europhile

Hello Fodorites. I hope your holidays were good. We are back to square one planning our anniversary trip, having just cancelled our plans to the Maldives and Indonesia this May. It clearly isn't the right time to visit Southeast Asia, so we are returning to Europe! We were able to snag award seats into Milan and out of Athens. Our plan so far is to spend 4 nights somewhere easily reached from Milan, then 4 nights in Venice, then a week on Santorini, where we spent our honeymoon. I am thinking either the Lakes or somewhere along the Italian Riviera/Cinque Terre for the first four nights. We're looking for scenic and romantic, and a nice hotel but not more than 400 euros/night. Specific hotel/town recommendations would be most appreciated. Any thoughts?

SloJan

Are you active? How about hiking and spa-ing (!) in the Dolomiti?

We spent 4 days in the Val Gardena in October and it was glorious. We stayed in Corvara in the Post hotel Zirm which was very nice and well located. There are also several hotels listed in Luxurylink in this area. Check them out. If 4 days in that type of setting is too much, try 2 days in Verona and then, 2 days in the Dolomiti.
Cheers,
Jan

europhile

We'd probably rather stay all 4 nights in one place. I hadn't considered that area but I'll check it out.

OReilly

Hi Europhile:

I stayed in valdora in June 2003 - I loved it. I can recommend this spa hotel:

http://www.hotel-hubertus.com/

Its about 2 hours drive from Milan. If you send me a note to [email protected], I'll send you my trip report.

regards Ger

kfusto

We stayed in Rapallo in September for 3 nights at the Hotel Europa. We visited Santa Maria Lighure which we also liked. We really enjoyed this area for a romantic weekend getaway. The town is seafront, very pretty with lots of dining options, etc. Ferries can take you to CT, Portofino, etc.

We went to Vernazza for the day and bailed after 30 minutes. I was soooo disappointed! No charm at all, postacrd pretty but overrun with Rick Steeves tourist hordes. I would not return.

We are going to the Dolomites for 6 nights in June and staying at Cavallino D'Oro which I discovered after lots of research. I know the area and it is beautiful! And the inn gets high praise from other couples.

mr_go

Hard to beat Lake Como, IMHO. If you're going by train, Varenna is a good place to stay. If you'll have a car, consider Bellagio or Mennagio. Plenty of good hotel options...search this site for many previous threads.

Enjoy!

rex

Absolutely Bellagio/Menaggio/Varenna.

Best wishes,

Rex

eroz

www.varenna.net on lake como!

we started our honeymoon here and it was lovely!

Wildfire

Agreeing with SloJan and kfusto, the Dolomites are magnificent and you could easily spent the 4 days there.

Kfusto mentions the Cavallino (in Castelrotto) which is a wonderful place to stay. For more of a nightlife/shopping you could stay in Bolzano. either way, great places. I stayed there in a double room and really it was a bargain on top of being the most memorable stop on my trip.

kfusto

I visited Lake Como and Bellagio in 2000 while on a 2 week Italian holiday with my best friend. We checked in at 4pm one afternoon - the hotel was luxurious by the way - and were on the 5:00am ferry to go to Milan the next morning.

It is very pretty there but we were both bored - we are very active women -and simply were not happy there.

I think it is very much a matter of personal taste. I need more than just pretty scenery to enjoy and the Dolomites offer lots of options.

Just my humble opinion.

OReilly

Forgot to mention that VALDAORA (sorry, spelt it wrong) is IN the Dolomites, about 60 mins from Bolzano. In June, although it was very, very hot in Bolzano, it was wonderfully cool in Valdaora.

regards Ger

traveldawg

It is hard to beat BELLAGIO for what you are wanting to do.

It is an easy drive from the Milan airport (if you go up the west side and take the ferry over).

The HOTEL BELVEDERE is very nice. We stayed there last in 1999, but I am sure it is still nice today. Get a room on their Floor 1 (our 2 in US) and ask for one overlooking the lake. You will have a large balcony, great for sipping some wine.

The area is great to explore and then you will be ready to head to Venice. No brainer.

majorvonhapen

Hello,
My wife and I holidayed in Menaggio, lake Como, last September.
Absolutly divine! upon arrival we thaught it might be a little too quiet, we are in our early 30's. However the peace and quiet of the lake soon changed our mind.
The only caveat I would have to say is, that in my opinion is the necessity of hiring a car.
We stayed in Hotel Bellavista in Menaggio, a nice, basic hotel, they are online. Which i would recommend, however be sure to book a room overlooking the lake as opposed to the road at the rear.
hope this is helpful.
kind regards.

JulieVikmanis

Lake Como is closest to Milan and provides lots of options. We like it so well that we've returned 4 times or more. We stay in Menaggio at the GH Menaggio and like it very much though the GH Victoria there is also nice. Varenna makes a pleasant day trip from there as does Bellagio. Otherwise you might choose to stay in Bellagio and day trip to Varenna and Menaggio, etc. from there. The already suggested Belvedere is a perennial favorite there but in your price range, you might want to also check out the Villa Serbelloni which is where Liz Taylor stayed when she was there. It's a real grande dame of a place if you like that type of hotel. Alternately consider the Italian coast west of Genoa--a bit further than Lake Como but doable. We liked the Miramare in Santa Margherita (another grande dame type place) and the Cennobio dei Doge in Camogli. You can do day trips from either to the other and to Portofino, even the Cinque Terre. If you go to the coast, be sure to stop at the Certosa di Pavia enroute, one of the most beautiful churches I've seen with wonderful cloisters. If you go to Lake Como, be sure to schedule lunch or dinner at Isola Comacina. Do a search here for info about this amazing rustic dining extravaganza. Tough choices. Enjoy.