personal, romantic, cozy, views..hotels Lake Como?
 

Hi everyone!

Taking a romantic trip to Lake Como in July. Looking for a place to stay, something special... personal, cozy, with great views? something different..
Any tips?

Hi CJPB

“Looking for a place to stay, something special... personal, cozy, with great views?”

Sorry, don’t have a suggestion for accommodation, but if you want to get in the mood you might watch A MONTH BY THE LAKE. Filmed in 1995 starring Vanessa Redgrave and Ulma Thurman, the story is a romantic comedy set in pre WWII. Has fabulous scenes of Lake Como and surrounds.

The weather in July should be spectacular.

Have a great time…

A good friend of my has stayed at Albergo Lenno three times, I think, simply because it is especially comfortable with gorgeous views. She's been posting them all week on Facebook (just leaving today) and it looks to me like this place fits your wish list perfectly. I expect she may pop on to Fodors later this week and post some photos herself.

The hotel is right on the lake shore and has amazing views. Lenno is a tiny village (compared to Como and Bellagio, etc.) but it has a ferry stop so you can tour easily from there. There are good restaurants for dinner, and yeah, I think it fits the bill perfectly.

This has the best views in the area. Albergo Lenno is a nice hotel but is right on the water at the boat dock.

http://www.belvederebellagio.com/def...LCID=1033&ID=6

My sister stayed in Molstrasio at the hotel
Grand Hotel Imperiale. The views were fantastic and the town was charming. Ask for a room in the villa part, ours had a balcony directly over the lake.Loved the restaurant and pool.

Meant my sister and I duh.
We will be there in July also-staying in Varenna this time.
Needed an apartment for the four of us. Look for 4 Americans-I'm sure we will be the only ones! HA HA

We spent the first few days of our honeymoon in 2004 at Lake Como. I wish I could remember the name of the hotel in Bellagio -- old-fashioned, moderately priced, huge room, right across from the ferry dock. An excellent choice. Bellagio is a great place to stay with easy access all around the lake.

I highly recommend the gelateria in Menaggio (Panne e Cioccolato, I believe -- THAT I can remember) and the fish restaurant with huge outdoor deck on the back side of the Bellagio peninsula (it should be easy enough to find with that description).

If you are walkers, the hike up to the rifugio from Menaggio is fantastic. Maps are available at the information office in Menaggio.

Have a wonderful trip.

Thanks so much everybody! Great tips!

Bevedere Bellagio DOES have extraordinary views...but it is a good distance out of town. We hiked up there one morning (and actually on past a bit) However it could well suit your needs. Two excellent restaurants nearby, Salice Blu and Alle Darsene, will pick you up for dinner and bring you back at night, and I expect there is a shuttle to Bellagio from the hotel as well. I recommend both restaurants highly. ( we were there in Oct 2011)

this is where I will stay next time I go to lake como:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Lombardy.html

Thank you!!

I have stayed at the Hotel Sala Como. Its nothing special but the views are breathtaking.
The are hundreds to choose from here :: http://www.search.j3ts.com/Area/Lake_Como.htm

I loved Albergo Milano in Varenna. Small hotel, facing the lake, gorgeous views, excellent restaurant, cozy ambience. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. They also have a couple of apartments for rent, though I'm not sure if they are right on the lake. http://www.varenna.net

Another recommendation for The Bellagio. Views from the lake front rooms are gorgeous. If you want to splurge, ask about the loft apartments on the property, which have enormous windows fronting the lake plus a large balcony.

BTW, I'm a little confused by the post above which suggests that The Belevedere is far from town. Unless you have mobility issues, it's an easy walk - about 10-15 minutes at most back and forth. And there are plenty of restaurants, shops, even a small grocery store close to the hotel.

Hotel Bevedere is a very short walk from the road at the top of Bellagio which is a wonderful area as it is away from the busy ferry docks.
If you want to splurge, look at Villa Serbelloni, on the waterfront to the north of the docks, set on a large property, pool, spa.

This may help to picture both Bellagio and Varenna.

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4442

I would also second the Villa Serbelloni.

I am considering Villa Serbelloni for a possible trip next year. I have been by the pool and inside the lobby but haven't previously stayed. It would be a bit of a splurge, but do you think it's worth it - i.e. were you really pleased with your stay?

Ya know what, you are right! I confused The Belvedere (which afterall, means beautiful view, si?) with Il Perlo ....which has the most extraordinary view and is VERY private as it is way up the hill at the opposite end of Bellagio. Ah. So many beautiful views to chose from!

I made the same mistake, uhoh! I confused the Belvedere with the Serbelloni on a thread a month ago. I went back and corrected it.

I haven't stayed at the Serbelloni but toured the entire property. To me, it is clearly a class above all the others. whether it is worth it or not depends on the price and what you are willing to pay. I would happily stay there if I could afford it.

We stayed at the Villa d'Este. A big splurge but worth it in every sense. So romantic. So beautiful. Right on the lake, in fact the swimming pool is built out into the lake! Extremely nice tennis facilities and they even have golf.

I second the movie "A Month by the Lake". Lake Como has a starring role - the film makers did a spectacular job making a romantic comedy that really tied in the backdrops instead of making it merely about the characters. My little quirk: I have a beach house and every time I visit, my "first morning" ritual is to sit down with my Krispy Kremes, mug of tea, and watch my DVD of "A Month by the Lake" and dream of Lake Como.

At any rate: uhohbusted covered Albergo Lenno well.

We have stayed in this hotel three times now (upon our very first visit in 2007 we stayed at the Eremo Gaudio in Varenna).

Albergo Lenno has four stars and has a pool (vital in July and even on our visit last week we could have enjoyed it but we were on the go). Big rooms and definitely get a balcony with lake view. We have had front lake view and side lake view rooms - either are just fine. I will say that if you want the front lake view, ask for the first floor (which would be second floor in US) because the balconies are huge. For the front lake view, the balconies above the first floor are merely for a small table and two chairs. If you get a side lake view balcony, ask for at least the 2d or third floor so that you will be able to see above the house across the street.

Lenno lakefront is so charming and beautiful. Gracious and stately second homes (villas, really) line the promenade and there is little car traffic because you are off the main road - IE the only cars down there actually live there, it's not a through street. And because the homes are mostly second homes, most of the cars are actually visiting the hotel. And because you are BANG on a ferry stop, you don't really need a car and as a result there isn't a lot of car traffic - people park in the hotel garage and take the ferry.

I don't have experiences with other hotels but I would also consider Villa Cipressi in Varenna. We toured the gardens last week and that would be a serene place to stay. Even though it fronts on the road, once you are inside you won't be aware of the village/road because the hotel itself fronts the lake and has extensive gardens. The gardens go down the hillside towards the lake, too, further giving you a sense of isolation from the world above.

A photo I took last week of our view from the balcony at Albergo Lenno:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skywalk...in/photostream

Hotel Belvedere has gorgeous views, and I liked what I saw of the hotel (it is a quick walk to Bellagio town) but I'm not sure I would call the hotel "cozy," or intimate. It does have a very good swimming pool, though.


Two small hotels with pretty views that come to mind are La Darsena and La Perla, both in the Tremezzo area. (I've visited these, and dined at La Darsena, but have not stayed at either hotel)

http://www.lakecomo-hotel-ladarsena.com/

http://www.laperlatremezzo.com/



I think it would be helpful if you offered an idea of your price range.

eks: Mom commented on La Darsena as we walked by. We didn't dine there, but plan to the next time.

We did dine at Alle Darsene in Loppia and the food was quite good. Serene location, too.