MUSA Lago Di Como — Hotel in Sala Comacina

This review reflects information I wish I had to make a fully informed decision about where to stay in Como, back when I did research. This property is not as advertised. The quality of the rooms, amenities, and service fails to earn it the $5820 per 3 night rate that we paid. First, the service was below standard for a hotel of any decent rating. When we first arrived, we went to Gaia for a snack. We waited 20 minutes, with only 1 other couple on the patio, and eventually had to go inside to hunt down a menu and order. At dinner that evening, we again were not attended to for a long period. We finally ordered and then 50 minutes went by with no food or service of any kind. I finally went up to a waiter and asked, “what can we expect on how much longer this will take?” A woman seated nearby overheard me, and beckoned me over. She said, “My advice to you is to lower your expectations. I can see it’s your first day here. You remind me of myself when I arrived. I’ve heard other guests with similar concerns.” This caused us to cancel our reservation at Roteo the next day. Before we checked out, I spoke with the manager about the service. She eventually explained (which honestly surprised me) that the hotel is experiencing significant staffing coverage issues. She said they’ve hired staff who only want to work during the high season and then leave after 20 days. She said the kitchen was also having problems. She said they are bringing in HR to help with these issues. She said to come back in July when it’s high season. Though I appreciated her candor, this is unacceptable to tell a guest who has just spent luxury hotel rates to stay at their property.

Additional: -The amenities fall short of what you’d expect. The “gym” is outdoors in a glass box. (See photo). -There is nowhere to lay out and get an unobstructed view of the lake. The poolside view is fully obstructed by an ugly chain linked fence. The pool is small and surrounded by old turf. You feel caged in by the fence and hedges, which offers the opposite experience of why you come to Lake Como - to enjoy the vast openness of lake and mountains. Very few people sat by the pool as far as we could tell.Because there was nowhere to comfortably relax and enjoy the view of Como (other than from the tables at Gaia), we ended up leaving the property during the day. -The “Junior Suite” is the size and layout of a cramped studio apartment. The furniture is dated. If you have luggage, you’ll need to put it on the couch to walk around. The “partial lakeside view” with a balcony does not exist - the balcony is so narrow that you cannot face the chairs towards the lake and instead must face them to look towards the restaurant/pool area, including the loud AC unit right under the balcony (See photos). Rooms were not fully cleaned. We found a cigarette butt, hair, and dead bugs. (See photos) Floor tiles of the shower were wobbly and hazardous. You cannot stand under the head of the shower without your feet collapsing into the tile. It was also difficult to get the glass shower door open; the construction of the shower in the Junior Suite appears to be cheaply made, with a sliding door track that gets easily stuck. Our iron did not work (though they quickly replaced it). Refrigerators do not reach a cooling temperature. They are contained in a cabinet with an electricity source that is a very hot orange bulb which radiates heat onto the fridge, defeating the purpose of having one. The mechanic explained that this furnace of an electricity source is unfortunately the only way to power the fridge. The front desk clerk said the fridges are not cold enough to safely store food or medicine. This is concerning when they have a full kitchen. Ultimately, Musa’s marketing through its website and Instagram gives the impression this is a gorgeous and luxe, exclusive Como property, in the league of Passalacqua, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Villa D’Este, etc. I urge anyone reading this to spend your money elsewhere at one of these established properties, and not at this...

Our stay was absolutely perfect. We visited in Nov and I think it was the perfect time to visit Italy, which I'll get to. First, about our stay:

When we arrived, we were greeted outside by staff who took our bags up to our room. Once inside, we were invited to step outside to view the grounds while we were checked in by Reception.

We had the 'Rosa' room which overlooks the lake. The room has views of the lake from three vantage points; the front of the room, the side of the room and from the bathroom. It also has its own little balcony. Champagne was waiting for us in the room when we got there. Was a very nice touch.

The room was beautifully detailed, spotless and had lots of natural light. Blackout curtains can be pulled to keep the room dark enough for sleep. The bathroom had gorgeous white marble and the shower was spacious with a rainfall shower head. Every night, nice little chocolates or sweets were awaiting our arrival once we returned.

Both sides of the king-sized bed had big under-bed drawers that pulled out. I kept all my things there so I could store my suitcase away - nothing ruins an aesthetic of a room more than having to look at your suitcase with its dirty wheels etc. We stored the other suitcase in the cabinet / closet.

On the exterior, this hotel appears to be of traditional-looking Italian design. The inside is very contemporary and is beautifully appointed and maintained. Grounds are impeccable. Pool area, beautiful with lush, green grass, even in November. There was an outdoor gym, although we didn't use it but how nice to be on the stationary bike or on a treadmill while you gaze out at the lake? We did use the sauna, steam room and shower. Very nice. There were flip flops provided for us in one of the under-bed drawers. We didn't bring bathing suits so wore the provided bathrobes and wrapped towels around ourselves for our time in the sauna and steam room.

Food was EXCEPTIONAL. This hotel's chef will no doubt soon earn a Michelin star for them. Breakfast was amazing and I have to say, so reasonably priced. Every time we sat down, prior to our meal, a selection of fresh baked breads and croissants with local butter and jams were brought out. The croissant was the best I've ever had in my life. It weighed almost nothing - it was remarkable. We had breakfast and dinner there every day and I felt everything was just fantastic.

The bar and dining areas are really beautiful; contemporary and stylish without being 'cold'. The full-length windows can be slid open in good weather, providing an al fresco dining experience.

Staff were amazing. So friendly and helpful. They really made this a spectacular experience. I would absolutely stay here again and highly recommend it for people who are looking for a romantic getaway, people who are foodies, those who hate hotel chains and all the foot traffic of a lot of other guests and those who want to stay in a place that is STUNNING.

There is only one thing I would have liked to have had - a fire table or fire pit for outside. Even though evenings were in the low 50s or high 40s, it was actually quite comfortable and I'd have loved to have snuggled up with my partner and a cozy drink outdoors at night. The seating areas outdoors were so pretty with gorgeous outdoor furniture. They did however, have some fantastic fire ... pillars? indoors in the bar area. They were little, shorter contemporary pillars with glass tops and fires burning inside. So we had drinks at night indoors near one of those and it made for a cozy, romantic vibe.

OK, back to why I think Nov was great. This is a 12-room hotel. We only saw a few other couples and I loved that. Weather in the 50s in Lake Como is VERY agreeable. I actually don't think I'll ever want to experience all the people that the warmer months bring to Italy. I was able to take pix of quaint streets and buildings nearby without a single...

NOT WORTHY OF A 5 STAR EXPERIENCE.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by chaos and dozens of people running around, rearranging the garden and hotel to prepare for an anniversary party of the hotel. Sun beds were being taken away from the pool, speakers were built up and some singer did a sound check which made it impossible to enjoy the view, sit outside by the pool or have a drink at the bar upon arrival. This is not the kind of welcome you expect from a five star hotel after a 6 hours drive. The staff treated hotel guests very unprofessionally. Returning from the overfilled parking lot, I was asked for my name by a door lady which was supposed to control the admission to the party, until she realised I was actually a guest and allowed to pass into the hotel. This did not make me feel welcomed at all. I expect to be informed about such events happening before I book the stay, or have the possibility to move my booking if I do not wish to be present at such occasion. But we were never told, and did not have the chance to change our minds. So this really ruined our trip. On top of this, we were not even formally invited to the event, so we did not know whether we are welcome to join the celebrations or if it was for invited guests only. Only after asking a second time at the reception, we were being told we could attend ourselves. They totally made paying hotel guests second priority over some invited “VIP” influencers (that of course did not pay).

Furthermore, the hotel is not even equipped with an elevator. My mum had a hip surgery lately and needed to climb two floors because all they offered was a shabby staff elevator that was always filled with things they didn’t need and you would need to ask staff to supervise you with the elevator. One time we got stuck. Terrible experience!

When walking down the narrow stair hall, staff would not make room for you but instead squeeze their way through so you had to wait for them to pass. Extremely rude and inattentive and not deserving of any five star rating.

I should’ve known that this hotel does not live up to its ratings since a week before arrival, I reached out to them to arrange some dinner reservations. They never got back. Upon checkout I told them that I was hoping for an answer. They told me they tried to reach me but the mail delivery didn’t succeed. If it really was a good hotel with good staff, they would’ve tried our second email (under which we made the booking, in fact) or asked us upon arrival if they can be of any further assistance, which of course did not happen.

Breakfast is terribly overpriced. Double espresso for 9€ is not doing Italian coffee culture any justice.

Please, do yourselves the favour and save the money to go to some well established, renowned place. This hotel is definitely not...