Bellagio - Have you stayed here?
 

We will be in Lake Como in August for a half day (Saturday) and a full day (Sunday), and have decided to stay in Bellagio. We will arrive by train and will walk or take public transportation anywhere we go. We are looking for something in the 120 – 160 euro range. I would like a hotel with a good lake view – even if we can’t see it from our own room.

I have checked into the following hotels:

- Hotel due Lac – too expensive for us unless they come back with quote for non-view room
- Hotel Florence – not a bad price for non-view; but they have 4-weeks cancellation policy
- Hotel Metropole –
- Il Perlo Panorama – 3 km from town center
- Alla Torretta – about a mile from town center

I have contacted these hotels, but they haven’t responded yet:

- Hotel Centrale
- Hotel Suisse
- Hotel Silvio
- Locanda Barchetta

If you have any experience with any of these hotels, or have other places to try, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

We liked Il Perlo Panorama, although the view on their web site is for the more expensive room. We had a short view of Lake Como. But after a long day of touring and visiting sites, it is very nice to sit on their terrace overlooking Lake Como and drinking a glass of wine.

Thanks, Michael. How did you get from the hotel to town, and how long did it take? Was the staff helpful, friendly?

Of all the many hotels I've contacted in Italy, they're the only ones who didn't answer my questions when they responded. They told me to refer to the website, so I don't know if that's efficiency, rudeness, or language-barrier.

P.S. And did they have showers with shower curtain or glass doors?

We had a car, but three months later we were talking to some friends about Lake Como and he chimed in, recalling the hotel where he stayed--it was the same, and he had no car.

They were friendly and language was not a problem. I do not recall if there were curtains or glass doors on the shower, I only recall that there was a fixed shower head in the stall, and a hand-held shower head outside the stall.

We stayed at a huge room facing the lake at Hotel du Lac, but the rooms were rather "run down" and dowdy. We looked at the Florence and it is a lovely place, but this year we've decided to stay at the Hotel Metropole with a room right ON the lake. It was a good bit cheaper than the Florence and has gotten generally good reviews here. The rooms are not as "atmospheric" as the Florence, but you can't beat their lake views and their central location.
We had a nice dinner at Silvio and were thrilled we didn't stay there, as the "walk" to town is too dangerous, especially where you have to walk through the "blind tunnel" sharing the roadway with cars that can't see you.

Thanks, Michael.

Neo - great info, thank you so much!!!!

Gosh, one more thought. This area is so beautiful....wondering if (instead of 1½ days) we should spend one more day there which would mean eliminating a day from either Florence or Rome - leaving us with 6 full days plus 2 travel days for those 2 cities.

Our interests in Lake Como would be browsing in shops, walking around, and maybe boat trips to see the scenery and other towns. No athletic, sporting activites. Any opinions if we should stick to 1½ days or expand to 2½? Thanks.

We stayed at Hotel Florence about 6 or 7 years ago in a lake view room. (Admittedly, I don't know the cost now). Originally, we requested lake view, they didn't have any available and when we checked in, they did... we were thrilled!

We *loved* it... we so much enjoyed getting 'home' after a busy day and opening the shutters, pulling a chair up to the window. We would have appetizers while reading and planning our next day enjoying the view. Also liked being able to hear the ferry and were able to make it when we wanted.

ymmv....

The addition of a half-day in Bellagio really won't open up your schedule dramatically. Although there may be a few shops closed on Sunday, in general it will be very busy and very crowded both days. (A weekend. In August. At a popular Italian resort.)

I prefer the Hotel Florence, but I don't think I'd stay there in August without air conditioning. For one night only, I wouldn't choose any hotel outside the center of Bellagio but I would definitely consider hotels in the main part of Varenna.

We stayed in the Hotel Belvedere, in a suite with a beautiful view. It was wonderful. I would caution you however, that finding Bellagio can be tricky. When we drove there a few years ago, the signage was very poor, and we kept getting lost around Lake Como. It was the one time I thought we would have to sleep in the car. Fortunately, some lovely girls actually rode with us (that's how desperate we were) until we were on the road that led directly to Bellagio. The folks at the Hotel Belevedere were wonderful. We ended up getting to the hotel very, very late, way beyond the dinner hour. But the concierge arranged a private eating area for us in the lobby, and had his staff go into the kitchen and fix us sandwiches. They served us more than we could ever have eaten. The Hotel Belvedere and Bellagio turned out to be a wonderful time for us.

Thank you Surfmom and Jean. That's good to know at least some things will be open Sunday.

we wanted air conditioning and chose the albergo du lac in varenna for our upcoming trip. there are many threads with pros and cons of varenna vs. bellagio, but varenna was definitely cheaper. you might want to explore that as an option. we had tough time booking for a july weekend several months in advance. we have lake view for 180 euro; without lake view it's definitely in your price range.

Alison - thank you. Originally, we had planned on staying in Varenna, but as our itinerary worked out, we thought it might be better to stay in Bellagio, which hopefully will have more things open on Sunday.

Bellagio v. Varenna? They are only 15 minutes apart by ferry. If you're coming from Milan, you will most likely train to Varenna and ferry to Bellagio.

Another vote for Hotel Belvedere. Stayed there about six years ago in a rather large room overlooking the lake. It is "outside" of town--but only a five minute walk. Would think 1 1/2 days in Bellagio will be fine. It's not that large. We stayed three nights and spent a day touring Varenna and a day in Lugano, Switzerland.

It's beautiful. Enjoy!

Varenna and Bellagio may only be 15 minutes away by ferry, but if you have a late dinner in Bellagio, you'll be waiting a lot longer than 15 minutes for a ferry to get back to Varenna.

Skip the Hotel DuLac. I have stayed there twice. Why I went back I don't know. They only had 2 single rooms and my daughters room had a light bulb hanging from the ceiling, a TV without a plug and I had something brown on my sheets that was fresh. POOP.

They charged us full price, no deal when we complained. They were rude.

3mkids - Thank you …I missed your post earlier – we posted about the same time and it slipped by me.

Jean – we might be coming into the Como San Giovanni train station and taking a hydrofoil to Bellagio. The train ride is 3½ hours from Venice, rather than approx. 6 hours if we go into Varenna. And I thought the extra leg on the boat (45 mins. approx.) would be a nice way to travel.

Ccrosner – thank you. We decided to keep our trip to the 1½ days.

Neo – we booked the Hotel Metropole. They have a terrace with lake view, restaurant (if we want to eat there), snack bar, and good location. Only drawbacks: they don’t have AC and, even WORSE, they can’t guarantee me a shower. I’ll be a grouch if I have to take a bath ;), but hey, for 2 nights, I can adapt.

Thank you again, everyone, who responded. I appreciate your help and advice.

We stay at Hotel Florence in April this year (11 years after we were there before)with a lake view. It is a very reasonable hotel. If you get a lake view, you will enjoy it. It is our favorite town, but the shops are limited generally to silk scarves and tie. But they are wonderful buys. My wife picked up scarves for herself and friends, and I purchased ties. I think you should stay the extra day. I have never been there in summer so I do not know about the heat. But Florence and Rome (especially) will be warm in summer. Bellagio is one of the magical spots in the world. Stay there rather than Varenna. If you are on the lake, you should always take the hydrofoil and not the ferry. Speed is important. It is a long lake ride and your time can be better spent. Even with the ferry, it is still about 40 minutes from Como to Bellagio. Take a taxi from the train station to the harbor where the boats depart. Back to the Hotel Florence, the only drawback is the breakfast. It is family run. A nice hotel with a great lake view if you request it. Have fun.

Thanks rgucla - good info; wasn't sure how to get from train to ferry.

I am in Italy now, stopped at an internet point to get out of the sun for a while and rest.

We were in Lake Como last week. Stayed in Varenna. We were so happy that we chose Varenna instead of Bellagio. Bellagio, of course, is beautiful, but Varenna is more peaceful.

We stayed at Hotel Du Lac in the Oleander Room -- a suite really with a sitting area and a huge private terrace. We loved Varenna. We ferried across to the other towns a lot.

Favorite restaurant was Bilacus in Bellagio. A pretty terrace restaurant with excellent service and food.

Do not miss Villa Balbionello in Lenno. Be sure to take the house tour as it has many museum quality artifacts. Tour is 45 minutes. You will love Lake Como. Wish we had added one more day there and cut a day from Tuscany.

Thank you luvtotravel - sounds like you're having fun. I've noted the restaurant and Villa. How many days did you spend in Lake Como area?

Buon viaggio!

Maire

I just have to throw my two cents in here. I think you ought not to worry about shops being open in either Bellagio or Varenna. Shopping here is not the best, and you will be in Florence and Rome, and maybe (I think, if I'm following the thread correctly) Venice, so why shop in Bellagio? You'll be in the greatest shopping cities in Italy, and Bellagio and Varenna have very little to offer in shops to peek into.

Ride those boats, stroll along the lake and visit historic villas.

And after saying all that, even if you remove shopping time, I think an extra day would be wonderful because it is so beautiful and relaxing on Lake Como.

And your two travel days won't really be two full travel days... you will stay have plenty of time to see some sights if I understand correctly and the two travel days aren't from home, but in between Italian cities? Am I reading you correctly?

Thanks, Tuscan. Yes, you're correct. And riding/walking around seeing the beautiful area is more appealing to us than shopping.

Maire, we were in Varenna for four nights -- not nearly enough. I agree to save shopping for the big cities. I did manage to buy a silk scarf in Bellagio for 5 euro, but it was probably imported, not local.
Diane

Bellagio shopping: I've bought beautiful things (at very friendly prices) made of olive wood -- bowls, plates, boxes, trays, salad servers, etc. Prices for silk scarves, ties and clothing are not bargains, but I've purchased some very high quality items over the years. Boxes with mosaic tops, art prints and paintings, jewelry (again, generally no bargains), dishes, decorative glass, children's toys (including a beloved painted wood Pinocchio marionette which hangs from a stand by my tree every Christmas).

Varenna shopping: Jewelry made from natural things like semi-precious stones, crystals, wood. Food items like olive oil (including infused varieties), dried mushrooms, etc.

I'm not much for spending a lot of time shopping anywhere, but I enjoy a little shopping here because there isn't much duplication and the shops are small and close together.

thanks Diane and Jean.