Lake Como, Portofino, Lake Maggore and Piedmont places to saty

We loved Hotel du Lac in Varenna - great staff, lake view room with balcony, and daily wine tasting ( not free.) I think there is a hotel of the same name in Bellagio. You are wise to book this early. Have a wonderful trip!

The Hotel Serbelloni is wonderful. Try to get a room overlooking the gardens. Pool and pool deck are very nice. Food is excellent. I haven't been to the Villa Palazzo Aminta. Having looked at the map I see that it is a bit of a walk from the hotel to the bright lights of Stresa. If you want to be closer to the action, consider Hotel la Palma in Stresa. I'm not sure what you plan on doing in Stresa but personally I think 5 days in Stresa is 2 days too long.

Trotter
My friends visited Isla Piscatore they said it was very nice and recommended island hopping. Maybe take a ride over to Switzerland as well.

You can easily island hop the 3 Borromean islands in one day. A second day can be spent in Stresa itself and a third driving or taking the ferry to Switzerland. But if Switzerland is where you want to be maybe stay further north on Lago Maggiore. Cannero Riviera or Cannobio are much closer. I heard more German in Cannero and Cannobio than Italian.

Hi

Grand Hotel Miramare in Santa Margherita is one of my husbands favourite hotels. We haven’t been back since Covid but knowing the management and staff there I’m sure it is still as good.

It is spotlessly clean, the breakfast buffet is super, the pool area is never crowded. There is a bus stop
to Portofino at the front of the hotel or it’s a 15 min walk to the ferry. Portofino is fine for a half day trip but we much prefer Santa Margherita.

We didn’t eat in the hotel restaurant because we prefer to eat out and about, so I can’t comment on that. The road at the front can be noisy but when the windows are closed it’s not a problem. I would not hesitate to recommend the Miramare and Santa Margherita for your 4 nights.

Hotel du Lac. We stayed in a room with a large balcony overlooking the lake last october. The views were glorious! The staff very accomodating. Room and bed were clean and comfortable. The food amazing from breakfast through dinner. When the hotel learned about a Regional train strike that was going to occur they contacted me ahead of time to let me know and then hired a driver to pick us up from the Milan train station and drive us to the hotel. That certainly saved us a lot of trouble.

Sorry - I should clarify Hotel du Lac Varenna.

We much prefer Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino. Portofino is in a pretty setting but is filled with very high end shops, . We left after a few hours and parking was a nightmare. You can take a boat there from Santa Margherita Ligure.
We love Santa Margherita Ligure and have stayed there twice. The hotel you mention is a very nice one.
Hotel Villa Serbelloni is in Bellagio, right on the water, a beautiful place.Across the lake in Menaggio, look at Grand Hotel Menaggio.
As far as Stresa, you are better off there in the scenic mid- lake area. Villa d’Este is south down the lake, nowhere as scenic a setting. Look at Grand Hotel de les Borromes. There is a whole row of luxury waterfront hotels going north from Stresa.
We also enjoy the Piemonte region and stay near Alba,; we found so many wonderful places to dine.It is like Tuscany without the crowds.

There’s a nice selection of beautiful hotels along the main road next to the water in Stresa, depending on your price point. I stay there until my last night in Stresa when I move each trip out to Isola Bella, the tiny island off shore with the stunning formal gardens & villa. There’s a small boutique hotel with balconies overlooking the water & you can see Isola Pescatori’s church steeple illuminated from a distance with the mountains beyond - a very peaceful, unique setting! I’ve strolled along the lane & water right after dinner and been almost the only one strolling at the time.

It’s Boutique Hotel Elvezia. The restaurant is excellent, too!

Does anyone know if we can take a boat excursion to all the towns in Cinque Terre from Santa Magherita?

Look at https://traghettiportofino.it/en

A friend and I spent a few days at Agriturismo Tre Stelle in Barbaresco and look forward to returning in the near future. The property is very nice, comfortable rooms with balconies that have magnificent views of the vineyards, hazel nut groves and rolling hills. Michaele and his wife are gracious and knowledgeable hosts and vintners and the included breakfast is a great way to start the day. Location is convenient to visiting the wine towns - Barbaresco, Barolo, Asti, Alba. Great dinner at Taste in Barbaresco. Make the trip to Io e Luna in Guarene for a special lunch or dinner.