Grand Hotel Imperiale

Nice hotel on the lake. Pool on the lake was a nice plus. Dinned at poolside bar food was good. Rooms were nice only issue was shower wall not long enough and water gets all over the floor when you shower. Quite hotel, several small places to eat next to hotel. Breakfast buffet very nice.

We stayed for 5 nights booking two rooms - one a Comfort Room and the second we upgraded to a larger Spa room with Garden View. First day I really could of given the hotel 1 star as upon checking into our garden view room we discovered its actually a view of a fire escape, garage and tennis court. I was even more surprised that showing them the picture they even tried to argue it is a garden view. The room itself was twice the size of the Comfort room but the view was a complete let down given the setting. After a couple of days the hotel offered us a different room but it was pretty much the same view so we declined. Sounless you just want a bigger room my suggestion would not to pay for a Garden View room - I think the Executive rooms have the front view of the garden. I've attached a picture of the lovely fire escape so you can see. Apart from this big let down the rest of our stay was fantastic - the hotel is perfectly set and the pool is right next to lake. You can jump into the lake from steps by the pool - the lake in August felt as warm as the pool itself. As others have mentioned the breakfast is a high point with a super spread and a great service. The lunch/dinner menu looked good though we chose not to eat in the hotel, instead visiting the local resturants which offered great food at a fraction of the hotel price. Had the room we booked actually matched what we had paid for then I would of rated them 4 or 5 stars. Some info and tips on the area and trips. The water is fine to drink in the hotel and also from the water fountains that can be found around Como. Pool towels are available from the pool area - no charge. There is no cashpoint in Moltrasio - though everywhere takes card. But worth having some euros for tips etc There are 5 or 6 restaurants all within easy walking distance (a couple are up a steep, albeit short, path - these were Trattoria La Moltrasina and BAR AL CENTRALE Cantina e Cucina). There are 3-4 restaurants lake side which were also excellent - these were the Lido, The Moltrasio Bay, La Vecchina. Booking is a good idea and the hotel can do it for you. A highlight for us was hiring a motor boat - the boat hire place is right below the Motrasio Bay. We hired it for 3 hours (around 240euros) and its was just the best. We were able to take it all the way up to Bellagio and take our time passing all the fantastic villas. You can also stop and take a swim whenever we wanted. If we did it again I'd probably get it for 4 or 5 hours and take lunch and take it even slower :-) The ferry stops right next to the hotel. Timetables are available and each station has a digital display showing times. One thing we didn't realise is just how long the ferries take - Bellagio was 1hr 45mins, Como around 30minutes. Coming back the last ferries get into Moltrasion around 7:30ish - there are no late night ferries. Visiting Bellagio. It is without doubt stunning place but in August we found it just too busy - it was rammed and I don't think I'd go in July/August if I visited again. The ferries run roughly every hour from Moltrasio. If you do go in peak season then one peice of advice - get the ferry platform at least 50mins before the return journey. We came back on the 3:50pm ferry (queued from 3pm) and got on but there was over 100 people that failed to get on as it was full.

I love this hotel. When browsing the website I really struggled to understand why this wasn’t a 5* but after visiting I now know. We arrived early and our room wasn’t ready which wasn’t a problem at all. The receptionist took our phone number and said she would call when the room was ready. We were then directed to the pool bar which is lovely. The service there wasn’t great that particular day but improved significantly throughout our stay and this was one of our favourite places to eat. The food is a tad pricey but completely worth it. We went for a wonder after eating but the area doesn’t really offer much. There’s no shops nearby and not many pavements to walk on. The water bus is so close though and it’s really convenient! We went to the spa and went straight in for a back massage. The therapists were waiting on hand and this was really relaxing. We called back to reception to see if the room was ready and it was (they must have forgotten to call us). We were directed to our room by the lady on reception who unfortunately had a strong BO problem which wasn’t pleasant. She was lovely though. The room was traditional and I loved it. We opted for the ‘romantic package’ and it was so worth it!!! We got an upgrade and lots of other perks such as a meal for 2 with wine and a bottle of Prosecco of arrival. The bathroom really let the room down. It was in desperate need of replacement. The bath had mould around the edge and a mouldy shower curtain. There was also no extractor fan which could be the reason for the mould. There was also no where to sit and do your make up or your hair, and no plug sockets near any mirrors, this made doing your hair very difficult. The air conditioning was effective but a bit of a health hazard. I felt like it was probably doing more harm than good with all the dirt in it. You are also restricted to bottled drinking water. 1 small bottle between 2 people per day. There was no advice as to whether you could drink the tap water and no nearby shops to buy any from. This meant on hot days you had to raid the dreaded minibar! The room didn’t have an iron or an ironing board. I’m sure if we had called reception they could have arranged this but it was a bit inconvenient when your clothes have been squashed into your suitcase. Surely all travellers require them. On our first evening we went to the bar for a drink. The bar/restaurant only had a few tables occupied and all the staff were stood around near the bar area. We sat for about 10 minutes before we decided to get up to trouble them for a drink. The wine was brought over and we weren’t asked if we wanted anything else for the whole time we were sat. When finishing the wine, we had to go to the bar to trouble them again for the bill. The breakfast is fantastic! Such a good spread and very organised. The service much improved from this point onwards and going for breakfast was a highlight. We enquired about boat rides via concierge and they what’s app’d us a brochure. They also said that they would get the restaurant to call us to arrange a booking but they never got in touch. We called the restaurant ourselves and booked the garden restaurant for our last night and had the taster menu. It’s quite an acquired taste but a great experience and an exceptional setting. On the day we were checking out we ordered a taxi via concierge to arrive for 4pm to take us to the airport. This was more than an Uber would have cost but we required a more reliable service and Ubers aren’t very reliable around Como. At 4.05pm we went to concierge to see if the taxi was on its way as we were panicking about getting to the airport on time. The concierge just said, ‘she’s on her way’ and made a hand gesture as my partner walked away, which I didn’t think was professional. The taxi did arrive just after 4.10pm. It wasn’t the cleanest/tidiest taxi but we were so pleased to see it we just jumped in. I really loved this hotel despite the things I’ve mentioned. I think with minor improvements such as the above this hotel could easily be a 5*. It has all the ingredients but a lack of attention to detail. I would definitely return.