Passalacqua, on Lake Como, named Hideaway of the Year

CHICAGO (January 9, 2023) — Andrew Harper is proud to announce its annual Editors’ Choice Awards, recognizing a collection of exceptional hotels, restaurants and travel experiences from around the world. The highlights of the year are showcased in the January edition of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report and are online at Andrew Harper Editors’ Choice Awards.

The top honor, Hideaway of the Year, goes to Passalacqua, a gorgeously refurbished 18th-century palace that opened in June 2022 in the unspoiled town of Moltrasio, on Italy’s Lake Como. This small, family-owned property combines opulence, historic character and contemporary comfort in a beautiful and tranquil setting. Passalacqua garnered three other accolades, including the Hotelier of the Year award for owner Valentina de Santis. “Other resorts are extravagant, other resorts are intimate, but I am unaware of any other resorts on Como that are so thoroughly both,” says the Hideaway Report’s editor-in-chief (whose identity is one of the most coveted secrets in the travel industry).

Andrew Harper’s team of editors review more than 100 hotels each year. They travel incognito and pay their own way, delivering unbiased, informed reviews with independence, authority and authenticity. Using a rigorous vetting process that takes into account character, comfort and personal service, their task is to distinguish the merely excellent from the truly enchanting.

“Our mission is to provide our discerning members with the kind of travel intelligence they can only find through Andrew Harper,” the editor-in-chief continues. “The editors constantly seek out new places to explore and return to favorite destinations to ensure that members can follow our recommendations with complete confidence.”

To select the Editors’ Choice winners, the Andrew Harper team reviews its previous 12 months of globetrotting, focusing on the hotels, resorts, restaurants and travel experiences from the past year that proved the most enduringly memorable.

In addition to Hideaway of the Year, the awards also recognize 18 exemplary hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Egypt. While the selected properties vary in size from grand hotels to small, boutique properties, each possesses a strong personality, a sense of place and a devotion to superior service.

Hideaway Report editors also selected 16 establishments as Restaurants of the Year that span the globe, from the United States to Canada, Mexico, South America and Europe. Italy’s Marco Sacco, of the Michelin two-star restaurant Piccolo Lago, on Lake Mergozzo, and Il Verbano, on nearby Lake Maggiore, is Chef of the Year. “Sacco’s unfussy yet flawless cuisine consistently impressed,” writes the Hideaway Report editors.

Andrew Harper editors also recognize their Best Experiences of the Year. The honors include horseback riding in rugged Iceland, a scenic drive around Italy’s lakes, an awe-inspiring cruise along the Nile in Egypt, an elegant train ride through Peru’s Sacred Valley and a cooking school held in the original 18th-century kitchen of an Irish castle.

Andrew Harper members receive full-service trip planning, plus exclusive travel benefits at hotels and villas, as well as cruises, safaris and much more. They also receive access to private auctions and ongoing offers throughout the year from favored hotels and travel partners around the world.

“The annual Editors’ Choice Awards special issue is eagerly anticipated,” said Andrew Harper General Manager Don Jones. “Our members can seamlessly read about our editors’ picks and actually plan their own travel experiences with Andrew Harper’s travel office, providing services for everything from commercial air to private jets, hotel accommodations, custom excursions and villa rentals.”

Membership starts at $250 per year for digital and $395 for print and digital. To learn more and become a member, contact us at 1 (800) 375-4685; join here or email membership services at memberservices@andrewharper.com.

About Andrew Harper

In 1979 our founding editor left corporate life to travel the world. In his desire for authenticity, he sought out small hideaways in unspoiled corners of the globe, sharing his findings through a monthly newsletter under the pen name Andrew Harper. Over the years, the Hideaway Report evolved into a members-only luxury travel site with an expanded menu of curated content, including in-depth articles about a destination’s best hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and activities, as well as articles on villas, cruising, tours and sample itineraries.

About Global Travel Collection

Global Travel Collection (GTC), a division of Internova Travel Group, is the world’s largest collection of international luxury travel agencies, including the well-established networks of Protravel International, Tzell Travel Group and Colletts Travel, as well as Andrew Harper, In the Know Experiences, All Star Travel Group and R. Crusoe & Son. GTC advisors and agencies are industry leaders in providing premium travel services to leisure travelers, corporate executives and the entertainment industry. The combined global reach and leverage translate into value, recognition and preferential treatment for its world travelers.