This is a quaint, no frills European hotel. We stayed during the summer when it was hot and humid…read more There is no air conditioning, only a ceiling fan in the room. No elevator, so plan to carry your luggage up a few flights of stairs. The hotel rooms sit above the restaurant and the bars and restaurants next door where people talk and laugh loudly until the wee hours (one night at 3 am they were still at it). Also, second hand smoke would occasionally waft into our room. We had a lake view room and the view was stunning. Unfortunately, the road that runs along Lake Como also runs in front of the hotel, so we had traffic noise all night along with the revellers in the bars and restaurants. Earplugs do help block some of the noise. I assume the mountain facing rooms are more quiet. Also, due to the heat we left our window open and the noise is muffled substantially when the windows are closed. I'm sure in cooler weather this would not be such an issue. The hotel is in an excellent location with a place to catch the Lake Como passenger ferry across the street. Parking was an issue when we stayed. My daughter wrote in advance inquiring about the parking and she was assured there was parking across the street from the hotel. When we arrived, the parking lot across the street was all taken and all public parking in the area was blocked off for movie production vehicles and equipment for a Hollywood movie being filmed nearby. An email in advance from the hotel warning us about this issue and possible solutions would have been highly appreciated. When we checked into the hotel two of the most unwelcoming women checked us in and didn't tell us any of the particulars about the hotel, such as when and where the provided breakfast was served, checkout time, how to get into the hotel after 11 pm, that the 1-pound room key was to be left at the front desk each time we left the hotel. I carried that darn thing in my purse everywhere we went! There was a very nice young man that served us in the restaurant who took the time to tell us some of the info we needed to know and where the best villages were to visit, and how the ferry system works. We had some great food at the restaurant. My vegan daughter saw no vegan dishes on the menu, but when she asked if there was anything vegan on the menu, the server, who I believe may have been the hotel owner, said they could make a tofu, vegetable, and pasta dish for her. She really enjoyed that meal. My oldest daughter said the pizza she ordered was the best she'd had on our trip. I had soup and salad that were really good. I'm giving this hotel 4 stars for the excellent food and the hotel rate was one of the lowest we paid in Europe. We got a lake view room and a hotel in a great location. I am a spoiled American who expects everything to be perfect. So if you are anything like me, beware this is not an exclusive Italian hotel, but a modest one.

After a mediocre meal a few doors down earlier in the week, we decided to give Argegno another shot…read moreat a dinner out, and we were rewarded for our persistence! From the professional and courteous staff (everyone!) at the outset, we sensed it would be a great meal, and it was! The cuttlefish and squid appetizer was amazing, and the fresh fish, pasta with pesto and squids and the homemade lasagna were equally excellent! How with one night left until we leave, we will explore the Lake Como area but return to this gem! Highly recommend it! Oh, and the wine was great and the overall prices were very fair! David

By far one of the best, privately hotels I've ever stayed at in my life. Everything you see on…read moretheir website, is even better in person. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The room was pristine. The views from our balcony were unreal. The restaurant was great, the breakfast was great. I will absolutely be coming back here when I stay in Varenna someday again. Make sure you listen to their website when it says to pack light, you really do have to climb up a lot of stairs to get to your room that are very narrow and it is pretty much impossible to do if you have a large suitcase.

The Albergo Milano and the Hotel Du Lac were the Hotels that "got away" during our recent 3 night…read morestay in the Lake Como area. My guess is that Varenna is a magnet for American destination weddings, which probably explains why parts of these Hotels' reservation books were already full, even when we inquired many months in advance. The Albergo Milano is located right in the old town and up. It looks very romantic and complete with killer views from the balcony.

Friendly staff, awesome location in Lugano. The old-school interior is not my thing, but the hotel…read moreis not trying to be chic. Wish I had brought my tennis stuff to play on their clay court.

Wonderful hotel, excellent service, clean rooms and a beautiful view! We enjoyed our stay!read more

Highly Recommend! This place is amazing…read more Great service and the hotel was very nice and organized with good ambiance. Service was excellent. Staff were very nice and helpful. The staff is the most friendly and amazing in every way. 15 out of 10!! Everything here has been amazing t the food, rooms and service. The EER SPA is one of the best I have been to in the world for hotels. The only negative is they allow kids at certain times but that's ok and can go during adult hours. But be aware of this when you come to relax and leave your own kids at home. If I had my son he would love it here and I'll bring him next time. Food was excellent. Everything we had was fresh.

SANTA MARIA!!! This hotel is spectacular. My partner and I truly had the best time. We didn't…read morerealize it, but we arrived for opening weekend at the hotel. It's still the off season so it was quiet and fantastic. I booked using Amex FHR and the hotel graciously upgraded our room to a junior suite. We were celebrating my husband's bday and they left a bottle of prosecco in the room as well. The concierge and front desk team were really responsive via email leading up to our stay. They helped me book an agriturismo for lunch, as well as some spa appointments. The service is just astoundingly good. Andrea at the ristorante was a joy! The gentleman who works at the bar with glasses and the gentleman who just moved back to Italy from Canada were also lovely! The boutique is SO cute and shockingly reasonable. The woman who works here was very helpful in finding the right sizes and colors. The spa is out of the world. If you're not staying at the hotel, I recommend booking a treatment or buying a day pass to experience it. It's so gorgeous and absolutely massive. We loved the hot and cold pools and showers. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful and meticulously kept after. The views of the Lake are beautiful and best enjoyed from the hotel's front lawn. The hotel is, of course, quite expensive, but you get what you pay for! The staff here don't miss a beat and our stay was full of little, meaningful surprises. It really is such a special place!

We had the absolute greatest experience here! We came just for lunch and drinks and to enjoy the…read morebeautiful views The service was incredible - very attentive, clean and pleasant. The food was some of the best that we had in Italy. The drinks were, by far, the most delicious we've had. Everything here is wonderful, beautiful and well worth it.

We did not stay at the hotel. Let's start with the upstairs bar. We arrived early to our…read morereservation at Giacomo Al Lago so we decided to get a drink upstairs. It took so long to get our drinks. By the time they came we had to go down to our reservation. Now the restaurant Giacomo Al Lago. We were seated quickly. But our menus took forever. They were serving and attending other tables but after 10 minutes I had to go back to the check in area and ask the lady who seated us , who was suppose to give us the menus. So eventually it came. As you see in my pictures. The other ladies were given a place to set their handbags. One arrived after me. Mine was on the floor. So the beginning service was not good. My son ordered from the kids meal and they brought him an adult meal we had to send back. Now the food was delicious. Well prepared. They brought our seafood selections to look at and approve before they cook it for us. I wished their service matched the cook's efforts. I had a much better experience with service at a different luxury hotel.

Stayed here for two nights with my family and it was perfect! The staff were incredibly friendly…read moreand helpful. They anticipated every need and had a wealth of knowledge. The location was unbeatable and close to incredible restaurants and shops. Also, the breakfast was the best I've ever had at a hotel. Highly recommend!

Stayed in this beautiful hotel for a week on business, and it was perfect. Service was friend,…read moreattentive, and efficient. I had a single room, but with plenty of room to spread out and work in the evening. The hotel is immediately next door to the funicular, so getting to and from the train station is very easy. It's also in a pedestrian area, within easy walking distance of excellent restaurants and shopping, as well as beautiful sights. The highlight of this hotel was the breakfast - simply the most amazing variety of food and beverages I have ever seen at a hotel.

This review is for the restaurant Veranda as we did not stay in the Villa d'Este hotel…read more We came here for dinner on Friday night along with two other couples. Upon arrival we were told that the men needed to be wearing jackets. I wish that our hotel had told us because my husband had packed one, but luckily the restaurant keeps spare jackets on site for just this situation. The large dining room is incredibly old school with beautiful brass dining chairs laden in blue and yellow striped fabric. When they brought out the wine list I thought it was a joke because it was the size of a dictionary! For dinner I had the beet tartare and the veal filet. The soy marinated tofu was a little bit of an odd flavor combined the beet dish but besides that it was quite good. My husband started with the gnocchi and it may have been the best dish of the night, it was dynamite. In my opinion, my veal filet was better than my husbands beef filet and I also really enjoyed the petite eggplant parmigiana that came with it. Soufflé and ice creams for dessert were a big hit, but I was especially pleased because I asked if they had some dark chocolates off menu and they brought me out a beautiful assortment that tasted as good as they looked. Great restaurant if you are looking for an elegant evening out on the town or an excuse to use the dinner jacket that you packed but thought you wouldn't need.

Wonderful, elegant hotel, but an employee stole purchases I had made to bring home worth $850.00…read more While at dinner Someone made off with Lovely things I bought.