Hotel Europa

We spent four enjoyable days here, with the beach within walking distance and a lovely lake view from the garden where breakfast is served. The rooms are simple and have a ceiling fan, but no air conditioning. You can reserve a parking space right in front, which is handy. There's an e-bike rental in the village, and we rode the great bike path from Porlezza to Lake Como. We also rented a motor boat for four hours on the hotel's recommendation. You can even go as far as lugano in Switzerland. The nearby beach has space to swim in the lake, plus a small place to buy drinks. In town, we found lots of good restaurants with affordable food, and enjoyed pizza and seafood. A small market takes place in front of the hotel each week, selling local food, clothes and other things. It was an enjoyable area to stay.

The location is great, with a beautiful view of Lake Lugano, and the staff were very friendly. Their English was far better than the average in Italy. Our room was average in size, with a balcony, decent beds and a very nice bathroom with a rain shower and bidet. The shower was too low for me at 1.95m and couldn't be adjusted, and the room had no air conditioning. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant was good. We heard dinner wasn't as good, so we ate at nearby Zenzero, which was great. Renting a boat for three to four hours to sail around the lake is also a lot of fun. We had a great stay, and I'd recommend the hotel for its location, friendly staff, nice rooms and good breakfast.

I paid almost 100Euro/person/night, a rate driven by strong seasonal demand, but the hotel's condition didn't come close to justifying that price. The room and toilet were clean, but there was no air conditioning. The doors and locks felt very poor quality and didn't give me much sense of security. The style was dated, with lots of cheap plastic details, and the general facilities made it feel like going back to the 80s. As a budget option covering the basics, it might be fine. At 100euro/night/person, though, there are many other places in the area with much newer and more comfortable facilities.

The location is hard to beat: the hotel looks straight onto Lake Lugano and sits in the old village center. You can stroll by the water in the evening, grab ice cream along the promenade, or get pizza at 'zenzero' or 'pronto pizza', all just a short walk away. The family has run this charming place for three generations. The current owner's grandfather built it in 1969. The staff were warm, attentive and always ready to help think things through. We brought our hamster, “Maccie,” as we always do, and had worried he might not be allowed. We quietly brought him in his cage under a towel, and the cleaning ladies didn't complain the next day. ;-) There's no air conditioning, but every room has a large, quiet ceiling fan that works well. We thought choosing fans instead was smart. The pool was a nice size, just the right temperature, and suitable for children, with a good balance of chlorine. Breakfast was really good too, with croissants, ementhaler cheese, unlimited cappuccino, and that lovely water view. It's a child-friendly place we'd recommend to relaxed people with a sense of humor who can take things in stride. We loved the romantic setting and the friendly, loyal, caring staff. Love & Blessings, Lippi, Appie, Fee, Stee & “Maccie” (our Russian dwarf hamster, named by the girls after MacDonalds, where they got the idea to ask for a hamster for their birthday).