Head-to-head · Lake Como
A 24-room villa that only its guests can enter, or a 148-room modern hotel with a lively scene. Passalacqua is the best honeymoon hotel on Lake Como. The EDITION is a neat, modern hotel that’s right for a lot of travelers. Here is how I would choose.
Toured Passalacqua · Stayed at the EDITION · October 2026
A whimsical 18th-century villa run like a private home, with terraced gardens, a Moroccan-inspired spa and one of the most iconic tennis courts in the world. Only guests get in. Book it for a milestone.
My Passalacqua review →
A lively, social EDITION in Cadenabbia with an excellent spa and one of the best hotel gyms I’ve seen. Book a lake-view room on the third floor or above, or the two-bedroom suite for a family.
My Lake Como EDITION review →
| Passalacqua | Lake Como EDITION | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Moltrasio, on the west shore just north of Como | Cadenabbia, mid-lake on the west shore, next to Grand Hotel Tremezzo |
| My visit | Toured | Stayed |
| Size | 24 rooms | 148 rooms |
| The look | Whimsical: antiques the family collected over time, and lots of wicker | White, neutrals, green marble and arches |
| The feel | Run like a private home; staff remember your name | Lively and social; see and be seen |
| Outside guests | None; the restaurants and spa are for guests only | A younger, mostly American crowd |
| Room to book | The Junior Suite Al Lago; Palazzo and lakeside rooms are generous | A lake view on the third floor or above |
| Spa & gym | A Moroccan-inspired spa, with a tunnel to the lower gardens | An excellent spa and a serious gym with free weights to 40 kilos |
| Pool | In the terraced gardens | One, floating on the lake; a second is planned |
| Dining | Two restaurants; plan some dinners out by boat | Three or four expensive outlets; Grand Hotel Tremezzo next door |
| Getting there | About an hour by car from Milan | Car to Como, then a private boat |
| Best for | Honeymoons, milestones, two couples traveling together | Younger travelers, LGBTQ+ travelers, families in the two-bedroom suite |
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 chase the hardest confirmation on the lake at Passalacqua, secure a lake-view room above the third floor at the EDITION, and book the boats for dinners out. Same rate as booking direct.
Passalacqua is unlike anywhere else in the world: a 1787 villa that’s meant to feel like your own home, with just 24 rooms and no outside guests. It’s the best honeymoon hotel on Lake Como and the one I reserve for trips that genuinely warrant it. I loved it, but it isn’t my personal style; with two restaurants and a quiet village, I’d want a livelier base after a couple of nights.
The EDITION is the opposite. It’s a 148-room modern hotel that’s lively, social and see-and-be-seen, closer in mood to West Hollywood or Mykonos than to a classic Como villa. The spa and gym are outstanding, and the two-bedroom suite is good value for a family.
If it’s a honeymoon or a milestone, book Passalacqua; it sits above the EDITION in my ranking. If the trip doesn’t warrant the pinnacle, the EDITION is one of the smart ways into the lake, as long as its scene is your scene.
At Passalacqua, the restaurants and spa are closed to outside visitors, which is a big part of why it feels so private. Staff remember your name. If you’re a client staying nearby and want to see it, I can sometimes arrange a lunch or a tour.
The EDITION is built for energy: lively, social and see-and-be-seen, with the brand’s signature Le Labo scent and a younger, mostly American crowd. It suits LGBTQ+ travelers especially well. If that isn’t your scene, you’ll be happier somewhere quieter.
At Passalacqua, the Junior Suite Al Lago is the one; it opens right toward the water. Rooms in the Palazzo and the lakeside rooms are generously sized, while rooms elsewhere can be small, and most rooms see the lake in the distance. With so few rooms, it’s the single hardest confirmation on the lake, so hold dates early.
At the EDITION, book a lake-view room on the third floor or above. Lower floors sit above the loud casual restaurant, and non-lake-view rooms face the spa across the street or an interior courtyard. A non-lake-view booking won’t be upgraded to a lake view without a paid supplement. For families, the two-bedroom suite is around $5,500 a night, and good value.
Passalacqua’s terraced gardens fall from the villa to the water. The spa is Moroccan-inspired, with vaulted ceilings, old stone columns and peacock wicker chairs, and an underground tunnel leads down to the lower gardens. The sunken clay court is #04 on my tennis list.
The EDITION wins on wellness. The spa has three saunas, a steam room and an indoor heated pool, and the gym is one of the best I’ve seen in a hotel, with free weights up to 40 kilos and a squat rack. Its one outdoor pool floats on the lake, which I’m not a fan of; a second is planned for next season.
Passalacqua has only two restaurants, and Moltrasio is a quiet village without much going on, so plan a few dinners across the lake by boat. It’s about an hour from Milan by private car. One small note: clients who stayed recently found the pool service slow.
The EDITION has three or four outlets, all on the expensive side, and there’s no town at the door. Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a short walk away for meals. The hotel has no boats of its own, so I book boats for my clients, and the arrival I recommend is a private boat from Como.
For a honeymoon or a milestone, Passalacqua. It’s the best honeymoon hotel on the lake and ranks above the EDITION in my list. The EDITION is right for younger travelers, LGBTQ+ travelers, serious gym-goers and families in the two-bedroom suite.
Passalacqua. It’s #05 in The Fifteen, my honeymoon shortlist. I’d pair it with Il Sereno, ten minutes away by boat: here’s the pairing.
Generally, no. Passalacqua’s restaurants and spa are for hotel guests only. If you’re a client of mine staying nearby, I can sometimes arrange a lunch or a tour.
The EDITION, thanks to its two-bedroom suite, around $5,500 a night and good value for a family sharing one suite. Passalacqua is best for honeymoons, milestones and two couples traveling together.
At Passalacqua, the Junior Suite Al Lago, or a room in the Palazzo or a lakeside room. At the EDITION, a lake-view room on the third floor or above.
For Passalacqua, a private car from Milan, about an hour. For the EDITION, a private car from Milan to the water in Como, then a private boat; the road adds about 45 minutes beyond Como. I arrange both.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Passalacqua review → Lake Como EDITION review → Il Sereno or Passalacqua → The EDITION or Il Sereno → My Lake Como guide →