Villa Lena Bellano

Getting here was extremely inconvenient: it’s far from the city centre, and the listing never mentioned that public transport wasn’t available. It seems suitable only if you have your own transport, and that should have been made clear upfront. The owner was very strict and borderline rude about checkout, making us feel chased out even five minutes beforehand. The pictures were deceiving, too. There were no shared places to sit, and the supposed lake view from the window was false. You could barely glimpse the lake through the small windows. When we asked for help getting to the city centre, even though it was just a five-minute ride, the owner or manager was dismissive and didn’t bother to help with transport. Once guests had checked out, he didn’t seem to care at all. Other guests said they had the same experience.

The best part was waking up to the quiet, with a bit of lake, garden, and donkeys to look out at. Bellano also feels much less packed with tourists than Varenna, so we could walk around without huge lines and enjoy a more authentic Lake Como holiday. Enzo is kind, knowledgeable, and super communicative. He picked us up from the bus stop at 7 pm, took us to the hotel, carried our bags, and showed us around. Along the way, he pointed out landmarks to help us find our way back. A lot of reviews don’t mention what a trek the return is: it’s a steep, long walk with lots of stairs and a big incline. Still, every step felt worth it. The house is in great shape, with a free coffee machine, kitchen, garden, blow dryer, shampoo, conditioner, and more. Sometimes you can hear other guests at night, but it never got too noisy. Enzo answered all my texts no matter the time, and when we ran into him at a restaurant, he was still the same chill guy. If you stay here, eat at Che pasta 100%. Ferries make it easy to see the touristy spots, or you can do what we did and stay in Bellano, go to the beach, and relax. Thanks, Enzo!

The place was spotless, and Enzo, the owner, is a gentleman. He’ll pick you up from the train station and drop you back there, too.

The place was fantastic, and Silvia, our local contact, made the service even better. She went the extra mile, arranging a cake before we arrived and picking us up from and dropping us off at the station since we were using public transport. Just be aware, you must have a car for this location.