Recommendations on hotels in Milan and Lake Como....

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio. Bellagio is a scenic and beautiful small town which has many ferries to other small towns on Lake Como. The hotel is great and the restaurant has a delicious menu. The views are spectacular. The outdoor pool overlooks the lake and snow capped mountains. Enjoy!

another vote for bellagio. if you like gardens then there are plenty to visit and enjoy. a tour of villa balbianello was a highlight for us.

doreen,

Staying in Bellagio is certainly one option, but you might also consider staying in Varenna as transportation will be easier. For hotels there you could have a look at Hotel Royal Victoria or Hotel Villa Cipressi. Another hotel that's a big favourite with many here is Albergo Milano.

I really liked Albergo Milano in Varenna. The view was spectacular and the staff was very helpful planning our outings and transportation.

We stayed in Albergo Milano a couple of May's ago. I would assume it is still owned by a lovely couple-he is Italian, she is Swiss. We reserved dinner on their lakeside patio for our first night in Varenna. Edgi (sic) is the chef and Bettina runs the desk. As far as Bellagio goes, we thought it resembled Carmel with steps. And compared to Varenna, it was full of tourists who had bussed in from Milan for the day. Stay in Varenna and take the ferry to Bellagio.

We stayed in Albergo Milano a couple of May's ago. I would assume it is still owned by a lovely couple-he is Italian, she is Swiss. We reserved dinner on their lakeside patio for our first night in Varenna. Edgi (sic) is the chef and Bettina runs the desk. As far as Bellagio goes, we thought it resembled Carmel with steps. And compared to Varenna, it was full of tourists who had bussed in from Milan for the day. Stay in Varenna and take the ferry to Bellagio.

Hotel Windsor Milano is a very nice hotel. Google their website. I would ask for an interior room as it is near an intersection and the trollies can be a little noisy of you have a room overlooking the intersection. I really like the Hotel Royal Victoria in Varenna, but is right next to a church and the bells ring every hour from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.

I guess it's different for everyone but when we traveled to Bellagio the same dates as you are planning but in 2012, the town was nearly empty as was Varenna. You can't go wrong staying in either place that time of year. The villas were beautiful as was mentioned.

Hi,
We stayed at the Hotel Metropole in Bellagio for its proximity on the water. It is 3 stars and nice( not the food ). We wanted to be on the water and this hotel is the closest. We chose Bellagio for its central location( ferries ) and better shopping/restaurants. Verrana is beautiful but did not have as much to offer. If you want to "put on The Ritz" then take a ferry to Cernobbio and have lunch at VillaD'Este'. It has the most beautiful garden of all the lake towns.

Loved our stay at the Albergo Milano in Varenna. Also reffered a friend to stay there on their honeymoon and they loved it also.

Don't worry too much about where you stay when at Lake Como. The entire area is great and a hotel in either Bellagio or Varenna will be fine. Our preference would be Hotel Villa Cipressi simply due to transportation considerations.