Hotel Belvedere

Hotel Belvedere in Bellagio is beautiful. It has stunning views over Lake Como. The rooms are spacious, modern, of high standard and spotless. There is a lovely open-air swimming pool and jacuzzi. Bellagio is one of the loveliest towns on Lake Como, with a range of restaurants, bars and shops ten minutes??? walk away from the hotel. It is expensive, as one would expect from a high-class hotel - we paid over 600 euros a night for a two-storey suite to accommodate a family of four - but the price includes a superb breakfast with a wide choice, and car parking space. We thought it was worth it for a real treat. Staff are polite, attentive, friendly and helpful. They have had to adjust to the new coronavirus-related rules (e.g. staff have to wear face masks all the time) and they have generally done so very well. So why don???t I rate this 5/5? Because of a handful of flaws which can easily be remedied, but which are surprising in such an expensive hotel. - Service at breakfast is slow. Because of coronavirus, the hotel has had to replace the buffet breakfast with table service, and of course this slows things down. But even so, it is really slow. It is a good thing that a basket of (excellent) breads is set out in each table to keep people going while they wait, but there is no water or any other drink so, with dry mouths, one often doesn???t have an appetite to tuck into the bread. I made the suggestion that they put out a bottle of water as well as the bread - which would assuage people???s impatience while they wait to be served, but this suggestion was not acted on. - The housekeeping staff do a good job of cleaning the room and making the beds fresh bed linen every day. But they are bad at replacing soap and toilet rolls in the bathroom; it is annoying and embarrassing to have to ask for these things. A great small detail, which is so easy to put right. I would definitely recommend Hotel Belvedere. Although not cheap, it is really really nice. But the hotel management should pay attention to rectifying a few small, but annoying, flaws.

Okay let???s start out with the positive! The room was spacious, clean, and had a view to die for. We spent an hour each day just looking out the windows and taking in a moment to enjoy the view. Also- the pool was an absolute delight. Very rarely in our travels do we truly hang at a hotel pool but we did every day. We loved it so much we extended our stay an extra a night once it was clear the weather was on our side. Now sadly for the negative. I generally will never complain about prices of a hotel- but when I spend 450 euro a night I expect services. Not unrealistic services but you know- things like cocktail waitress at the pool and the ability to have a bite to eat. Then there was the service at the restaurant. We ate there at the first night much to the dismay of the staff is seemed. We arrived a little after 9 and were looked at in disgust to possible be asking to be sat then. The food was good though- although a touchy salty. Lastly there was breakfast. What is supposedly the most important meal of the day: expect in Bellagio is seems. Now let???s first acknowledge that now during covid buffets are gone- so there are some adjusting hotels have to deal with and extra staffing needs. I get that- but to have the staff talk badly about guest trying to get their attention cause they assumed we don???t speak Italian is not acceptable. We were also served moldy fruit.... once we showed the waiter they replaced it right away and she apologized but moldy fruit at a 450 a night hotel. It???s definitely something you don???t expect.

We recently stayed at the Hotel Belvedere and would highly recommend it. The hotel is very sleek and modern in the entrance and dining areas, very modern Italian design. The dining area has exceptional views of the lake and the breakfast is very good. (We also ate one dinner and a lunch there and the food was wondeful.) Our room had a lake view and a patio with a small table and two chairs for enjoying the view. Our friends had no lake view but a larger room with antique furnishings and a large bathroom. (Our room was smaller.) Great pool area, also with lake views. Fantastic service-minded staff. The hotel is a short walk from town center, about 8 minutes walk. We would stay here again!