Lake Como and Bellagio

Lake Como
The deepest lake in Europe, it's been a popular destination for aristocrats since the Roman times. Many literature and films feature this region of Italy and even Bellagio Las Vegas is named after one of the towns.

The only reason I go to Italy is to spend some quality time with the boyfriend. Almost 95% of our travels is work related so it's nice to have a long weekend to just relax and reconnect. On our way to our annual Milan trip, we stopped by at the beautiful Lake Como which was just a 4 hour train ride from Monaco.



Grand Hotel Tremezzo
The hotel is aptly named for the village of Tremezzo it's located in. It's a 20-30 minute drive from the main train station and a 5 minute ferry ride to Lake Como's treasured town of Bellagio. It's got a flawless 5 star of nearly 1000 reviews on Tripadvisor. I was told that it's one of the most beautiful hotels in the area and I fell in love the moment we pulled in to their driveway.

Red velvet couches, sleek marble, gold embellishments everywhere - the visual beauty was accentuated by rows and rows of fresh red roses decorating every corner. And my favorite part? They have a candy station in the lobby!

We were greeted by name upon arrival and swiftly taken to our upgraded penthouse corner suite where they processed the check in. Very fast service and efficient while still being thoughtful - I mentioned wanting to visit Bellagio and the 24/7 butler service immediately produced ferry times, weather, and booked a lunch for us.

We were given complimentary champagne and desserts to feast on while we settled in.

The suite consisted of one bedroom with a full marble bathroom overlooking the lake and a balcony with a heated jacuzzi.

The garden, or the park, is a massive 20,000 sq m filled with various flowers and palm trees.

You can walk through the tennis court and pool to the hills to see a better view of the lake. I didn't have enough time to visit all of the garden area, but here's a little quote from their website:

"Like all the historical villas on Lake Como, Grand Hotel Tremezzo is immersed in a beautiful century-old park, a blaze of flowers and plants that give a sensation of harmony and tranquillity in all seasons and a spectacle that changes hour by hour through the day.
The 20,000 sq m park encloses the Palace and Villa Emilia completely with footpaths and steps that wind gently up the hill to the Belvedere, where it adjoins the gardens of Villa Carlotta, our aristocratic neighbour. Rare ancient magnolias stand among a profusion palms in this wondrously Riviera-like climate."

Dinner at La Terrazza

While we waited for dinner, we did a wine tasting at the identical bar area just opposite of the restaurant. Both the dining and bar area are conservatory terraces with clear view of the lake.

Dinner featured many of the local ingredients, which is easy since most of world's well known ingredients are produced right around the corner. The ham, cheese, and white truffles they use in other fine dining are all imported not too far from the area.

Truffle with asparagus cream

Lobster with pepper sauce

Golden saffron risotto

Foie gras and steak

Bellagio
The next day we did a short visit to the famous town via a quick ferry ride. It was popular destination starting with the Romans, who used it as a strategic point for sheltering warships as well as wintering the troops with its mild climate. Then it was quickly turned into a resort by other emperors. After many centuries of cycling between a military base then into a resort, it is now back to being a full time resort for the time being.

Recently the most famous Bellagio seems to be the resort in Las Vegas which was inspired by the Italian one.

There is a slow ferry which is a 10 minute open air ride, offering magnificent views of the Alps and the crystal-clear lake. Despite the number of tourists, you can still see the bottom of the lake in the shallower areas. There is a quicker speed ferry, which is only about 5 minutes long.

The town is very small and the hotels are underwhelming - small and antique, unlike the Las Vegas counterpart. The roads are small and unpaved, you rarely see cars. Not that cars are needed of course, the town is small enough to get anywhere by food in 15 minutes.

Running through the streets

Selfie at the only clear 'Bellagio' sign

After much strolling, I stopped by for lunch at La Punta. Several websites and hotel staff raved on about how it is on the edge of the lake offering great views and their specialty is fresh fish from the lake.

Smoked fish

Minestrone soup

Pesto pasta

Grilled lake fish platter

Walnut cake

Although it had great reviews, unfortunately the 'great view' is interrupted by a parking lot so you don't see too much. I was forced to a sight of a truck driver repeatedly coughing and spitting while facing the diners about arm's length away. The fish is offered plain grilled fish with bones and not much taste. Soup was pretty good, but pasta and desserts were just as forgettable. I would probably avoid it.

Maybe better luck next time.