Lake Como

We stayed in Varenna a few years ago and loved our stay at Albergo Milano. The town and hotel were perfect for us. Varenna is very quaint and relaxing and Albergo Milano was clean, comfortable and our room overlooked the lake which was magical. We enjoyed mid-lake day trips to Menaggio, Bellagio, etc. but enjoyed returning to Varenna at the end of the day. Albergo Milano books up fast so if you are interested, you'll need to book in advance. Have a great trip.

Here is another vote for Albergo Milano. We stayed there in September and loved the hotel and owners. The food was good at dinner and the people we meet staying there were good times.

I had another friend go on his honeymoon couple weeks before my trip and he raved about his stay at Albergo Milano. They stayed at the Casa Rosa building as the main building was full.

Kathy,

I assume you're planning to stay in Varenna, which is the usual favourite with most here?

As the others have mentioned, Albergo Milano is very popular but of course that means it usually books up quickly. You could also have a look at....

• Hotel Villa Cipressi - located near the main piazza in town. Somewhat more on the "upscale" end, but I'm sure you'd be very comfortable there.
• Hotel Royal Victoria - also located right in the main piazza, right across from the Church. All of the three hotels mentioned so far are a reasonably easy walk from the station (provided you're not hauling along several Steamer Trunks).
• Hotel Olivedo - located right next to the Ferry dock and also an easy walk from the station (since it's all dowhill). The same owner also operates Villa Torretta next door. It's a bit of an older hotel, and as I recall there's no lift, but I found it to be quite comfortable and the food in the restaurant was great.
• Hotel du Lac - also a bit upscale but I don't have much information on it.
• Hotel Eremo Gaudio - located on the hill above Varenna, so the views from the hotel are exceptional. Although it is further away from the centre of town, access is not difficult. As I recall, there's a lift that goes up to the hotel from the road area. With luggage, I'd probably take a Taxi from the station.

Happy travels!

Check out here: http://www.borgoleterrazze.com/borgo.php
It's above Bellagio and is a magical place. We stayed there in early June last year and loved it.

That's a good list to choose from.

Thank you everyone, this is very helpful! I will check them all out...
Kathy

We stayed at the Hotel Florence in Bellagio in spring 2012 and really loved it, although originally we too were set on staying in Varenna, based on RS's endorsement. However, friends who live on Lake Como strongly discouraged us from staying in Varenna because , while charming, it is really small without much going on - and when we visited it during our Lake Como stay we very much agreed with their assessment. (I know RS fans may disagree with me, but sometimes he gloms onto places which then get overrun by RS tourists, and Varenna - like Rue Cler in Paris- is one of them, IMO).
Bellagio is still small but has lots of restaurants and shops, and the Hotel Florence is conveniently located very near the ferry stop, from which you can easily access all the towns and sights on the lake. We dream of returning in the near future.

If you decide to stay in Varenna I can highly recommend this apartment. It has a great location on a very picturesque lane. You have a view of the lake from your little patio. The host was very kind and met us at the train station. If we return to Varenna we will definitely be staying here again. http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g187837-d6135168-Annina_s_House_Studio_Varenna_Lago_di_Como-Varenna_Lake_Como_Lombardy.html

Like Jeanine, my husband and I will be staying at Annina's House Studio in Varenna this coming July for 4 nights. After much research we decided on this place. They have fantastic communication, will meet you at the train station or other meeting place if you are driving and they come highly recommended in many travel books and travel websites. We are counting the days until we are enjoying a glass of wine on the patio with a slight view of the lake!