iris1745

Not 'years' but 'yards'.

iris1745

P.S. Whatever you decide, it's a lovely place to visit.

DebitNM

Friends stayed at Belvedere and loved it; too pricey for me

drchris

The Hotel Belvedere may leave you feeling more "isolated" from central Bellagio and the view of the lake will be more distant and "removed" than if you stay at the Metropole or Florence. Everything in Bellagio is within a 20 minute walk from any other point (except the Villa Melzi but that isn't very far either). The critical factor is how far up the hill something is. If you are young and fit, this won't be an issue but if climbing steep hills and steps is of concern, a hotel along the flat waterfront would be more desirable.

There are some rooms (though probably not with a view) at Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio within your budget and it is beautiful and well located.

Even Bellagio was very quiet when we were there the second week of May except on Saturday when there was an influx of visitors, and Varenna even more so. My husband and I thought that Bellagio was much prettier and picturesque, and there were more restaurants and shops. Even though you can travel easily among the mid-lake towns during the day, you will have to get to the one where you are staying before the boats stop running at night. I can imagine that Varenna would be pretty "dead" at night.

drchris

Just wondering if here is a particular reason you want to stay in Milan. In a short train ride you could be in marvelous Venice or fabulous Florence! Just a thought!

neckervd

Chris is right: either one stays at a beautiful Lake close to Milan MXP airport (Lake Maggiore, just about 20 min by car from MXP) or - if one wants to travel absolutely at least 2-3 hrs after a overnight flight - one can go to Venice or Florence as well.

DebitNM

Ok - now I add Hotel Florence to mix.

They have a lakeview double room for 180 euros. I read a few reports on TA that they got a 10% discount for cash. Is that always the case? If so, it would make almost the same price.

So, it's now the Florence as above or:

Metropole, double with side view for 160 euros a night.

??

DebitNM

john, if you come back to this thread - just read your trip report and looked at your pictures! Wonderful. Thanks. I may have missed it, where did you find Luca and Janine, for the tours around Lake Como?

jeep61

If you are still in decision mode about where to stay... I have a different suggestion.

Varenna is quiet but if you are looking for a smaller town that does not have shopping opportunities then you might still consider it. Furthermore, if terrace views and gardens are more important than room furnishings then you might want to consider Villa Cipressi in Varenna. It is not luxury accommodations but the views of the lake are superb! Plus you have the gardens to relax, visit with one another and explore, plus it is just a short walk to several very good restaurants.

john183

Thanks DebitNM. We had a fantastic time every place we went on our trip to Northern Italy in May of 2012 but Bellagio was our favorite. The terrace we had at the Hotel Florence had a lot to do with it. Like I said above, the town itself was not crowded at all when we were there and it was gorgeous. We were lucky to have good weather - every day was sunny but cool. Hope you have as much fun as we did.

Here is the website for Luca and Jennine:

http://bellagiowatertaxis.com

The person at the desk of the Hotel Florence recommended them to us and I think we were given a 5€ per person discount off their normal price.