lake como

We've eaten at the Aurora a few times and it's lovely, so I imagine they keep their apartment well, although we haven't stayed there. The village (Lezzeno) is a little strung out along the road, but of course the views are lovely....it's not far out of Bellagio. We usually stay in a gorgeous apartment in the next village down called Nesso. The weather should be lovely in May, but not warm enough to swim in the lake yet. The ferry calls at Lezzeno and there's also a bus. You'll be able to get around pretty easily.

That is where the apartment is- Nesso.

Ah! Well this is the website for the apartment we have stayed in, but you might find is useful for the info about the village and the area...

http://www.lakecomoapartment.com

I would prefer to be near a ferry dock since your car will be almost useless in that location. The road up the midddle is not for the faint of heart. You really will want to see most of the mid-lake highlights by ferry. With a car I would stay in Menaggio.

You can drive to catch the ferry in Bellagio or Torno as the ferry stop is down the hill in Nesso (which is fine where we stay, as it's on the water's edge) but you are staying higher up and it's a long walk down if you have 3 kids. The road through the villages is windy, but fine...and of course you could catch the bus.

Looks like a nice apartment but I suspect that it is up high and away from the lake. I will check my Lake Como boat schedule when I get home, but I think that Nesso falls way, way short of being well served and convenient.

The website Mennagio.com lists several apartments in the Menaggio area. We rented an apartment in Nobiallo. Nobiallo is at the lake level. The walk to Menaggio was about 20 minutes, but it was a level 20 minutes. You'll understand the importance of that statement when you actually get to Lake Como. That apartment was fine for us but not quite as fine as your other (Nesso) apartment.

I have been to Lake Como several times and Nesso would not be my first choice.

The ferry goes into Nesso twice a day, but as I said I'd not recommend that you pick it up in Nesso, but drive somewhere else. Bellagio giving you the most options...

How far is the drive to Bellagio? We don't necessarily mind having to drive to get to the ferry. It is such a nice apartment, good price, and I like that we get to use the hotels bikes and kayaks for free. We stayed on the waters edge at Garda, so I was hoping to be up the hill more this time for a different type of view. Thank you all for the input!!

A car is a liability on Lago Como except on the west shore. Pick location first and then your acommodations.

Even if we are used to European/Italian driving? Is it comparable to Garda/Amalfi?

A lot of the accommodation is below the road....some right on the lake...like the place where we stay, which is 2 metres from the lake edge. It is almost half way between Bellagio and Como, which is a good spot..a proper village and not touristy. The other side of the lake is much busier, you can see the queues of traffic from Nesso in the busy times.

My husband and I stayed in Lezzeno fpr 3 nights in early June last year at the the Hotel Aurora. Loved it! It's a family hotel run by charming and helpful people. Not sure how far their apartments are from the hotel itself, but if you will have free access to the hotel dock you and your family will enjoy it immensely. We watched the boating staff teach what looked to be a 5- or 6-year-old the first steps in wave boarding--they were patient and encouraging, offering baby steps appropriate to the age of the little girl. We had access to the hotel kayaks anytime we wanted them (again, the boat staff were very accommodating), and kayaking along the shore a few times and and then across the lake to the Villa Balbianello was a highlight of our stay.

The restaurant was good and very convenient, beautifully situated right on the lake, and again the staff went out of their way to make us happy and comfortable. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

We had a car but left it parked almost the whole time we were at the hotel--one day we took the boat from Lezzeno to other towns on the lake (it stopped in Lezzeno only once a day, in the morning, and another day we took the bus to Bellagio and one of the many boats from there back to Lezzeno. Driving would have been easy, too, but we love taking boats, especially on gorgeous Lake Como.

Lezzeno itself, as other posters have said, is not a very walkable village, since it is spread out along the lake and the main lakeshore road goes right through it, so I would consider that the only drawback to the Aurora--but not something that would keep me from staying there again. Not sure what Nesso is like, but I imagine it is similar.

If you got a good price and like what you see, I think you can trust that the Aurora's apartments will be a good place to stay. Have a great time!

bbrown,

I've been to Nesso. Not a lot going on, but it is beautiful and peaceful. I think staying in that Nesso apartment would be great. Driving from there to Bellagio is not a difficult drive and should take about 20 minutes. Parking in Bellagio may be a challenge though. Head out early. Taking the bus is also an easy option- it drops you right at the waterfront.

Enjoy your trip!

As far as driving goes - Lake Garda is flat at the southern end and mountainous at the northern end. Lake Como is mountainous every where. Like the northern end of Garda. Lake Como is no more than a few miles from several ski slope and the border with Switzerland. I have not yet been to the Amalfi Coast so I can't comment.

For parking near (at) Bellagio - worst case there is a public parking lot just befora you get to Bellagio, very near Bellagio's Lido (aka beach/swimming club). There also is a parking lot at the southern end of Bellagio but that is the parking lot that fills up first.

Again, I think that the apartmant that you fancy is way up high. But ....