Albergo Milano Hotel & Apartments

I can’t imagine a better stay and in the best village on Lake Como. We stayed in the third floor of Casa Rossa. The online pictures don’t due justice how close you are to the water. The bed was not as soft as hotels in the States, but it didn’t affect our sleep — since we were tired from walking. We ate their restaurant, La Vista, and had a great meal (4 out of 5 stars) with one of the best views. One morning we took a 5 minute train to Bellamy, saw the Orrido/Gorge after the rain and the river water was very impressive. We’d highly recommend the 2-3 hour hike back to Varenna, walking through olive groves and several old capellas/chapels.

We loved this hotel - perfect location and friendly staff. We stayed two nights in a small room with a balcony and partial view of the lake. The room was very small with just a bed and dining chairs but that is typical of a hilltop village so we didn't mind for two nights but longer it would feel cramped so I would upgrade. The staff were so nice and helpful, before and during our trip. The breakfast was one of the best buffets we've had and the best location on the lake. Great location next to several great restaurants, but still very quiet.

Tiny worn out room. Could hear everything in adjacent room. Felt it was overpriced for what was offered. Nice lake view. Very basic room. As others mention stairs are a problem for some but there was also three flights of stairs to drag our cases up. Would not stay here again.

We stayed at Albergo Milano with 2 other retired couples in Sept 2024. We found our stay to be a mix of really nice and some not-as nice things. First, taxi service will not get you to the door of the hotel...you will have to hump your luggage down a steep incline with uneven stone steps. Varenna is on the side of a hill overlooking Lake Como, so you will have to get used to going up and down stairs. The hotel has no elevators in either buildings, so you may have to drag luggage up 2-3 flights of stairs. The very friendly staff does help with this. Our room had a gorgeous view of the lake...it was the high point of our stay. But, the rooms was less than tidy. The couch had a decent sized stain on it, and we had to kill a handful of bugs. The chairs were old rickety dinning room chairs. And some our group had a really tiny room (ours was bugger). There is a fine restaurant at the hotel, we ate there twice in our 3 night stay. Food was inconsistent, one night outstanding and other night so-so. Our service was slow...but that's not unexpected in Europe. It was not cheap, but they have a nice 22e liter of excellent red or white wine. And the view from the terrace of the restaurant was one of the finest we had in our whole trip. Breakfast was quite limited. Lots of typical cheese/meats laid out, but no eggs or sausage and limited pastry. Several of our group could literally not find something to eat. The hotel is situated in the middle of Varenna, so convenient to get to things, however again you had to navigate some really uneven stairs and steep inclines. Like we said, the staff was outstanding...Rick Steves mentioned that on his show. On the last day of our stay, the Italian train service went on a 1 day strike, which no doubt screwed up thousands of tourists counting in train service. But the staff at Milano worked with us very patiently and for panicked travelers like ourselves, that was appreciated. So Milano did deliver the magic of the Lake Como experience. The not-so-great features of the stay were out-weighed by the positive ones.

We stayed in the peaceful hotel some ten years ago and wanted to go back. Our room overlooked the lake and had a nice terrace. The restaurant was as good as we remembered. The only downside is the access. You need to drop your luggage off some 200 feet from the hotel, no street access. If you have a car the parkiong is several blocks away. Still work the stay, we would go back.

We stayed in Casa Rossa, which is two houses down from the main check-in. There are no elevators. Lake Como has small stone pathways. There is a small road that allows you to drive on upper perimeter of the pathways which lead down to the water. You park in a garage and carry your luggage down steep steps and pathways to get to the hotel, which is quite a feat. After checking in, we then had to carry our luggage back up stone steps onto a small pathway to get to the hotel 2 doors down. Then we carried our luggage down 2 flights of steps to the little house, where we had to go up 3 flights of steps to our room. We were winded and sweaty to say the least, but the view was spectacular. Our little balcony was wonderful!! We could see Lake Como in its' grandeur. Everyone is nice and friendly. Breakfast was served in the main house. There was an elaborate spread for many choices. We sat out on their large terrace while enjoying our breakfast soaking up the morning views. The rooms are clean but small. It is truly an enjoyable experience. There a restaurant, La Vista, that is set up on the large terrace that overlooks the lakes. The restaurant is family-run and the service is fantastic! The food is wonderful. Overall, it was a truly memorable time.