Head-to-head · Lake Como
My #01 and #02 on Lake Como, and nothing alike. Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a fun 1910 grand hotel in the middle of the lake. Il Sereno is the best true lakefront hotel on Como: modern, quiet and private. Here is how I would choose.
Toured Grand Hotel Tremezzo, with lunch · Stayed at Il Sereno · October 2026
My favorite hotel on Lake Como, in the best spot on the lake. Tiered gardens with my favorite pool, five restaurants, a clay court and lake-view junior suites facing Bellagio. It’s fun, and it’s great for families.
My Grand Hotel Tremezzo review →
The best true lakefront hotel on Lake Como, and I couldn’t find a single fault. Every room looks at the lake, the pool is heated and built on land, and there are almost no day visitors.
My Il Sereno review →
| Grand Hotel Tremezzo | Il Sereno | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Tremezzo, mid-lake on the west shore, facing Bellagio | Torno, on the east shore near the town of Como |
| My visit | Toured, had lunch | Stayed |
| The feel | Fun and colorful, like a Wes Anderson film | Private and calm: Patricia Urquiola’s glass, walnut and stone |
| Outside guests | Welcome, and they come in droves | Almost none; you get in by staying or by boat |
| Lake views | Junior suites and up face the lake, with balconies | Every room; entry rooms get a partial view |
| Room to book | A junior suite or above with a lake view | The Grand Suite Lago, with the head-on view and a private terrace |
| Pools | My favorite is up in the tiered gardens; one floats on the lake | Heated and on land, plus a hot tub in the old boathouse |
| Dining | Five restaurants; relaxed, solid service | Faultless food and service, and the hotel’s Rivas to dinner across the lake |
| Families | One of the best on the lake; mind the stairs | Not a family hotel; older teenagers at most |
| Getting there | Car to Como, then about 30 minutes by private boat | About an hour by car from Milan |
| Best for | Families, first trips, couples who like a buzz | Couples, honeymoons, design lovers, anyone who wants privacy |
Work with me and you get Fora perks, typically a space-available upgrade, daily breakfast and a hotel credit, plus someone who knows these hotels personally: I request the right lake-view junior suite at Grand Hotel Tremezzo, time Il Sereno bookings to catch its suite offers, and arrange the cars and private boats. Same rate as booking direct.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo is my favorite hotel on Lake Como. It’s the most fun hotel on the lake and the best located, looking straight across at Bellagio, with tiered gardens, five restaurants, a clay court and lake-view junior suites that feel like they sit on top of the water. It’s also sceney, and outside guests come in droves.
Il Sereno is the best true lakefront hotel on Lake Como, and I couldn’t find a single fault when I stayed. Every room looks at the lake, the heated pool is built on land, and because you can only get in as a guest or by boat, it never feels busy. It’s built for couples.
The gap between them is small. Families, first-timers and couples who like energy should choose Tremezzo. Couples who want privacy, design and the water right outside the room should choose Il Sereno.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo sits in the middle of the lake, where Como is at its most beautiful and the villages and villas are a short boat ride away. The road in is slow: 45 minutes to an hour from the town of Como, narrow and winding. I arrange a private car from Milan to the water in Como, then about 30 minutes by private boat to the hotel’s dock.
Il Sereno is in Torno, near the town of Como and about an hour from Milan by car. Torno is a tiny village without much going on, and that’s the point. When you want to go out, the hotel’s own Rivas make dinner across the lake easy.
This is the biggest difference. Grand Hotel Tremezzo welcomes outside guests, and they come in large numbers. It’s sceney in an influencer, everyone-taking-photos way. The lower floating pool draws the crowd, while the garden pool and the indoor-outdoor pool stay calm and private.
At Il Sereno, you can only get in if you’re staying or arrive by boat, so there are almost no day visitors. It’s private and calm, and the dock is the front door.
At Grand Hotel Tremezzo, book a junior suite or above. The lake-view rooms with balconies are spacious and beautifully restored, with gorgeous bathrooms, and you feel like you’re sitting right on top of the lake. Garden-view rooms look onto genuinely pretty gardens and cost less.
At Il Sereno, every room sees the lake, but entry rooms get a partial view, some through the trees. The Grand Suite Lago is where it gets special, with the head-on view and a private terrace. Il Sereno runs genuine promotions on its larger suites more often than its neighbors, and I time bookings to catch them.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo is much better suited to families: it’s lively, with lots to explore, five restaurants and a clay court in the gardens. The property is built into the hillside, so there are a lot of stairs. I’m not a fan of floating pools, which rock with the water, so the garden pool is the one I’d head to.
Il Sereno isn’t a family hotel; I’d only send families with older teenagers who are happy by the pool. For couples it’s hard to beat: a heated pool with excellent poolside service, a hot tub in the old boathouse you can book privately by the hour, and the softest sheets I’ve ever slept on.
They’re my #01 and #02 on Lake Como, and the gap is small. Grand Hotel Tremezzo is my favorite overall: fun, in the best spot on the lake and great for families. Il Sereno is the one I’d choose for privacy, design and the water right outside your room.
Of these two, Il Sereno. It’s private, quiet and built for couples. Grand Hotel Tremezzo suits couples who like a buzz. The honeymoon I’d book on Como is two nights at Passalacqua, then ten minutes by boat to Il Sereno. Here’s the pairing.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, my pick for families on the lake. Mind the stairs: it’s built into the hillside. Il Sereno isn’t a family hotel.
Yes. Grand Hotel Tremezzo welcomes outside guests, they come in large numbers, and it’s a magnet for photos. If privacy matters most, Il Sereno has almost no day visitors.
At Grand Hotel Tremezzo, a junior suite or above with a lake view and a balcony. At Il Sereno, the Grand Suite Lago, with the head-on view and a private terrace; it starts at about what an entry room costs at Passalacqua.
For Grand Hotel Tremezzo, a private car from Milan to the water in Como, then about 30 minutes by private boat. For Il Sereno, a private car from Milan, about an hour. Il Sereno is open mid-March to October 26, so check the season before you plan. I arrange the cars and boats for both.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo review → Il Sereno review → Grand Hotel Tremezzo or the EDITION → Il Sereno or Passalacqua → My Lake Como guide →