By admin After a whirlwind nine day bachelorette party in Andalusia, I was ready for some chill time. I spent a couple solo nights in Milan, then met my friend Gina and boarded a train to take the short (~30 minutes) ride to Como.
Upon arrival at the Como San Giovanni train station, we got in a cab and headed to our home for the next three days: the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. This hotel was one of my splurges in Italy, and I was very excited to spend some time there.
The name doesn’t lie – the hotel was truly grand
We walked into the ornate rose-scented lobby and admired the view of the lakefront pool, set against a backdrop of dramatic mountains dotted with charming villages. Our room wasn’t quite ready, so we changed into our swimsuits and parked ourselves at the lakefront pool (one of two pools at the property). Time for a Campari Spritz.
No, we didn’t mind waiting there until our room was ready
Our first evening was pretty calm. We had a couple drinks at the stunning hotel bar, where Gina discovered that the bartender made an excellent Espresso Martini. Then we walked a few minutes into Tremezzo and had dinner at a restaurant recommended by the concierge. The food was fresh and our lakeside table had a gorgeous view. We were off to a good start.
Village Hopping
The next day we planned to take the ferry to explore a couple of the nearby villages. Bellagio was across the lake from Tremezzo, and also one of the larger villages, so that was a must-do on the list. My ex-coworker Chad (who had stayed at the Grand Hotel the previous two summers) told me that he preferred Varenna to Bellagio, so we decided to start there.
We found an adorable boutique in Varenna full of locally-made products. I had been trying to impose a shopping ban on myself since my luggage was already overflowing; still, I couldn’t help but buy a beautiful light blue and turquoise striped hand-knit sweater. It would be so cute tucked into a pair of white jeans or cut-off shorts! And I wanted to support the local economy…
After about an hour in Varenna, we boarded the ferry for Bellagio. I immediately understood why Chad preferred Varenna; while Bellagio also featured quaint winding streets and staircases, it was much more crowded with tourists. We wandered around, peeking into shops and keeping an eye out for a restaurant suitable for lunch. Suddenly, I recognized a couple in one of the shops. While I didn’t recall their names, they were honeymooners from India that had been on the same Airbnb experience dinner with me in Milan. I said hi and we laughed at the chances of us running into each other again. I will never get over the serendipity of these small world travel moments.
We fortunately found an excellent spot for lunch thanks to the powers of the internet. It was a bit of a walk, but I didn’t mind because it meant that we were able to get away from the crowds a bit, and we got a different view of the lake.
Filled with caprese, pasta and wine, we decided it was time to go back to the hotel and relax at the other pool.
For dinner on night two, we decided to venture to Menaggio, about a ten minute drive from Tremezzo. The hotel car service of course charged us an arm and a leg for the drive, but we at least got to ride in a tricked-out BMW where we entertained ourselves playing with all the different gadgets and toys. I’m sure the driver loved us.
I may have tested this idea. My opinion still stands that Negronis are best enjoyed for consumption.
Night at Grand Hotel Tremezzo
After dinner, we weren’t quite ready to call it a night, so we stopped at the hotel bar for a nightcap, and to enjoy the multi-talented singer/pianist/guitarist/saxophonist playing covers of mostly 70s and 80s hits.
At one point, one of our fellow guests joined the performance on the guitar.
After a round of Manhattans, Gina insisted that we get another. And another. Yes, it was that kind of night. Somehow we ended up making friends with two older couples (Brits and Aussies), who peer pressured us to order even more Manhattans.
Last Day on Lake Como
Unsurprisingly, day three started slowly. I wanted to lie out at the pool, but the weather wasn’t cooperating and it eventually started raining. So much for that plan.
One of the main activities for visitors to Lake Como (besides exploring the villages, boating and downing Manhattans while a one man show musician performs George Michael’s greatest hits) is to tour the impressive villas that were once owned by wealthy Italian art collectors. We opted to check out Villa Carlotta because the botanic gardens were supposed to be exceptional… and it was right next door to the GH Termezzo.
After that, we couldn’t think of any other rainy day activities, so we returned to the hotel for lunch, reading and dinner. Our final night was relatively calm; we kept ourselves to just one nightcap cocktail at the hotel’s other bar (a “speakeasy” – perfect spot to hide from our newfound bad influence friends). I had a long train trek to Venice the next day, and did not want to be hungover.
The next morning I woke up early and enjoyed a workout in the stunning hotel gym. Set in a free-standing four story building, the gym was arranged vertically so that each small floor featured a different set of equipment (I.e. cardio, weights, stretching mats). Each floor also had windows that overlooked the gorgeous lake view. If only every hotel gym could look like this!
I arrived back at the room to news that there was a train strike happening, and I would need to take a (pricey) car to Milan vs. the train. I guess it wouldn’t be Italy if there wasn’t a strike, right? I was more concerned about my train from Milan to Venice since that was a much longer route. For a few minutes I thought I might be stuck at GH Tremezzo for the day… not the end of the world. However, the concierge eventually determined that because I was taking the high speed train to Venice, it wouldn’t be a problem, as only the local train workers were striking.
So, I bade farewell to Gina, who planned to spend the last day basking in the sun at the pool with a spritz before heading back to Milan for the night (she flew back to New York the next morning). I wistfully waved goodbye to Lake Como and our beautiful hotel, trying to make myself feel better by saying that I would be back… again and again. For now it was onward to begin the solo portion of my Italian journey.
