A Celestial Rejuvenation

Longing for a luxury break along the calming waters of a lake in northern Italy? Featuring sweeping panoramic vistas of Italy’s Lake Garda in the town of Gargnano, the award-winning five-star luxury property Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda, renovated in 2021 by Studio Apostoli and the Lefay Project Team, is the answer. Nestled within the forested hills of an 11-hectare private estate, the resort, a 90-minute drive from Verona airport, is defined by its harmonious approach to design reflective of its natural surroundings, featuring gentle hills and natural terraces rich in woods and olive groves overlooking spectacular views of Lake Garda. Studio Apostoli has incorporated natural materials, soft and neutral tones and lighting carefully choreographed in harmony with the daylight hours, merging the interiors and exteriors in a calming synergy of organic tones, shapes and emanating light. 

The resort and its fresh redesign, recently the recipient of Best Wellness Retreat in the regional category for the third edition of the Global SPA Awards, features a brighter, nature-inspired palette, enhanced wellness facilities, advanced technology, and mesmerising panoramas of Lake Garda. Alberto Apostoli, founder and CEO of Studio Apostoli, has employed an architectural approach that redefines Italian eco-luxury hospitality. It focuses on fostering a strong visual identity for Lefay Resort & SPA while emphasising environmental and energy sustainability. His vision to maximise natural lighting and maintain the spa’s captivating panoramic views strike a balance with the Spa’s sleek contemporary design and endow it with a tranquil oneness with nature. 

Apostoli’s design offers a seamless flow between the interior and the exterior spaces of the spa, featuring a generative design approach grounded in holistic wellbeing, while respectful of the natural environment and sustainable living. At the heart of the resort is the spa spreading across 4,300 sqm. It features six different types of saunas and five relaxation areas to remove the burdens of everyday life. The treatments blend classical Chinese medicine with Western research. The ‘Adults Only SPA’ is a calm space with expansive views over the lake from the central whirlpool and from the panoramic Finnish sauna.

The resort also includes two restaurants, La Limonaia and Gramen, both with muted colours and furnishings and views of the lake, and a lounge bar. The suites are available across six distinct categories, including some with private saunas and whirlpools, extending up to 600 square meters, with spacious rooms decorated with local materials and handcrafted fabrics. The rooms also feature large windows offering panoramic vistas onto the surrounding lakeside landscape. There’s also exclusive ‘Sky Pool Villas’, among the most luxurious, independent, and scenic in the resort. Apostoli has integrated them into the surrounding landscape so it will feel as if guests are nestled within the surrounding hills. 

Apostoli’s design captures the essence of the lake through bright and green spaces, encouraging natural light, thus grounding the property in its unique panoramic setting.  The resort’s natural environment, when coupled with its sleek interiors, achieves a supreme balance of contemporary design and nature.