BoulderCO

Just returned from a great two week trip to Italy. Flew into Milan via Frankfurt on Lufthansa, took a taxi to Como, and hydrofoil to Bellagio. Three nights at Hotel Belvedere - great hotel, the views from our balcony were incredible. The moon rising over the mountains and shimmering on the lake were unforgetable. Took bus to Como S. Giovanni station and train to Santa Margherita for two nights at Jolanda Hotel. Beautiful room and great service although no water view and some street noise. Ferry to Portofino was a great half-day trip. Then took train to Chiavari to pick up rental car at AutoEurope. Tried to park at Monterossa and ferry to Vernazza but the crowds were incredible and parking impossible so we drove on to Monteriggioni for the night. Then three nights at L 'Olmo near Pienza followed by three nights in Rome at Del Senato. Train back to Milan and final night at Villa Malpensa. Weather, food, and wine were terrific. Glad to answer any questions about hotels and provide some restaurant recommendations.

e_roz

Congrats! We stayed on Lake Como in June and just loved it! We also loved the towns all around Pienza. Thanks for sharing!

MarkY

Do you by any chance remember what the taxi fare was from Malpensa to Como?
Thx

GAC

Why take a taxi from Malpensa to Como when there is train service (via Saronno) every 30 minutes? See my previous posting of TODAY!

BoulderCO

Mark Y, GAC mentions a less expensive alternative that I was not aware of prior to leaving for Italy. Taxi is certainly the easiest way but the fare is about 90 euro. We were able to find another traveler to split the cost so it was only 45 but I think GAC's option is worth looking into. We wanted to avoid shuttling into central Milan. Buses run from Malpensa to Como but the next bus for us was not for another three hours so we went the taxi option.

pal

Hello BoulderCo.

I'm leaving for Italy next week staying at 2 of your same hotels! Hotel Belvedere and Albergo del Senato. Can you tell me some more info about these hotels?

At the Belvedere, how far (and difficult) was the walk into town? Did you do any excursions (are there any organized excursions around the lake)? Any restaurant recs in Bellagio?
At the DelSenato, what type of room did you get? How did the two hotels compare in size, cleanliness (bed, bathroom, floor, etc), service?
Any other comments that might be helpful?

Thanks!

BoulderCO

Pal,
We enjoyed both hotels very much and plan to return to each of them someday. As far as the Belvedere, we had room 314 which was perfect. Room was average size but very nice. Staff was very friendly and helpful. You definitely need to get a lake view room with a balcony. The lowest level rooms have terraces with walls around them so you need to stand to see the lake. The top floor rooms have windows only, no balconies. Seems rather strange. Any of the rooms on the lake view side with a balcony would be fine. I would suggest 314 or 414 if you can get them as their balconies jut out giving a little better view. It is a bit of a walk from the ferry to the hotel with luggage as there are steps connecting the main road at water's edge to the main road at the top of town. Probably equivalent to walking up five flights of stairs. I believe you can walk to the southern end of town and roll your luggage up the road that connects the lower to the upper road. The hotel itself is only a five minute walk from the upper end of town. The restaurant we enjoyed the most was Trattoria San Giovanni. The hotel can tell you where it is. It is on one of the side streets visible from the main upper road. I don't know about organized excursions on the lake but you can easily hop ferries to other towns like Mennagio or Varenna. In Rome we had room 318 at Hotel Senato which was a huge room actually designed for four people. Most rooms are smaller but all are very nice. We had requested a quiet room facing an inner courtyard but there was construction on an adjoining building that woke us up every morning at 8 anyway. Next time I would get a room with a Pantheon view and deal with any late night noise from the piazza below. The rooftop bar is incredible. Say hi to Michael the bartender from Kevin and Lynn. A great place to watch the sunset before dinner or have a limoncello after dinner.

pal

Thanks for the great info. Sounds great. Can't wait. Will surely try Trattoria San Giovanni.

Thanks again!

BoulderCO

Oops , just realized the restaurant was Trattoria San Giacomo, not San Giovanni. I'm sure you would have found it anyway. Make sure to try their cheese plate - a selection of regional cheeses all very good.

feliciaa

Congrats on your lovely trip. I will be going to Rome for a week in November with my boyfriend and was wondering if you could give me any tips on fun places for a drink with a nice view or particular restaurants that you enjoyed in Rome.

trees5

I'm about to book 3 nights at the Del Senato in May. Any suggestions re: room number or location (is there a quieter side or a side with a better view?). Anything I need to be aware of prior to booking the room? I think the room rate will be about 240 Euro for a double with one large bed. How does that compare to your rate? Thanks for your assistance.

BoulderCO

We also paid 240E for a double room. We are returning next September and have already made our reservations. Price is now 265E. We have requested top floor facing the Pantheon. I think that would be the best location. Some of the rooms have very small balconies but I think there would be no guarantee of getting one of those. But definitely higher the better for maximum view and minimum street noise.

Mamma_Love

In a few months I will be going to Italy on Lufthansa through Frankfurt. Can you please tell me about the comfort of the flight (have never flown with this airline) and about Frankfurt airport (easy to navigate, customs, currency exchange, anything else). We have a 5 hour layover there that I am not looking forward to - I've only flown direct from the U.S. to my international destinations (you do have to go through customs in Frankfurt and in Italy, correct?).

On a previous trip to Italy we stayed at the Villa Malpensa too. Very enjoyable - great dinner and especially the dessert! Glad you enjoyed it too. HUGE rooms.

BoulderCO

Frankfurt airport is fairly easy to navigate and signage is good however it is extremely large. You will likely be arriving and departing in Terminal 1. However there are numerous concourses within the terminal. Look for the transfer centers and the tunnels that connect the concourses. They are shortcuts and let you avoid going back through security. We were not aware of them our first time there and walked and walked forever to get to our connecting flight. I don't recall the airport being particularly memorable although there are some nice restaurants and shops. We went through immigration in Germany and did not have to in Italy which surprised me. I guess because we were arriving on a flight from another EU country. As far as Lufthansa, I have not been able to tell much difference from any other airlines other than the flight attendants have German accents.