Overnight stay at Hotel Loveno in Menaggio… After enjoying two weeks in Umbria, we want to spend the night at Lake Como on our way back. Lake Como is a traditional stop for those on their way to the south of Italy with a few miles to go. Why? The location on the border with Switzerland, close to the motorway and only a feasible 900 kilometers to drive to Antwerp in our case.
When looking for a place to sleep on Booking.com, most hotels appear to be full or charge very high prices. It is of course high season and we are again very late in booking a hotel. Finally we book a room in Hotel Loveno, just above Menaggio. The hotel looks nice with a garden and offers a room with a view of Lake Como for an acceptable price of 128 euros per night.
Fast forward… A few weeks later it is almost noon when we take the Como exit. We drove about 600 kilometers. The traffic around Milan turns red. There is a traffic jam up to the border crossing in Chiasso. Glad we can relax one more day at Lake Como and leave the highway right now…
As usual, we have lunch in Enoteca Millesimo with a glass of prosecco. Just when we want to leave we are approached by a Swedish-Italian couple. She convinced globetrotter and settled head over heels on Lake Como, he born and raised in Carate Urio. They offer us an aperitif. Five minutes later we drink a glass of rosé in the apartment of the brand new couple just down the street. Italian hospitality…
When we step outside we are surprised by thunder. Rain is pouring down and completely floods the streets. We drive slowly to Menaggio under dark and threatening clouds.
The figurative layer of dust that the previous owners had swirled over Hotel Loveno has almost completely blown away!
Hotel Loveno is located just above Menaggio in the hamlet of Loveno. We mention again that Menaggio is the bustling (touristic) part of Lake Como with, among other things, smooth connections from the ferry boats and attractions such as Villa Carlotta. Lugano is also easily accessible! We park the car (free) on the private parking lot, count down to 1-2-3 and then walk into the hotel in the pouring rain. We are immediately welcomed by a lady who also escorts us to our room.
The room is rather small but is nicely decorated and neatly cleaned. The baby cot is set up in a corner of the room. It reinforces the feeling that we are welcome.
From the balcony we have a view of Lake Como! We also notice the beautiful garden of Hotel Loveno. Breakfast or digestive in the garden? There are worse places to be. Too bad we can’t experience the garden due to the bad weather…
Hotel Loveno is a two star hotel. That may sound like a minor downer, but it doesn’t have to be. Admittedly, some things could be freshened up here and there in the hotel. For example, the entrance could be a bit more cozy to enhance the first impression, the interior of the breakfast room could be refreshed or the bathroom could be modernized. But on the other hand, there is a fair price for a clean room with a view of the lake, parking, a beautiful garden and a friendly welcome. Hotel Loveno is good value for money.
Hotel Loveno has had a family as new owner since March 2019 with father, mother and daughter. You can feel the good intentions – perhaps a little timid – to make the hotel guests happy. For example, an extra early checkout or parking a bicycle in the private garage is no problem at all! The figurative layer of dust that the previous owners had swirled over Hotel Loveno has almost completely blown away! A little more dust blowing to fully exploit the potential of Hotel Loveno…
We leave early in the morning. A pity, but we don’t have time for breakfast… From Loveno we drive to Porlezza directly along Lake Lugano to Lugano where we take the motorway and immediately draw a line under our summer holiday 2019.
