This is an absolute GEM! Although it's a little tired looking - I superb for the money! Great welcome and host, the balcony over looking the lake was stunning (facing Bellagio!) - What a win!! It was 1 minute walk to the ferry (bellagio, varenna), parking included! The breakfast was actually superb. Continental brekkie can sometimes be hit and miss - but this one had fresh bread and croissants, lots of fresh meats and cheese, plenty of cereal choice and the coffee was great! Biscuits, jams. everything! Most people assume you are quite far from places - it's all so close. 1 minute drive to Tremezzo, 4 minute drive to Menaggio. Bus stop outside for those not driving! It's quick! So feel reassured. Recommend visiting Lenno and Villa Balbienello and Villa Carlotta is literally just down the road by 1 min!

Loved it!!

The location of the hotel is exceptional. It’s close to ferries and bus stops. Ferry transfer to Bellagio takes only 10 minutes. I loved Cadenabbia and Griante. I recommend going up to the centre and see the church, hills and streets. It has a true Italian vibe, better than in Bellagio which is full of tourists. The breakfast is simple, but you can find something for yourself. The hotel is quite old, but it’s clean. I loved the view from the balcony, it was like a dream. Some people complain about the noise, yes there was some noise but it wasn’t bothering us. We loved the restaurant Risto Bar in front of the hotel. The food was amazing and quite cheap and the service also :) Overall, I would go back, despite some minuses.

As for the breakfast - I was missing vegetables and fruits a lot, I was extremely surprised that nothing was there… We had a room with the fan, instead of AC, but it’s our fault as we hadn’t noticed than. It was extremely hot in the room.

Read through as this might be exactly what you are looking for! If you are looking for a reasonably priced amazing location right in the water this place would be your choice for 3 reasons: 1 right on the ferry station easy to access to and from. This will allow you to go to Bellagio for dinner round trip easily. 2 Parking lot - the hotel has a parking lot for you which is a huge advantage in this area. 3 Andrea the owner is the kindest person you’ll meet here! He’ll happily share with you insider tips that would make or break your trip. Highly recommended!

We had an amazing room and a great location. Just 3 minutes walk to the ferry, which takes you to all the popular places like Bellagio (10 mins), Menaggio, Lenno, Verenna, etc. It was much quieter here, which we liked. It also had a villa which you could visit and see from outside or pay to enter. There was a supermarket close by 1 min walk for essentials, too. Andrew was a wealth of knowledge and a good laugh. Very friendly and helpful. Breakfast (cold) was nice and you can eat opposite directly on the beautiful lake. To get there, you need to get the C10 bus from Como station, which was quite a wait going up but much easier coming down. The bus stop is opposite the hotel on the same side. You can purchase tickets from rhe super market or on the bus.

Nothing! Great stay.

The host was an amazing font of knowledge about the local area. Extremely friendly, not what you get from some of the larger hotels. It has a real friendly feel and would highly recommend it to others. Reasturant/bar next door has very reasonable prices and the food was exceptional. This was recomeded by our host and did not disappoint. We were a little unsure of the best options for our short stay however our hotel hosts recommendations really soon through. A comfortable place to rest your head and exactly what we needed to relax.

I can not say there was anything which we did not like and got more than we expected for the price we paid. Thank you...

This 19th century villa hotel is easy to find after the slow trek from Como along the winding and narrow SS340. The welcome we received was incredibly friendly and super helpful with lots of detail about the local area and recommendations on how we could spend out short two day stop over. The hotel is located on the shores of the beautiful Lake Como and a very short walk to the frequent ferry services to Bellagio and Verena. Villa Carlotta and it's wonderful botanical gardens was a delight to visit and right on the doorstep. There were a number of restaurants but to be honest, the recommendation to eat next door to the hotel did not disappoint with great service and lovely food all served lakeside. Our host was terrific throughout, providing a welcome drink on arrival whilst informing us of the hotel and the location in impeccable English. Breakfast was buffet style, plentiful juice and coffee with everything we needed to start out day. Our room, although on the small side was exceptionally clean and the much needed AC was very good. On our departure our host provided a recommended route to our onward destination that helped us avoid severe delays back to Como, but also provided us with stunning views of mountains and lakes enroute. Thank you Hotel Rivera for an outstanding stay !

No negatives for us but others might not appreciate period decor of the hotel.

the view is amazing. The location was the best aspect of the hotel. You would need to have a car to be able to easily get around but the boat shuttle is just across the street so that was also useful. it’s a magical place in the winter.

The dinner. do not eat dinner at the hotel. our booking had breakfast included and we asked the hotel staff for restaurant recommendations for lunch and dinner. they recommend the restaurant next door to the Hotel and the one inside the hotel. we tried the one that’s next door and it was actually amazing value for money and great quality. we were told however that the hotel restaurant had more options and we made the mistake of eating there the second night. I would stick to the restaurant next door. the hotel restaurant staff gave us overly priced stale cheese and an oily inedible steak.

The view from our room. Was stunning! The location was incredible, we got the train to varenna and. Then hopped on a ferry to cadanabbia, the hotel was less than 2 minutes walk Quite a few places to eat nearby too, including a little pizzeria/bar which was fabulous. We missed our ferry back from Como and got a bus one night and the bus stops literally outside the hotel which was fantastic and an extra bonus after a long day. The breakfast was basic but great as it had everything you would need, boiled eggs, bread, butter , soft cheese, cereals, juices , pastries. The coffee machine was fabulous too! The host always had a smile and was lovely Shower was lovely

The only negative isn't really the hotel's fault. The walls are quite thin and our neighbor left their TV on very loud until 3-4am one night which made it difficult to sleep. Only 1 plug socket in the room worked and one plug socket in the bathroom.

The location is amazing, perfect for visiting the top locations on the lake, right out side the hotel is the Bus to Como or menaggio, which is included in the tourist tax, the ferry for the car or foot passenger to Balaggio and Varrena amongst other places, We had an all day ticket to go back and forth for just €15 each, well used, There is a great spot just in front of the hotel to get in to the water for a swim or paddle boarding, a short walk up the shore line to more beach type areas, left out of the hotel, The Hotel its self is a nice original with great architecture, the hosts are great, a particular thanks to Andrew for his help, advice & guidance, not just for our stay but also for our next destination in Italy, Thank you This is a proper family business that you don’t get so much now, great to support them to keep these places going

Parking can be a little difficult however the hosts do help people move vehicle to fit everyone in so no major, Personally we would have liked a kettle in the room however there is a proper coffee machine down stairs

We had a nice view of Bellagio from our room, which was comfortably sized and had two balconies. The hotel is a bit outdated, but if you're not too particular, you might find it charming. There was a nice ristobar around the corner with better food than the hotel pizzeria. Parking was free in the hotel's private lot (visited March 2025).

The doors downstairs were unusually narrow, making it difficult to get from the parking area to the hotel with luggage. Additionally, there was a busy road between the hotel and the lake—though this is a common issue around Lake Como rather than a fault of the hotel.