A few weeks ago I revisted one of my favourite countries in Europe: Italy on my first trip abroad since 9 months, this time to the lovely area of Como for a wedding on the lake.
My friend’s wedding was postponed last year for obvious reasons, but fortunately could still take place this year, and I am so grateful to have been part of it!
This also provided the perfect opportunity to revisit one of the most stylish boutique hotels of Italy in my opinion: Dandelion Como Suites and Park.
Ultimate boutique hotel in nature
I’ve worked with many beautiful hotels already and stayed at over 230 different accommodations so far, so can honestly say that Dandelion Como is a unique hidden gem!
Located just a few kilometers outside Como, providing a real countryside oasis, situated in 10,000 acres of nature and tranquility.
Although this hotel is not located by the lake or in the city center, its private location just outside the city enables you to combine culture, shopping and a boat trip on the lake with the relaxing rural surroundings of Como to truly recharge as well.
How to get to Como?
You can easily get to Dandelion Como in about 45 minutes by car from Milan Linate airport, where most airlines fly on, or Bergamo, as these are the airports closest to Como.
Therefore I can highly recommend renting a car on the airport or better yet to drive to Como with your own car to get around more easily. Depending on how much you want to see and do while there of course, as they also offer airport shuttle service at the hotel.
In my opinion road trips are always a great idea, especially now, and this hotel is the perfect stopover on your way to Southern Italy or Tuscany for example. It’s about an 11 hours’ drive from the Netherlands and close to the freeway, which makes it easier and more convenient to reach.
But also combined with a trip to North Tyrol or cities like Milan, Verona or even Venice, Dandelion Como will be perfect for a few days of comfort, authenticity and class in the countryside.
Why? I will share all my reasons in this blog, with many of my own pictures, as usual.
Get an impression through this gallery:
Unique features of this historic boutique hotel
Last year September I’ve already stayed here for 1 night on our way to Puglia by car. And even though the weather was not so good then we were already very impressed by the newly-opened boutique hotel! And that's why I came back again half June for 3 nights to enjoy a real relaxing holiday at Dandelion Como.
What makes Dandelion Como so special to me and what I came back for:
As a heritage lover the fact that the main building is actually an authentic Lombard villa with extensive courtyard originating from the 15th century, makes it extra special to me. This history is clearly visible in all unique details, tall glass doors, authentic shutters and beautiful facades, especially at the back of the building.
The mansion was lovingly renovated for more than 5 years by the owner and her team. And after having modernized and decorated it with unique furniture, lamps and decorations collected from all around Italy, the villa opened halfway 2020 with 9 tastefully decorated rooms and suites.
I stayed in 2 suites so far, each different, yet both every elegant, complete and spacious, as you can see here:
The rooms and suites vary in size from 20-34 m2, all with double bed, spacious sofa bed, and extensive bathrooms, either with a shower or bath. Some open directly onto the park and others even have their own roof terrace with table, chairs and sun loungers.
Each room provides all the comfort you might need with your own fridge, a water heater, tea, coffee, safe, bathrobe, slippers, minibar, flatscreen TV, and of course free and very fast WIFI throughout the hotel.
Aurora, the owner, has a background in fashion and design, which is clearly visible in the details. All around the building unique decoration pieces and vintage furniture can be found, combined with exclusive fabrics, accessories and pillows from their own textile factory, also sold in the hotel’s boutique.
Although Dandelion Como has been open for more than a year now they have been working hard on expanding by adding 6 modern, yet authentic apartments in the former farmhouses of the villa’s courtyard.
I stayed in one of the apartments for a night, also very spacious and comfortable, with a well-equipped kitchen and private garden area. Also these farmhouses were renovated in the most authentic and sustainable way, using only natural materials while maintaining original details like the wooden beam ceilings, very unique!
The mansion and courtyard make an oasis outside Como, as they provide many unique corners, well decorated spaces and private seating options.
And the spacious park around the villa is stunning as well, with its magnificent trees, a range of unique plants, flowers and vegetation, different walking trails and historic statues. It even has an extensive vegetable garden, which is of course also used for the kitchen of the hotel’s restaurant. And an outdoor pool will be added later this year.
Since Como can be very busy it was refreshing and very convenient that Dandelion Como has a spacious free parking area on the premises, behind the main building.
The hotel's staff is very friendly and nothing is too much to make you feel welcome and cared for, which made it feel like a home away from home to me!
Gastronomy
The fact that this boutique hotel has an in-house restaurant with bar and plenty of seating options, in- and outdoors, make Dandelion Como even better to me.
I really enjoyed starting the evening on one of lounge chairs with an Aperol in the garden or on the spacious terrace with some delicious bruschetta, while watching the sun set. Italian food is my favourite and the extensive menu with home-made food and nothing but local ingredients certainly made it hard to choose. Get an impression through these photos taken by me:
Breakfast is included in the room price with 4 extensive menu options, served at the in-house restaurant at your preferred time!
Activities
Although it was hard to leave the lovely hotel and park at all, there is much to do in Dandelion Como's proximity. There’s an extensive golf course just a few minutes from the hotel, and also just a 15 minutes’ drive to Como town and lake.
Como boat tour
The lake is one of the most stunning and the 2nd biggest Alpine lake of Italy. It is a definite must visit and I can highly recommend exploring it by boat to see more of the towns directly on the lake, like the iconic Bellagio, Tremezzina and Varenna. Not only photogenic, but also perfect for shopping.
With its 146 kms2 there's much to see and do around the lake and visiting the stunning villas and botanical gardens on Lago di Como is also worth the small fee, while some are even open to the public for free.
Dandelion Como will be able to advise you in all this and find you the best tour guides, as they did for my cycling tour with BikeMotion!
Low intensity E-bike tour
This local tour company offers low intensity E-bike and trekking tours for all levels in and around Como. As a Dutchie I love cycling, however am not used to big height differences and mountains, which can make your tour here pretty intense!
Luckily BikeMotion had this covered with their easy and convenient E-bikes and routes accessible for all levels. Perfect if you want to see more of Como and surroundings in an active, but also convenient and fun way.
We did an evening E-bike tour to the mountain villages around Lago di Como to get the best views over the lake. We started just outside the city center, to cycle all the way up to Brunate, passing by beautiful nature settings and authentic villages!
In Brunate we had aperitivo’s and snacks at one of the best restaurants overlooking the lake for sunset and see the towns around the lake light up. Such a magical view and unique experience which I can highly recommend.
And because it was dark already, instead of cycling back we took the bikes down in the authentic funiculare, very exciting and fun!
Find out more on the website of BikeMotion or ask the concierge at Dandelion Como for all options!
I hope I was able to show you that this is the perfect small-scale hotel to stay while visiting this area of Northern Italy and Comoif you appreciate tranquility, nature and gastronomy, while sleeping in comfort and style. Also the perfect venue for weddings and as a few day stopover on a road trip to Tuscany or Southern Italy.
Find out more about this historic design hotel and book directly on their website for the best deals: Dandelion Como bookings.
Love to hear what you think of Como and this charming boutique hotel. Feel free to let me know here, or on social media, where I will post more pictures and a video of Dandelion Como and its surroundings soon as well!
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