Hotel Olivedo

Martina, Luigi and their mother run one of the best hotels we've stayed at in terms of overall experience. They go over the top in trying to make you feel welcome, provide excellent accommodations, great staff, and excellent service. We had a lovely room that had an enclosed Juliet balcony that provided a view of Lake Como as well as the Alps. Their breakfasts were the best on our 6 city trip. When we asked for a restaurant recommendation, we were told of two "authentic and cozy" restaurants that were farther away as well as a more modern restaurant behind the hotel. We tried one of the authentic the first night which was excellent. The second night, because of the weather, we went to the more modern restaurant behind the hotel. Imagine our surprise when shortly after being seated Martina came in and took over the bar. To us, that summed up their attitude: rather than pushing their own restaurant, they gave us a variety of recommendations. By the way, the food at their restaurant (Locanda Cavallino?) was superb as was the service. The only issue we had was that we found the internet unreliable. Well done, Hotel Olivedo!

The village, the location and the hotel itself are all top notch. But the hospitality and warmth of the stuff is above and beyond! Thank you, Martina! You'd feel at home right away. Like a place you've been returning to for many years (it was my first visit). The room was very large, clean and fully equipped. The view from the Balcony – exceptional. Free parking for guests – right behind the hotel. Breakfast was just I needed. Not a huge choice but more than enough.

end of tourist season, and it showed. limited menu. hopefully it's better some other times. it does have water views, but plastic coverings for October ruined even that. 200 characters need, when did tripadvisor go to that many?

My wife and I recently visited Lake Como for the second time in five years, and stayed once again at Hotel Olivedo because our first visit was so pleasant. We reserved their Superior Double Room w/ lake view that is located on the top floor at the NW corner. It is well appointed with magnificent views of the lake and mountains thru windows that face west directly over the lake, and French doors that face north. The hotel is conveniently located adjacent the ferry dock, only a 10 to 15 minute walk from the train station, and a 10 minute walk into the heart of Varenna. There is minimal noise from the ferry passengers. The staff is friendly and helpful, and they serve an enjoyable breakfast. We highly recommend.

Review is about the an annex room and the wonderful owners and staff of this hotel. We stayed in the annex of the hotel. Initially we were concerned about the annex, but our concerns quickly disappeared. Room was very large and the bathroom was more than adequate. I would describe the decor as modern, not plush or fancy, which suit us very well. Air conditioning system system is controlled by the room occupants. Our room had a great view of Varenna waterfront and the dock area for the ferry service; windows could be opened on more moderate temperature days. I would suggest the addition of another chair to the room, but certainly would stay here again. The annex is accessed by walking up a cobble walkway; this wasn't an issue for us, but if you have mobility issues, you may want to request a room in the hotel itself. The hotel is a short walk (8 to 10 minutes) to the village proper where some stores are available for food, meat, etc. The hotel is also about 8 minutes walk from the train station in the other direction. Be advised the beauty of Varenna and the waterfront, comes with some uphill walks; I can report two 'seniors' managed fairly well. The owners, management, and staff of this hotel make the experience of staying here even more pleasant. Breakfast area attendants are an asset to the property as well. Breakfast was very good. Location is excellent for those wanting to explore using the ferry services. Also, we found a laundry service on our walk to the village area: Lavanderia Stireria, Via Venini, 31; drop one day pickup the next.

Read the bad reviews and can’t believe I stayed in same hotel. It was wonderful. The staff was friendly and helpful. Fully enjoyed my time there. Great location for day trips. Restaurants are near by and good.

This is an absolutely lovely hotel. Located immediately by the ferry station it gets a little bit crowded in the afternoon. Breakfast is delicious. Lots of homemade items. Rooms are good sized with balconys that have fantastic views. Staff is friendly and helpful. They gave us lots of good suggestions. Martina is especially helpful.

We booked our room 9-10 months in advance through *********** since we couldn’t find a way to book directly through the hotel. We booked a Superior Double Room with Lake View. Check-in was great. Titi, the owner, was very welcoming. We had driven there, so she opened up the gate for us so we could park in their lot. Perfect! She was very nice and gave us good information while we were checking in. We were given room #1, which is on the first floor (floor above the lobby, so actually the 2nd floor as we would say in the U.S.) and in the original building as I understand. The room had old furniture, which was fine for an old hotel, but some of it was mis-matched. It kind of felt like if there was an extra piece, they used it in room 1. In the sitting area that looked out towards the lake, the oddball table that was in the area didn’t match and was too large for the space. We couldn’t enjoy sitting there since we had to scrunch up to fit there. A smaller table would have made the area more enjoyable. There was also a note that said not to open the window. At night you could easily hear people rustling above us, but it was only a minor disturbance. I couldn’t image if you had some late-nighters, it could have been disruptive, but that applies to many hotels. The room was an ADA accessible room and there were a few things we didn’t like. There was no lid on the toilet because of the raised toilet seat, and we asked if they could swap out the seat for a normal one since it was too high for my 5-foot wife. Plus, my wife likes the cover down, which as I mentioned, there was no cover. Titi said that there was no way to do this. Really? In my house, I could swap out a toilet seat in about 5-minutes. OK, we’d live with it. The hair dryer was one that we hadn’t seen in multiple decades. I wish we had taken a pic. It was connected to the wall and had a large hose that connected to the handle. The amount of airflow was laughable. We asked for a different hair dryer, and got the same response as the toilet seat, there was no way to get another hair dryer. Really, no extra dryer in the entire property? Very disappointing since my wife has thick, shoulder-length hair the takes a long time to dry and this made it take very long. On the good side, the bed was comfortable, and Titi, Luigi, and Humberto were all very nice. Breakfast was a bit weak, meaning not a large selection, but they covered the basics and we enjoyed it. My wife said that during our entire road trip through France, Switzerland, and Italy, she had the best chocolate croissant at Olivedo. Finally, the location is right by the ferry doc, so its good. However, if you want a quiet location, this is not for you. Ultimately, we would not stay here again when visiting Lake Como.

I booked our September Italy vacation in January and initially looked at many places more in the middle of Varenna. I am so glad some of them were already full, and others were not quite what I wanted. We traveled this time by train, and never having been to Varenna didn't realize quite how steep it is and how cobbled all the walkways are. Hotel Olivedo was very close to the train station, but even so it was a steep walk down the street, or a steep walkway with stairs to get to the hotel. The location is so convenient to the ferry, and everyone was so nice. The people at the desk spoke excellent English and were very helpful with questions. The room was large, had everything we needed, and despite being right above the ferry, the windows kept out any sound. My lighter-sleeping husband did hear people walking above us, but it's an old building. Breakfast was plentiful with many choices, even eggs, and it was lovely sitting outside with a view of the lake. I'm so glad we ended up here!