Le Stanze del Lago Lake View

The apartment felt like a welcome touch of luxury when we arrived. The decor is very cool and modern with good air con a particular blessing on a very hot day. Entry to the apartment dod not present any problems for a technophobe like me; all went exactly as indicated. The code became functional at exactly 15.00 and to my great surprise it worked!! However, you do need a smartphone and this should be 4G compatible ; beware of roaming charges if you are from outside Europe or from Brexit Britain. The only criticism of the well-placed apartment is the noise from the street which it really cannot avoid as it's on the first floor. Ear plugs is a must or plenty of alcohol. We parked our car in a nearby secure parking garage (30€ for 24 hrs).

The Good: the location is excellent. The rooms are located across the road from the Como Lago train statiion and next door to the bus depot. Old Como town is right around the corner, the funicular to Brunate, wharf, etc. are a 2minute stroll away. You are right on the promenade with fantastic views. The room was modern & spacious. The Bad: it is next door to a bus station! and roundabout! Although the room has a rollershutter, it could not keep out the noise. Sleeping in was impossible. Check-in was a nightmare. There is no reception or room service, etc. In order to gain access to the building, you have to ring an automated number (which they send you the day before) from the number you registered when making the booking! This is problematic if you are travelling overseas without mobile roaming. Even with roaming, we couldn't gain access to the building. We were also given a code to the room. This didn't work either. We had to look up the number of the actual hotel and ring them & they were able to assist. However, I believe that noone is at the hotel's reception desk after 7pm, so be sure to get in early in case you have trouble gaining access. Furthermore, as it is a "self checkin", hou have send them your identity documents over the internet and I am unsure of their privacy or information storage policies and procedures. The Ugly: the bed only had two pillows, the shower sporadically went from hot to cold (that sure woke us up), the heated towel rail didn't work, the hairdryer's prongs are too big for the socket, so it couldn't be used, there is no compedium, and although coffee was provided (two pods only!), the machine hadn't been cleaned (used pods from previous guest wete in the dispenser) and the pods were not replenished the next day by housekeeping. Tip: if coming by train from Milan, get off at Carmelata station and change trains to Como Lago Stazione as this is 1minute from the Stanze Del Lago Lakeview Rooms. Excellent location.