Hotel Du Lac Menaggio - Menaggio, Italy     

We stayed at this hotel for 9 nights in June/July 2008. Great small hotel centrally located in Menaggio, 5 mins walk to the ferry terminal and right on the main square for bars etc. Rooms are basic but fine with a safe, air con and sat TV. We asked for a view of the lake and got one. Breakfast is in the Centrale Caf? below (part of the hotel) and is basic too, but this is ok also. Parking is located about 100m away but is easy to find especially with the pictured directions they give you. We found the staff really friendly, always helpful and available and it’s great to wake up to a wonderful view of the lake and mountains. Couple of things to be aware of. 1) The buses stop outside, also the hotel is right on the main square so it might be noisy sometimes. 2) The pigeons can be a pain if you eat breakfast or complimentary nuts/crisps outside the front of the hotel. Other than this, it’s a really nice place and Lake Como is beautiful. Top tips of things to do if you are staying in Menaggio. 1) Hire a self drive boat from Dongo, you don’t need a license for the small ones and you can see some great sites from the lake itself (and swim in it). 2) If you have a car, try to visit Bellinzona, wonderful medieval town off the tourist routes. 3) Get to some of the villas, the gardens are simply wonderful places. 4) Il Restorante Di Paulo in Menaggio was the best but gets busy, so book a table if you can.