Hotel Du Lac
Directly on the water, amid the colorful medieval buildings of Varenna, the Du Lac is a romantic 19th-century villa with modern updates. Rooms are classic and unfussy, with warm fabrics and dark woods, but some of the smaller units can feel a bit monastic, with barely-there décor and little natural light. Still, they all have a nice range of comforts and amenities, including free Wi-Fi, and about half of the rooms have lake views. While those lake-facing rooms cost more than the standard doubles, they also have balconies—the standards don't—which helps justify the premium. The property has a timeworn elegance and offers many charming details of a small Italian hotel—a cozy lounge with a fireplace, a flower-filled terrace with lake views, and a surprisingly good on-site restaurant (also with lake views, and open for lunch only). Except for the crowd down at Bar Il Molo, Varenna is a quiet place where you can count on a good night's sleep—especially thanks to the white noise machine that is the sloshing of the lake against the foundations of the Hotel Du Lac.
Directly on the water, amid the colorful medieval buildings of Varenna, the Du Lac is a romantic 19th-century villa with modern updates. Rooms are classic and unfussy, with warm fabrics and dark woods, but some of the smaller units can feel a bit monastic, with barely-there décor and little natural light. Still, they all have a nice range of comforts and amenities, including free Wi-Fi, and about half of the rooms have lake views. While those lake-facing rooms cost more than the standard doubles, they also have balconies—the standards don't—which helps justify the premium. The property has a timeworn elegance and offers many charming details of a small Italian hotel—a cozy lounge with a fireplace, a flower-filled terrace with lake views, and a surprisingly good on-site restaurant (also with lake views, and open for lunch only). Except for the crowd down at Bar Il Molo, Varenna is a quiet place where you can count on a good night's sleep—especially thanks to the white noise machine that is the sloshing of the lake against the foundations of the Hotel Du Lac.
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