We are 3-4 couples looking for a reliable booking source for renting a home/flat/apt for several days in the Lake Como area. Any reliable vendors out there? We like Rick Steve's recommendations, but with this many of us, a home, etc. might be a better fit.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15172 posts
Homeaway.com or VRBO.com (same company, so I don't even know why they still have two websites)
Homelidays.com
casamundo.com
Airbnb.com
Booking.com
Venere.com
vacanzelago.com (this one is an Italian site that specializes on the lake of Como)
For farmhouses also:
agriturismo.it (-.com and -.net)
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR
358 posts
Thank you! I've looked at a few of those. As you seem knowledgeable, what towns would you suggest or would you avoid? We are early 60's and happy to eat in for a few of our meals, but would probably want to dine out for a lunch/dinner or two. One of our group isn't probably good on a lot of hilly terrain, but the rest of us are fine.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15172 posts
As the locals say, "Lake Como is shaped like a man. A leg in Lecco, the other in Como, the nose in Domaso and the butt in Bellagio."
The best area, in my opinion, is the Midlake area. Main towns in that area are: Varenna (easy to reach by train) on one hip of the running man. Menaggio on the other hip (good for visiting also Lugano), and Bellagio (the most famous) on the butt. There are smaller villages also in the area (for example Laglio, where George Clooney has his villa). Any villages are pretty. All villages are connected by boat. The Como branch (or leg) is more beautiful, in my opinion, than the Lecco branch. When I've been there I stayed in Lecco, Como and Bellagio. Hated Lecco. Liked Bellagio. Como is nice, but it's a city more than a town.
Posted by
1412 posts
Our group of 4 stayed in Varenna in a 2 bed room, 2 bath apt. easy train arrival in varenna. Varenna has a lovely, flattish shoreline with restaurants and a few shops and art galleries......and then more stuff on rambling cobblestones up hill. ferry dock is of course rt there on the flat, so you could do day excursions to some of the other towns.....Bellagio is more pricey and a tad snootier. Varenna has a free small sand beach .with a restaurant right there....if your less mobile person is comfortable staying behind occasionally with a book and a chaise lounge lakeside. i'll attach the rental agent we worked with......she has English, so works with several local people who each seem to have one property, not sure they have anything big enough for your group, but I recommend her highly. (Camilla house will sleep 6 but is a 20 minute schlep out of town) we stayed at villa Clara. you can click around the website and see all of the properties... casa tizi will sleep 4 and is right next door. if you have to split up over 2 properties.......or there is a this funky little hotel down the street about 2 blocks.....we ate breakfast there one day. its almost across the street from the beach. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187837-d605669-Reviews-Albergo_Beretta-Varenna_Lake_Como_Lombardy.html
http://www.varennaflats-marilena.com/index.html villa clara and tizi
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187837-d2190586-Reviews-Varenna_Caffe-Varenna_Lake_Como_Lombardy.html recommend this café/wine bar HIGHLY......wonderful owner.