Head-to-head · Lake Como
Two historic hotels full of antiques, and very different stays. Passalacqua is a 24-room villa in quiet Moltrasio that only its guests can enter. Villa Serbelloni is a 90-plus-room grand hotel in the middle of crowded Bellagio. Here is how I would choose.
Toured Passalacqua · Stayed at Villa Serbelloni · October 2026
A whimsical 18th-century villa run like a private home, with terraced gardens, a Moroccan-inspired spa and no outside guests. The best honeymoon hotel on Lake Como.
My Passalacqua review →
Very historic and beautifully maintained, with a stunning modern spa, a little speakeasy bar I loved, and a pool, beach and floating pier for the best swimming on the lake.
My Villa Serbelloni review →
| Passalacqua | Villa Serbelloni | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Moltrasio, on the west shore just north of Como | Bellagio, where the lake’s branches meet |
| My visit | Toured | Stayed |
| Size | 24 rooms | More than 90 rooms |
| The look | Whimsical: antiques the family collected over time, and lots of wicker | Frescoes, chandeliers, damask and antiques; a bit too old for my taste |
| The feel | Run like a private home; staff remember your name | Formal service that’s still warm |
| Outside the door | A quiet village without much going on | Bellagio, which is incredibly crowded |
| Room to book | The Junior Suite Al Lago; Palazzo and lakeside rooms are generous | A lake-view room with a balcony |
| Spa | Moroccan-inspired, with a tunnel to the lower gardens | Stunning and modern |
| Swimming | A pool in the terraced gardens | A pool, a beach and a floating pier; the best on the lake |
| Dining | Two restaurants, guests only; plan dinners out by boat | Three places to eat and a speakeasy bar, plus Bellagio at the door |
| Getting there | About an hour by car from Milan | Car to Como, then about 30 minutes by private boat |
| Best for | Honeymoons, milestones, two couples traveling together | Lovers of historic hotels and art, swimmers, travelers set on Bellagio |
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, request a lake-view balcony room at Serbelloni, and book the cars and private boats. 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 24 rooms and no outside guests. It’s the best honeymoon hotel on Lake Como, and recently named the world’s best hotel. I loved it, though it isn’t my personal style; with two restaurants and a quiet village, I’d want a livelier base after a couple of nights.
Villa Serbelloni is an interesting hotel, and I’m still making up my mind about it. It’s very historic and beautifully kept, the spa is stunning, and in summer it would be the best hotel on the lake for swimming. But the decor is a bit too old for my taste, and Bellagio is incredibly crowded.
Passalacqua sits above Villa Serbelloni in my ranking, and for a honeymoon or milestone it’s the one. If you love old Italian hotels and art, want to swim in the lake, and Bellagio is the point of your trip, Serbelloni is a beautiful choice.
Passalacqua is in Moltrasio, a quiet village near the town of Como without much going on. With only guests allowed in, it feels genuinely exclusive, and when you want to go out, dinner across the lake by boat is the best way to do it. I set it up.
Villa Serbelloni puts all of Bellagio’s restaurants outside the front door. The catch is that Bellagio is packed with day-trippers. It was crowded when I stayed in October; July and August would be a nightmare. You can visit Bellagio easily by boat from almost anywhere on the lake.
Passalacqua is whimsical, filled with antiques the family collected over time and lots of wicker. The Junior Suite Al Lago is the room I show for milestone trips; 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.
Villa Serbelloni is very traditional: frescoed ceilings, chandeliers, damask walls and antiques, all beautifully kept. If you love that, you’ll love it here; for my taste it’s a bit too old. Ask for a lake-view room with a balcony.
Passalacqua’s spa is Moroccan-inspired, with vaulted ceilings, old stone columns, pierced brass lanterns and peacock wicker chairs, and an underground tunnel leads down to the lower gardens. It’s one of my favorite details on the lake. The pool sits in the terraced gardens; clients who stayed recently found the pool service slow.
Villa Serbelloni’s spa is stunning and surprisingly modern for a hotel this historic. For getting in the water, it has the best setup I’ve seen on Como: a pool, a beach and a floating pier you can jump into the lake from.
Passalacqua is about an hour from Milan by private car. It has only a handful of suites, so it’s the single hardest confirmation on the lake; the sooner we hold dates, the better. It stays open through New Year’s, later than most of the lake.
Villa Serbelloni is in the middle of the lake, and the road from the town of Como takes 45 minutes to an hour, 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.
For me, Passalacqua. It’s the best honeymoon hotel on Lake Como and only its guests can get in. Villa Serbelloni is right if you love historic hotels and art, want to swim in the lake, and Bellagio is the point of your trip.
Passalacqua, #05 in The Fifteen, my honeymoon shortlist. The honeymoon I’d book is two nights there, then ten minutes by boat to Il Sereno. 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.
Villa Serbelloni, with a pool, a beach and a floating pier into the lake. Passalacqua has a pool in its terraced gardens.
I’d steer most clients away from sleeping there. Bellagio is very crowded, even in October, and it’s easy to visit by boat. If Bellagio is the point, Villa Serbelloni puts you right in it; if you’re weighing it against another classic, I usually steer clients to Villa d’Este.
At Passalacqua, the Junior Suite Al Lago, or a room in the Palazzo or a lakeside room. At Villa Serbelloni, a lake-view room with a balcony.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Passalacqua review → Villa Serbelloni review → Il Sereno or Passalacqua → Villa d’Este or Villa Serbelloni → My Lake Como guide →