Hotel Villa Cipressi

We only got to stay one night but we would return in a heartbeat. We were not part of a wedding - just in Varenna for fun but before our arrival I was concerned by some of the reviews I saw online saying don’t stay here unless you are part of a wedding and it almost scared me away, I’m soo glad I ignored the warning! We were staying on a Saturday so we assumed there would be a wedding & there was, but it didn’t bother us a bit! Our room actually overlooked the terrace so we had a Birds Eye view of the setup & thought it was gorgeous. The music cut off right at 11pm and we were out until around then anyway. We arrived in the early afternoon and were able to get into our room early which we appreciated. They told us the terrace & surrounding areas would be closed from 3-11pm but we had time to walk around before then & we just headed over to their sister property for drinks once it closed. The staff next door was so welcoming & kind & the cocktails were not only awesome but gorgeous! They actually gave us a table in the restaurant area since the bar was full & we had a great afternoon. Headed out to dinner & came back for another round of drinks in the upper bar next door and that was awesome as well. The next morning everything was cleared out & we had the property pretty much to ourselves to wander through the gardens & we got tons of great photos with no one around. Absolutely stunning!! We would love to return & highly recommend!!

We did not stay at the hotel, but we visited the botanical Gardens. They are amazing. I do not recommend visiting Villa.Monastero gardens…. they are less than impressive when compared to.Villa Cipressi gardens. This most recent visit was in August, so there was less blooming than a previous visit, which was in July. There are plenty of places to get some shade from the sun, but be prepared with sunscreen and something to drink during your visit.

Beware. Do NOT have a wedding here. Horrific service. We rented the entire property and it was still beyond problematic. Claudia in the events department is an absolute nightmare to have to work with. They do not pay attention to detail or follow anything that is within their contract. The tour they give you to try and entice you to have your wedding there is full of smoke and mirrors. It was beyond disappointing and felt like a complete waste of money. When you approach them, they are defensive and yell at you, as if you are in the wrong. Again, DO NOT HAVE AN IMPORTANT EVENT HERE.

We stayed as part of a wedding party and the venue is simply stunning. The staff were friendly, hard working and professional, and the wedding magical with simply stunning views. So 5/5 if you are part of the wedding party. However, if you are not, I would not stay here unless there was no wedding taking place. I say that because if there is a wedding, most of the hotel will be out of bounds. You will be unable to sit on the terraces overlooking the lake and will have no access to the bar or to any food (apart from breakfast). To pay what they charge (which is far from cheap) and to then to have to put up with this is not in my view fair or acceptable. To be fair to the hotel, their sister hotel is next door (the Royal Victoria) and you can use their facilities. However, I suspect most people stay at the Villa having looked at the beautiful photographs on their website. Just be careful, as you may not have access to those areas or facilities.