We are wanting to stay 3/4 nights on Lake Como in Sept. Have contacted several hotels and found no lake views left/booked out in Bellagio only rooms with views left are Grand Hotel in Menaggio and Hotel du Lac in Varenna. Can anyone advise me please. There is only one posting on Trip Advisor re the Grand Hotel (positive). I really wanted Bellagio but I think a lake view is important, would you choose Menaggio or Varenna? Have contacted Hotel Florence, Du lac (Bellagio), Metropole (tour operators only) Belvedere Bellagio, Villa Cipressa, Du Lac Varenna (avail) Grand Hotel Menaggio (avail). We don't really want an apartment - doing that in Paris. We will have luggage so don't want to be trekking too far from transport. Also considering spending one night on Lake Maggiore, but coming from Paris by train to Milan (?) then Stresa, and it looks like it would take half a day the following day to get back to Menaggio/Varenna. Should I just spend the 4 nights on Lake Como and save the travelling back and forward? Please help.

I've stayed in Menaggio but at the Grand Hotel Victoria there; also at the DuLac in Varenna. I think Menaggio may be a bit more lively at night.

I agree that Menaggio would have more action at night than Varenna, but the Hotel du Lac in Varenna is very nice and more intimate in size than the Menaggio Grand.

We stayed at the du Lac in Oct. 2003 and had a spectacular view of the lake (and Bellagio) from our room and from the breakfast room (becomes lounge in afternoon) and the outdoor terrace.

Comparing Menaggio and Varenna is a bit apples-to-oranges. The atmosphere in Varenna is somewhat closer to Bellagio; Menaggio is a larger town with much more traffic (and therefore more restaurants, shops, etc.). Of course, the ferries are frequent enough that you could have dinner in Bellagio or Menaggio and return to Varenna to sleep. (Just check the ferry schedule carefully and don't miss the last ferry of the night!)

It depends on what you're looking for, but I'd choose Varenna and definitely not hesitate to stay at the du Lac.

We have stayed at the Grand Hotel Mennagio several times and will choose it again next time we go to Lake Como. The lake view is wonderful and it's right next door to the ferry dock. We enjoy Menaggio as a town and you can get easily to Varenna and Bellagio by boat. I've also booked a friend into the Du Lac in Varenna who absolutely loved the place. Don't think you can go wrong. Tipping factor could be the availability of more restaurants in Menaggio but Varenna certainly could fill 4 nights for dinners. I'd suggest the hotel restaurant, the Vecchia Varenna, the restaurant at the Victoria Hotel and maybe the restaurant at the Albergo Oliveda. I can make a similar list for Menaggio so you'll be fine whichever you choose.

I ran into the same problem you did...all the view hotels in Bellagio were booked up when we were going to Como. We also ended up in Varenna as a second choice.

I loved the Hotel Du Lac in Varenna. Varenna is a very quiet town. We stayed 3 nights, and had dinner at 3 different restaurants, all recommended by the hotel and all very good.

The room had an awesome view, breakfast was very good, and service at the hotel was excellent. I thought they did everything right. I'd stay there again in a second.

When you say the Hotel Florence has no lake view rooms left, do you mean full lake views? When I stayed there last year, I had what was termed a partial lake view room and was pleasantly surprised--it had a nearly full lake view as well as a view of a little side street. Some of the nonview room at the Florence overlooked the terrace gardens of nearby houses. As it's right across from the lake, you could soak up the lake views from the hotel's cafe--if you really want Bellagio, that might be an acceptable compromise (and you never know, someone with a lake view might cancel and you could be bumped up to a lake view room).

No one has mentioned the Albergo Milano, a nice hotel in Varenna with great lake views. You might give it a try.

Not quite as "upscale", but with great views (right on the water) is Le Pergola. If you get corner rooms with balcony, they are large with spectacular views.
I'm not sure of their newer rooms, there were constructing them when we were there last.

thank you so much to everyone who has replied. We are booked in to the Hotel du Lac in Varenna with lake views etc. I understand what Btilke says about partial views, but none were available, and if we are going to Como then I think the view is critical, big city, doesn't matter, lake como it matters. Night life is not so important to us either, just some good friendly restaurants with great food will do. Thanks Julie for all the restaurant tips will add them to my ever increasing list. If I can ever help anyone re Sydney please ask! You are all so helpful.

As you're eating your way through Varenna, be sure to sample Pizzocheri, pronounced peets ZOCH ery not Pizza cherry as I kept asking for to blank stares. It's a specialty in those parts (and in Camogli in Liguria) and it's wonderful. Especially good at Vecchia Varenna. Buckwheat pasta with swiss chard and wonderful cheese in a gratin. Decadent.