Montebello

Stayed here with my wife for two nights. Our host Lily was very welcoming on our arrival. The room we selected was a Double with Lakeview. The room was small and basic with no wardrobes but it was adequate as we were there for the Pool. The Pool was beautiful and a great size for doing a few lengths. The property is about 20 minutes walk from town and down a steep hill. I would not advise anyone to stay there without a car as public transport and taxis are very scarce and unreliable in the area. Walking home at night is dark and scary and not advisable. We ordered breakfast as an extra for €8.00 per person which consists of croissant, juice, yogurt and banana and coffee. It was fine.
The accommodation is basic and they could do with a drinks service in house as it's not worth taking your life in your hands walking to town. There was no hot water to shower and when we contacted our host Lily he was not very helpful and seemed to insinuate that we had used all the hot water. He was very helpful though by giving us a lift to catch a bus in the morning as we would have been stuck without his help The pool was the highlight of our stay but vast improvements need to be made in the accommodation and the services offered to guests.
Lily did his best but we felt he was always very stressed.
Mark.

We had a lovely stay. The location is so beautiful, with lake view and mountain view, very peaceful and relaxing. The rooms were warm and clean. The perfect was that there was on site parking. Hosts were very welcoming and kind also gave us recommendations what to do and see in the area. Would definitely come back in Summer.

Highly recommend! We had amazing stay. The location is beautiful with lake view, so peaceful enviroment. Rooms were very clean. There is heating and AC. Perfect was that there was a parking on site. Hosts were very welcoming and recommended us also places to see in the area.

Avoid at all costs. Poorly labelled as a B&B on Booking dot com. Property inaccessible before check in times and they don't answer the phone to help — especially when we have suitcases and desperate for toilet. Reading the other reviews, I'm not surprised given we were mis-advertised this accommodation and despite agreeing to a refund on the phone, they have u-turned and ignoring my emails.

The rooms are basic. The hotel staff moan when you ask for new towels (after 4 days). No facilities provided to keep drinks cool. Kitchen available but not allowed to use it. The best feature of this hotel is the swimming pool and the surrounding views but the hours are very limited. The owners live in the property and all the time you are made to feel like we were an imposition. We were told that the only thing we are entitled to do is sleep in the room. The hotel is 20-25 minutes walk from the town centre. Taxis are almost non-existent and buses are sporadic and do not go near the hote. I recommend you stay somewhere else.

If you want to stay here please read the reviews. This venue is ideally suited to guests who would like to have a very restful and quiet time. This is not however what is advertised on line hence the large number of one star reviews. The rules are very strict and not what you would normally expect from a guest house. We felt from the beginning that having guests was a huge inconvenience to the owners.
This review is in response to the owners reply to James Wilson’s review 4 days earlier.
We had in fact booked out the whole hostel for the first 3 of our 5 days, so there were no other guests to consider. The booking was organised by the groom (a local of the lake) who explained prior that this was for his wedding guests.
There was no tidying up to do other than what was impossible for us to do with no running water or any cleaning facilities. There were no glasses, no way of cooling anything, etc a truely ridiculous arrangement. We tidied up any rubbish as we went and music was played at talking volume on the last day when there was one other couple who had moved in that afternoon.
Towels were asked for by some of our group everyday and not provided.
I would strongly suggest to the owners that they update their listings to make it clear that this is a place for restful meditation and not to do anything more than read a book in silence with hot water to drink to avoid future misunderstandings.

The location is the only aspect this place currently has going for it. Our group was disappointed by the inflexibility of hosts and the list of "forbidden" activities. Which included:
— No refrigerator to chill wine or keep any food items, despite a 5 night stay.
— When ice was purchased to chill wine, it was quickly removed by the hosts (extremely frustrating when the nearest shop is a 20-minute walk away)
— frequently cold showers.
— no replacement towels (not expected daily, but an option to change a dirty towel is appreciated. We asked for replacements, but this request was declined)
— The pool is closed daily for 3 hours, during the hottest part of the day.
— broken air-conditioning in the room in a heat wave.
— The water is off in the communal kitchen (forbidden)
— Rationed toilet paper, despite 4 people in a bedroom, only a single roll provided.
— Informed the accommodation was only for sleeping, that we were expected to leave during the day.
— The host reports that the many rules are available to guests before arrival. They are not (see screenshots).
— It says it is a bed breakfast, but none is provided. This means guests have to walk to the city for every meal as the hosts refuse to allow for the storage of any food or alcohol on the property. They will instantly remove anything they find.
— Despite claims to the contrary, the large dog is allowed to roam free throughout the property.
— There is a consistent feeling that you are being watched.

You pay for an amazing view.
That is sadly everything positive I got to say.
Before arrival at the accommodation you already get a list of rules to follow, like that it isn’t allowed to eat anything at all while at the B&B neither in the garden, (shared) living room or the kitchen that you aren’t allowed to use even if it did work.
Upon arrival you quickly find out that the hosts don’t speak enough english to communicate with most of their guests, but you will only encounter them during breakfast anyway.
The beautiful pool in the garden basically sits unused since it’s closed most of the time that you will be at the B&B.
When the pool is open you will be out to explore the beautiful area of lake Como or out for dinner.
As couple we got a small 2 person bedroom with two 1-person beds, which we obviously put together only to find out later through a note on the wall that this wasn’t allowed.
Earlier reviews mentioned a guard dog walking around and we have also seen it walk around, although it’s an older, calm dog I can imagine not everyone can appriciate it when it walks through the garden.
The area is amazing though the center Lecco is pretty and has plenty of places to eat, Como is only half an hour away by car and you have a view only the lake from your room.
I would like to visit the area again, but then at a different host.

My experience at this hotel was far from satisfactory. From the moment I stepped in, the numerous rules made it hard to feel comfortable. The feeling of being constantly stalked added to the discomfort, leaving me with a constant urge to escape this place.
Furthermore, the lack of food options on-site was disappointing, and the fact that we were not allowed to eat anything there only added to the frustration. The absence of any form of entertainment or activities left the hotel feeling lifeless.
While the room may have appeared clean, the bed provided for the third person was a small folding bed that squished all night, making it nearly impossible to get any restful sleep.
To top it all off, during our time at the pool, the host inexplicably locked the door from inside without notifying or warning us. We only realized we were locked out outside when we tried to return to the house. It was an unsettling experience, as we had to go around to the main entrance and luckily remembered the password to enter the house. This incident left us feeling frustrated and disappointed, and added unnecessary stress to our stay at the hotel.
In conclusion, I would strongly advise against staying at this hotel. The combination of being felt unwelcomed, too many rules, lack of food options & absence of amenities, uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, and the incident with the swimming pool makes it an utterly disappointing and unpleasant place to spend your time.