“A Room with A View”

I hemmed and hawed about which hotel to choose.  I was deciding between two.  Little did I know I chose the hotel with the larger room (I was hoping I did and it was a duplex!) 

and also the one that had a spectacular garden area so that I could sit and read and write by the lake with a nice glass of wine or a cup of tea.  Hotel Villa Cipressi was a fantastic place to spend a couple of days in Lake Como.  The views are spectular, the grounds are stunning, staff is friendly and helpful and the price is definitely right.  

We had so much space we were delighted!  When we opened our shutters in the morning to the spectacular view of the lake and mountains, I felt like I was in a Noel Coward play.  You got transported to another time, like the 1920's,  when people of privilege lounged in leisure at these amazing Villas. Villa Cipressi was built mainly from 1400 to 1800.  It is now owned by public corporations and managed as a hotel.  If you are looking for old style elegance with lots of room, this is the place to stay. 

Having said that, the other hotel that we looked at was Albergo Milano.  We had a spectacular dinner in their restaurant which I will tell you about later this week.  The views are amazing.  It is a small boutique hotel run by a husband and wife team.  They also run the restaurant.  We sat next to a couple at dinner that was staying at the hotel, who said that the rooms were beautiful but a little small.  Everything else about their experience was fantastic.   They said they would definitely stay there again.  Hotel Albergo Milano has recently added two apartments to their list of places they rent out.  They were not available for this last trip,  but they looked really nice.  I would be into renting one the next time I am there.  Based on my experience in the restaurant, all the reviews I have read and people that we spoke to who were staying there, the apartments would be a great alternative to a hotel. 

Varenna was talked about in all the research I did to be a spectacular place to stay and a very central place to see the rest of the lake from.  I would agree.  

It was everything I wanted:  not too over-populated with tourists, yet had enough to do.  The boats run frequently from there to the other towns and the trains run direct from Milano without having to connect to a boat.  Staying in Varenna was a real treat.  I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.  No matter which hotel you choose, if you choose to stay in Varenna, you will most certainly have a quaint and beautiful room with a view.