Veranna hotel

Check spelling. It’s Varenna.

I recall seeing a post about booking this hotel a few weeks back. I believe the response they got from Hotel du Lac said bookings for 2025 would open in January. But maybe someone can find that thread and confirm.

My response from that hotel reported a change in management and that bookings should be available the end of November. I'm getting nervous, but love that hotel. When I looked at booking.com, to maybe get a backup reservation, it seems like many Varenna hotels haven't started bookings for next season. Is this consistent with others' experiences?

Albergo Milano was open for next summer bookings when I checked several weeks ago. We have always enjoyed our stays there—but we do not mind stairs. The room we like—a nice big and airy room with large lakefront balcony—-is up 3 flights of stairs.

We were there last month, and I believe the long time owners have sold the hotel.

I don't think anyone knows who will own it, what it will be like and when booking will be open.

Such a shame as it was a very nice hotel.

Albergo Milano looks great, but they want full payment after the first of the year. They do have a refund policy, but that involves a hassle. When I look at booking.com, only four hotels show up; the rest are apartments. I've been looking at booking.com for several months now, and the lack of hotel listings remain constant.
I'm getting nervous for May, and think I'll make a backup reservation, waiting for Hotel du Lac.

Am now open to any other tried and true recommendations. Any suggestions? I really want a balcony and lake view, breakfast, around 300 euros a night, stairs ok. Villa Cipressi and Hoyel Royal Victoria are quite a bit above that price now.

Drolloff09, pls correct the spelling in the title. This will help folks doing future Searches. Thanks

@Pat - I stayed at Hotel Royal Victoria in one of the lakeside balcony rooms before my Best of Italy tour. I WISH I had asked if I could pay more and remain in that room during the tour nights. Wow, it was fabulous. I had a really, really stormy day and was able to lie in bed and watch the rain over Lake Como. Not something I usually do on vacation but I was SO glad I had that room. The breakfast here was fantastic as well. Wow, what a spread.

Sorry for the OT response...back to the original question!!

@Pat, we stayed at Hotel Olivedo Sep 2022 for 3 nights. The hotel is adjacent to the ferry dock. Our room did not have a balcony, but we had a corner room with windows that faced the lake and view to the west (I think).
It was very conveniently located to the restaurants in the lower town and an easier walk from the train station.
In 2022 our room was $200/night and included breakfast.

Carol, Lola, and Pam, thanks for taking the time to respond.
For our May dates, Royal Victoria is really expensive, but I don't doubt the beauty.
Lola, did you stay in an apartment or hotel room? I think there's four I hotel rooms with full view and balcony, correct ?

I did decide to book Albergo Milano, but still hoping for Hotel du Lac, as we love it there so much, but I appreciate the feedback, as I have come to respect the RS folks' reviews.
Thanks to all.

Hi Pat—Yes, -Albergo Milano has 4 rooms in the main hotel with full front view and balcony. Then in the annex Casa Rossa, 50 meters away, there are 4 more lakefront rooms, plus the “attic room” which is the one we have stayed in twice. And now there is a ground floor apartment in that building as well.

You can see photos of all of them here:

https://www.albergomilanovarenna.com/casa-rossa/

You can see in the photo the “cut-out” in the roof which is the terrace for the attic room. This is different from a “balcony” in that it has a solid wall rather than a metal railing. It is high enough (about a meter, maybe more) that I, at 5’1”, can only see over it to enjoy the view standing up. Usually with my morning tea or evening wine or aperitif in hand. Taller people may be able to see the view sitting down at the table on the terrace. The room is large and bright, and the fridge in the kitchen corner is useful. The red tile in the bathroom is not something I would chose for my home, but it’s fun on a vacation.

As I mentioned, there is no elevator in this building so lots of stairs to climb. My husband and I consider that part of our regular fitness routine, and don’t mind it, but others might. When we check in, Bettina has always walked us over to Casa Rossa and helped with luggage up the stairs—-but you wouldn’t want more than a 22” carry-on to get up those steps.

With a room in Casa Rossa you still get breakfast in the hotel, as well as all other hotel privileges. I particularly enjoy the dining terrace. It looks like your favorite Hotel du Lac has a similar terrace. From the online menus, it appears they offer a choice of 3 fixed-price dinners, one with meat, one with fish, and one vegetarian. I don’t see an ala Carte menu but there must be one. Albergo Milano’s Ristroante La Vista offers a full ala Carte menu but you can “make your own” 3- or 4-course dinner with a choice from each of the 4 courses (antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolce) so you can mix and match. We generally just to ala carte, 2 dishes each, and skip dessert.