VARENNA HOLIDAYS SRL — Local services in Varenna

UPDATED: As when we stayed there they blamed everything on us. I just say read the feedback from others. I am not the first to mention their customer service. They were correct, we did not ask for early check in because of the cost. the microwave turned on but did not heat up anything. And the blankets provided smelled like Mildew. We did not mind the walk down and up hill but for others it could be a very big problem especially if it is wet outside. Customer service with Varenna Holidays was horrible and we are not the first to note this, Google Varenna Paradise 2. It has taken me some time to write this review as I was ready to write it the first day we arrived but I thought I would allow Varenna Holidays a chance to address any of my concerns with Varenna Paradise 2 as they so called it. ( or what I would call it) Check in not before 14:30 unless you are willing to spend a 50€ fee. Once we arrived into our apartment at first it looked very nice. Parking was tight as one apartment bought along 2 vehicles. We had the smallest of the 3 apartments in this house. Upon entering the apartment we seen the bedroom and the bed was big enough for a large child and then were told the bed for bedroom for 2 people was the sofa bed located in the living room/ kitchen area and was about 10 years past it’s prime. The mattress in the sofa was super thin and as you laid on it you could feel the springs painfully pressing against your skin as they were bottomed out. For the 6 nights we stayed we slept maybe 2-3 hours total a night as the bed was miserable. We notified Varenna Holidays and they said we could leave and go someone where is else but nothing could be done and no money would be refunded even though we did not ask for a refund of any kind. The blankets that were available to use to maybe soften the couch mattress all stunk of mildew and though we were told they would bring us fresh blankets they never did.

The microwave did not work. The coffee machine they provided was good for 1 cup of coffee at a time.

In the bathroom in the closet was a carpet that stunk from mildew and bought this oder throughout the bathroom when the closet door was open . Toilet seat was also broke and only shut off the water if you messed with the handle to get it to shut off. The freezer door is also broken and does not lock. There was no ironing board and we were provided 1/2 roll of toilet paper. The balconies are all connected to the other apartments and had it several times that neighbours were coming onto our balcony and we had to set up chairs to keep our dogs from going into the neighbours apartments from the balcony. Amazing garden with the exception the grass was super high. Be prepared to hike uphill to get back home from the city. Walking downhill to get to the city was about 10-15 minutes.. coming back to the apartment after a day of Sightseeing about 20-30 Minute. Varenna Holidays was notified of most of these issues and chose to correct zero of them. They were friendly until you checked in and then for them there job was finished. We enjoyed our trip to Perledo/Varenna with the exception of the zero customer service of Varenna Holidays and their expectation that me and my wife should sleep in separate beds or not get any sleep at all. Sleepless In Varenna with Varenna...

We had the pleasure of staying at the Il Diamante del Lago property hosted by Varenna Holidays. It was an unforgettable trip and largely because of the apartment, both the accommodations as well as its placement in Varenna.

I first have to say that Varenna was the perfect location for us to stay in Lake Como. While many opt for Bellagio, it's far too busy and crowded for us. Varenna is quieter and more romantic, while still being picturesque and having several restaurant options, many of which were literally steps from our apartment.

The Diamante apartment was spacious and modernly furnished, with beautiful views of the lake and mountains just out the window. It was clean, comfortable, and just as described. Our one little concern was that it didn't have AC, but for late April we were very comfortable and didn't even need to use the fan they provided. We also appreciated the security, as we needed keys to both enter and exit the apartment as well as the front door of the building.

And lastly, I have to call out the service Varenna Holidays provided, particularly from Francesca. Prior to our arrival, they gave us a heads-up about potential travel disruptions due to train construction in the area. This helped us plan accordingly. During our stay, our flight out of Milan was cancelled so we had to scramble to find an another flight and book an early morning taxi instead of relying on the scheduled train we planned. Over the weekend, their office was still available to provide taxi recommendations and everything worked out well. They answered our questions and help whenever we needed it.

The only gripe we had was finding their office upon arrival. Our train was late and we only had 20 minutes to get to their office before check-in closed, and it was very difficult to find their office unless you're familiar with the area. Francesca did provide step by step directions for the office and the apartment when we did arrive, but it would have been much better to receive this ahead of time because she even mentioned that many other guests had trouble finding the office. But outside of that, we would highly recommend Varenna Holidays and specially their Il Diamante del...

Our stay at Patrizia's house in Varenna (Booked through Varenna Holidays) started out very nice. At check-in the lady was very friendly to us and everything seemed perfect. However, when we entered the apartment it smelled very strongly of gas. We didn't think anything of it at first and thought it was from the guests who were there before and may have been cooking. We opened all the windows and after that it was fine. When we came back that day in the evening and of course closed all the windows and doors again, it smelled very strongly of gas again. At night it was not possible to sleep because of the smell of gas. Therefore, we had to open the windows overnight, which was not very pleasant, because trains pass directly in front of the apartment all night. When we reported this problem to Varenna Holidays, a repairman and a Varenna Holidays employee arrived half an hour late (which is why we lost 4 hours of the day because we had to be on site). The expert, as he was called by Varenna, checked the gas pipes by testing a gas leak with a lighter. This scared me a lot and I preferred to leave the apartment. When the expert was done testing, we only got the answer that everything was perfect and no gas was leaking. After a long wait, we still tried to use the rest of the day. After we arrived back at the apartment in the evening, it still smelled like gas and the night unfortunately went the same as the one before. When we checked out, we only got the answer from the boss and a staff member that it was our fault (Although we never used the stove) and no one has ever complained about it. We were not taken seriously and it was only laughed at, because you would not know gas stoves in Germany.... They don't want to give us a discount because it would be our fault. And we booked through Varenna Holidays and not Booking.com, they could have done something about this.

Conclusion: Until the check-in we were very satisfied with the service, but from that moment we felt neither taken seriously, after as a customer, which one would like to keep. As a tip for all Varenna fans, do not book through...