast, we depart for the Island of Brissago. Today we travel by coach and ferry. This island is officially part of Switzerland, but still shares the mild Italian climate and enables subtropical plants to flourish in the open air. Lotus blossoms, giant sequoias, bald cypresses, perennial banana plants, and even eucalyptus trees grow in the Botanical Gardens. On arrival we have a tour of the gardens with time to purchase refreshments in the local hotel. We will then travel to Villa Taranto, one of the most important botanical gardens in Europe, on the western shore of Lake Maggiore in Pallanza. This unique garden was created by Captain McEacharn, a Scottish Captain, in 1931. His dream was to create an English Garden on this little strip of Italy that would remind him of his native Scotland. Many thousands of plants, brought from the far corners of the world, and rare collections, some of them unique in Europe and acclimatized after long laborious efforts, have been arranged in this beautiful setting, between the mountains and the lake. The terraces are full of colourful flower beds, rills and small waterfalls, statues and carpets of grass. We return to Stresa by private ferry and meet up again for dinner later in the evening.
Day 6: Tuesday 18th October 2022 - After an early breakfast, we check out of our rooms. (Those who have made their own way to Italy will depart independently). We travel by coach to Milan, Malpensa Airport. The return flight (BA573) departs at 1325 and arrives at London Heathrow Airport at 1430. Return transfers to the south or independent travel home if you are joining at London Heathrow.
Your Accommodation:
Hotel La Palma Corso Umberto 133 28838
Stresa
Lake Maggiore www.hlapalma.it
Situated in a quiet central position on Stresa lakeside, surrounded by colourful gardens running down to the lakeside. It has been highly rated by those who have travelled on this tour previously. All 120 rooms are en suite with air conditioning, jacuzzi bath, hairdryer, safe, radio, satellite TV with pay-per-view and internet facilities, minibar and telephone. Courtesy bathrobes, slippers and toiletries are included. A lift serves all floors. Breakfast is an American buffet breakfast with hot and cold options and dinner is three courses/four choices each course. All of the rooms have a terrace or balcony, some overlooking the mountains and hills and some with lake views (supplement for lake views and subject to availability). The hotel has a spa and a jacuzzi pool on the rooftop terrace with fabulous views over The Borromean Islands. There is complimentary use of the leisure facilities.
Notes:
Mobility - The gardens visited are often terraced with uneven surfaces and there is a fair amount of walking involved – although at a gentle pace. We will be hopping on and off ferries during this tour. The tour is therefore not suited to someone with mobility problems. Please ask us for advice before booking, if you are concerned about whether the tour is suitable for you.
A FULL AND VALID PASSPORT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TOUR
A full and valid passport is required for this holiday, and it is essential that you have travel insurance and proof of up to-date Covid vaccination status. Your travel insurance should cover you, in the event that you contract covid or any other illness prior to travel.
Should we, the tour operator, cancel the tour due to Covid, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid or the option to transfer these to another tour or departure.
Tour Price excluding flights/travel to Italy:
Cost per person sharing twin/double non lake view room: £1350
Cost per person single occupancy of a double room: £1600*
Cost per person sharing a Superior Lake view room with partial lake view: £1400
Cost per person sharing a Deluxe Lake view room: £1450
*Further supplement for single occupancy of partial or lake view double on application
Deposit (non-refundable) for tour payable on booking: £250 per person
Please ask for a booking form to send with your deposit. You can also indicate on your booking form if you wish to book a group flight. An additional deposit of £70 per flight is payable at the time of booking. We will also send a Passenger Information form for details of your passport and insurance etc
Deposit payable to Brookland Travel Ltd by cheque, BACS or credit/debit card. Tour Balance payable 10 weeks prior to departure xxxxxx
Group Flight (if required): The cost of this flight is £215* per person if booking under the group arrangement* This cost includes airport departure taxes and your flight with British Airways also includes 1 x 23 kg checked in bag/case, 29 – 31- inch legroom. These are World Traveller Class * Subject to group flights still being available. After this, flights can still be requested subject to availability, but the cost is likely to increase. The deposit for your flight (if required) is payable on booking, this is £70 per person and is non-refundable. The balance is due 4/8/2022. It is important that your flight is booked in the name that appears on your passport otherwise your flights will not be valid. All group flights are contracted with Ison Travel and are protected under their ATOL 11293.
In the unlikely event that you have to cancel your booking, the tour deposit and the group flight cost is non-refundable, and you will require travel insurance to protect you for unforeseen cancellation and any payments made.
Included:
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Services of a Host/Tours Leader throughout
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Any coaching as per the itinerary
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Five nights stay in a Standard en-suite room to include American buffet breakfast
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Dinner each evening (2 choices starter and main, cheese or salad course and dessert)
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A glass of wine, soft drink or beer with your meal and tea or coffees after
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City Taxes
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Welcome drink on the first or second evening in the Sky Bar (weather permitting)
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All garden visits and tours as per itinerary
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All private ferry transfers and Lake Como Cruise
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One two-course lunch on Lake Como Day
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Porterage
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Use of Panoramic Gym and Spa facilities
Not Included:
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Travel Insurance: Details are available on request
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Lunches and refreshments other than those listed above
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Return flight/travel to Italy/Milan (group flight available or make your own arrangements)
Please ask us for information on joining this tour from Winchester, Romsey and Salisbury areas or you can join at London Heathrow Airport (please note 3-hour check in required)
This highly rated and popular tour is led by Andy McIndoe and our superb Italian guide, Michaela. We stay at La Palma Hotel in Stresa, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, with its own private jetty. From here, many of our trips are by private boat - including the beautiful villas and gardens of the Borromean Islands.
Smaller groups for your own personal enjoyment - Limited to 28 garden lovers
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