Villa d'Este on Lake Como
 

My friend and I are looking to splurge a bit to celebrate our birthdays while on Lake Como. We're staying in Varenna. Are the gardens at the Villa so wonderful that it's worth dining there for lunch? Not including wine, about how much will lunch cost for two of us?

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It's a very attractive terrace/garden setting along the lake. Happy Birthday.

At The Verandah? I guess you have to figure 50 E. per person at BARE minimum without wine.

Yes the gardens are wonderful and it is worth having lunch there. We ate on the Veranda and it was lovely and a perfect place for a birthday celebration. I can't remember what it costs but that should be a good sign, it must not have been too much over the ordinary expensive lunch.

My family ate dinner there last summer and loved the entire experience. Our bill for 4 people (2 non-drinking teens) was $425. We had 3 courses and split one bottle of moderately-priced wine. It's expensive but a memorable treat. You won't regret the expense.

Thanks for the food for thought. I think we'll go for it!

There are two restaurants for lunch, the Veranda which has a more formal menu and ambience, and the Sundeck by the pool area which is a more casual and serves sandwiches, etc. The Sundeck would run about 40 Euros per person for lunch (hamburgers at about US$25 and then the incidentals like drinks and tax). The Veranda is probably a third or twice as much as that for lunch but of course is a much different experience and the food and service are excellent.

I know from your other posts that your trip is in May, and they may not be serving outdoors at the Sundeck or at the Veranda, so indoors at the Veranda may be your only choice. It is a pretty dining room and has large windows with lake views, defiantely try to get a window seat with a view.

The gardens are lovely, be sure to walk up behind the hotel where the main part of the garden and staturary are located, you can also climb the steep hill further back to the right of the main building (behind the annex) where there are several paths and get some great views.