Como Italy questions
 

Has anyone heard of any of these hotels in the town of Como? Hotel Firenze, In Riva Al Lago, or Hotel Posta. When I google the first two I get multiple sites, some saying there are available rooms for my dates (late July) and some say no availablility. The Hotel Posta is only on a couple of sites and I can't find out much about it. It's on via Garibaldi. Anyone know where that is? I'm looking for something for under 75 euros (single) within 5-10 minute walk of the bus (to the airport). Any suggestions?

i have the name of a hotel in como. i will post it in the morning as it is at home. it was in a funky building but the room was great and cheap. the bathroom was huge.

Are you staying in Como because of the lower hotel prices? If not, you're better off in one of the smaller towns on the lake--Bellagio, Varenna, etc.

I'm staying in Como rather than one of the smaller villages because of timing. I arrive at Malpensa (from Prague) at about 4 in the afternoon on a Wednesday and leave for my flight home on Saturday at 10 in the morning. I know you can get from Como to the airport in about an hour so can make the morning flight without having to spend that last night at the airport. And since I'm getting there rather late on Wednesday I figured by the time I got all the way up to Bellagio or Varenna it would be pretty late. So it made more sense to me to just stay in Como. I should get there in time for dinner and a little time to explore Como and then the next day go up to the villages on the boat during the day. I am also on a budget and most of the hotels in Bellagio are above my price range.

So, any more suggestions.

Yes, look at Hotel Bellavista in Menaggio. Great location near the ferry dock and about 100E for a double.
There is a bus from there to Malpensa but I do not know the schedules. The hotel will.

Have you looked at the website for the Albergo Firenze?

http://www.albergofirenze.it/en-af.htm

I've stayed there twice and would recommend it. Very convenient to the train station(s) and boats. I would assume the Malpensa bus leaves from 1 or both of the train stations. The town of Como is a much overlooked destination as it's not on the typical tourist trail. But it has much to offer, as well as convenient by boat or bus to the more touristed towns dotting the lake.