Romantic small hotels: The Lake Region, Northern Italy

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I search for the small hotels that are owner operated and the service is focus on your return. The place where you say, “I would come back”.  Where the chef comes to your table to make sure that everything is to your satisfaction and they are willing to spend time talking with you as though you have gone there many times before. The following two hotels are just that.

In S. Mamete village in Valsolda Italy is the small 3 star hotel of Stella d’Italia. On the Italian side of Lake Lugarno it is about 2 miles from the Swiss boarder, 6 miles from the city of Lugarno and an hour from Como.

Mr. & Mrs. Ortelli have owned and run the family owned hotel for many years. It has been in their family for 4 generations. They are very welcoming and speak English fluently. There are 34 rooms tastefully decorated with French doors, balconies and beautiful views of Lake Lugarno.

Guests can enjoy breakfast; lunch or dinner under the rose covered terraced garden boarding the lake. The gardens also have small tables where you can enjoy drinks or lounge and take up the sun and beauty or the lake. It has a very small beach and a place where boats can pull up and moor until guests have finished with their meal.

The restaurant is very good and stopping by just for a meal on our way back from Como is a must. We traditionally enjoy Stella d’Italia at Easter when they open for the season. I suggest if you decide to stay there, that you make a reservation for dinner as you won’t be disappointed in the food, but there are few other places to eat in the village. 

The village is very small and does not offer much interest, except for a few bars in a tiny piazza there isn’t much to do. There is a boat in the village that links to the city of Lugarno and Porlezze Switzerland, where ferries can be taken to other points in the Lake Region. It is a fantastic location to visit Gandria, Monte Bre, Lugano and the Lake Region with rooms at a reasonable cost compared to Lugarno. If you are a golfer the Menaggio e Cadenabbia Golf Club is one of Eruope oldest and most prestiges clubs and is about 15 minutes away (www.menaggio.it). Traveling from the Ticino, Switzerland to Italy it is recommended if you want a small, friendly and well-appointed hotel at a reasonable price. Be sure to make a reservation. http://www.stelladitalia.com/

Albergo Centrale is a 3 star hotel in Cernobbio, Como Italy. Located in the center of Cernobbio it is a short ride to city of Como. Only a few blocks from the lake and surrounded by little shops and restaurants. The hotel was completely renovated about 4 years ago. The rooms are small and the bathrooms are even smaller. But the location and the restaurant make up for it. The hotel has private parking with security and in Italy this is important.

The terrace garden is on the street side. As in many outdoor Italian restaurants a valance of plants and bushes block it from the street. Filled with umbrella-covered tables, this restaurant is crowded with Italians who come from Milano for the weekend. The Tavernna restaurant has 3 rooms with Moltrasio stone arched ceilings and walls and is excellent. Little candles are tucked into the spaces between the stones making this a dreamy grotto atmosphere. The menu is small but the quality and atmosphere make up for it, as well as the wine list. Needless to say this is why it is always booked. The hotel also has a pizzeria located off the main lobby. This room is also used for breakfast and is very plain. It is too bad since the atmosphere in the other restaurants has been very carefully considered.  You won’t notice it for very long because you will be concentrating on the pizza placed before you possibly topped with prosciutto or artichokes. The restaurants at this hotel are always booked and require a reservation in advance even if you are staying at the hotel.

It is only about 60 km from Italies’ Malpensa airport and about 50 km from Milano. It is in a perfect location if you are visiting the villages around Lake Como. The ferries are within walking distance. The park along the lake in Cernobbio has a lovely promenade and outdoor bars and cafés. At night the lights covering the mountainside along the lake seem to meet the stars in the sky to create a canopy over the lake. During the summer Cernobbio has a full schedule of events planned for guests such as; concerts, markets and plays. Oh by the way, the little shops are also open on Sunday. www.albergo-centrale.com