Hotel Metropole Bellagio

The mid-range Hotel Metropole Bellagio is an elegant and historic light salmon pink building overlooking Lake Como and claims to be the oldest hotel in Bellagio. Though it has been renovated, the owners were adamant about keeping many of the original furnishings and traditional stylings to maintain the elegant, romantic, and historical nature of the place while also providing modern conveniences.

On entering the lobby, guests will notice a white, brown, and tan color scheme with hints of gold in the form of frames on mirrors and lighting. The tiled floor is brown and white and the couches in front of the front desk are brown with tan pillows. Other rooms -- such as a lounge with tables and orange chairs, a small computer area, and an area with a piano -- branch off from the lobby. Stairs and a small elevator lead to the upper floors from the lobby. Rooms are accessed by interior hallways with white tiled floors and walls sporting hanging modern abstract paintings.

Directly in front of the hotel, seemingly on the lake, is the hotel’s restaurant. It has two sections: a long indoor dining room and an outdoor covered patio with tables for guess to enjoy the lake view. Another outdoor seating area is located in front of the snack bar and ice cream parlor which can be accessed from the lobby. Lastly, there is a scenic rooftop terrace complete with lounge chairs. For the most part, guests here are couples looking for a romantic, reasonably affordable stay on Lake Como who can overlook the lack of polish or design focus for the lakefront location. 

This hotel is located in the central hub of the small city of Bellagio. It has a lakefront location on Lake Como with the ferry and private tour boats located on either side of it. This makes it easy for guests to explore other Italian cities on Lake Como such as Lenno, Tremezzo, Villa Carlotta, Cadenabbia, Menaggio, and Varenna. Since this is the entry point for many visitors to Bellagio, the noise from the boats and newly arrived visitors and the exhaust from the ferries has sometimes been bothersome to guests of the hotel. Additionally, shopping and restaurants are located on either side of the hotel. Guests can walk less than a few minutes in either direction of Piazza Guiseppe Manzzini (the street the hotel is located on) and have a variety of entertainment options. The closest airport is Milan Malpensa Airport, about an hour and a half away, and can be reached by train, bus, or car. 

Rooms at Hotel Metropole Bellagio have a subtle floral theme in the form of bedding, curtains, and paintings on the wall. The hotel offers two single-size beds that can be put together for a double-size bed. Additionally, they have triple and family-size rooms with additional beds. The rooms appear somewhat spacious, have light wooden floors, and come with conveniences such as a flat-screen TV, movable reading lights on both sides of the bed, a coffeemaker, and a mini-fridge stocked with beer, soda, water, and juice. Bathrooms are spacious and have modern amenities including a hairdryer, bidet, and heated towel rack, but lack counter space. Some rooms have showers and others have tubs though the tubs do have a showerhead for rinsing. The best feature of the rooms is that all have some sort of view of Lake Como (either a full frontal view or a side view). Lakefront rooms, with small balconies or terraces, are worth the extra cost for the gorgeous views. Wi-Fi is free throughout. 

The hotel’s on-site restaurant is probably its best feature, with outdoor patio seating that offers stunning views of Lake Como and the mountains. The restaurant sometimes has live music which can be heard late into the night from rooms and some guests have complained about the high price (and small portions) of the meals. There are a variety of other dining options such as room service for part of the day, a snack bar, an ice cream parlor, and a free daily breakfast. The rooftop sun terrace has lounge chairs and umbrellas, and offers additional spectacular views of the lake as well as a relaxing retreat above the city. Though most guests aren’t business travelers, the hotel provides an Apple desktop computer and printer for guests to use, in addition to the free Wi-Fi found throughout the property. Lastly, the hotel offers a few great services such as a limousine service, overnight laundry service, and entertainment and excursions set up by their on-site concierge. Examples of the excursions include a tour of Milan, a boat tour of the villas of Lake Como, and even an excursion into Switzerland.