Angela and I recently returned from a luxurious trip to Italy to celebrate her birthday. We thoroughly enjoyed our time along Lake Como and in the surrounding area. Our stop in Milan was relaxing, given we spent some time in the city previously, and it was nice to spend a few days there before heading to Geneva to catch our flight home.

While we had a great time together, the shape of this trip was non-optimal. Knowing what I know now, I would have structured the journey differently, moving us to Lake Lugano after Lake Como rather than heading back to Milan.

Of course, when you’re spending quality time with the person you love most in the whole world, even a non-optimal trip is pretty excellent.

Bookings

Flights

I was quite happy with the outbound flights that I booked for this trip. We both enjoy KLM’s business class and collecting their Delft porcelain miniatures. We departed for Europe from our home airport, and the itinerary matched up with the hotel availability that I secured.

The return flights weren’t ideal, but because they were booked more than nine months from our date of travel, I was fairly confident that there would be a schedule change and I’d be able to massage the itinerary or find a better set of flights. Unfortunately, neither of those things happened and we had to make do with what we had.

• Angela and Nicholas
  • 72,500 Air France Flying Blue miles + 219.60USD per person
    • LAS-AMS on KL J
    • AMS-LIN on KL J
  • 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles + 192.40CAD per person
    • GVA-FRA on LH J
    • FRA-LAS on 4Y J

Hotels

The first thing I booked was the Grand Hotel Victoria Concept & Spa on Lake Como in Menaggio. I built the rest of our trip around it. This particular hotel is hard to book with points as standard room availability is rare (although less so now that they partner with Hilton rather than Hyatt).

• One room for five nights at the Grand Hotel Victoria Concept & Spa for 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night with fifth night free
• One room for three nights at the Park Hyatt Milan for 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night
• One room for one night at the Geneva Marriott Hotel for one 35,000 point Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Certificate + 13,000 Marriott Bonvoy points + 7.50CHF

Activities

• Two tickets to Villa del Balbianello, including villa and garden entrance, for 24.00EUR per person

Transport

While Angela and I are both reasonably dedicated to utilizing public transit when we travel, I opted to book us a private car from the airport to our hotel on the day that we arrived. It made everything much easier after an overnight flight where neither of us slept that much. Also, we arrived on Angela’s birthday, and she deserves to be pampered. We opted for public transit on our return to Milan after scoping out the situation.

For our journey to Geneva, I waited too long to book train tickets, and they were already so expensive that the delta between 2nd and 1st class was quite small. I opted for 1st class for larger seats and quieter cars.

• Private car transport, booked via Blacklane, from Milan-Linate Airport to the Grand Hotel Victoria Concept & Spa for 203.99EUR
• Two tickets from Milan Central to Geneva Airport via Zurich on high-speed rail for 266.03USD per person

August 2, 2024

After dropping Fitz off at boarding, we headed to the airport, arriving ninety minutes before our flight. When we reached our gate, signs indicated there were roughly twenty minutes until boarding. As such, we didn’t bother visiting the lounge. After twenty minutes, they rolled the boarding time back an additional forty minutes and, without time to get to the lounge and back, we ended up just waiting at the gate.

The 787s that KLM flies to Las Vegas are comfortable, although the timing of the flight makes it a bit difficult for me to sleep. Leaving in the middle of the afternoon means that, by the time I’m tired, there are only about four hours left in the flight and two of those hours are spent with the lights on serving breakfast.

Because we were flying on Angela’s birthday, the flight attendants left a handwritten birthday card on her seat.

Because we weren’t able to visit the lounge, we decided to dine on board. Angela chose the chicken dish and I opted for the pasta. Both were good. After dinner, we each managed to eke out a fitful four hours of sleep before landing.

August 3

When we woke up, Angela found a couple of birthday cards (one from Fitz and one from me) waiting for her by her seat. It seems that I can still surprise her a little bit, even after all these years.

Before landing, one of the flight attendants came over and gave Angela a huge box of chocolates in celebration of her birthday. It was really nice to see the airline staff go out of their way to recognize Angela and it certainly left me with an excellent impression of KLM.

After landing in Amsterdam, we quickly cleared immigration before walking to the Crown Lounge for a light breakfast. We left for our gate an hour later and boarded our short flight to Milan.

We were served a delicious meal and, before we deplaned, one of the flight attendants gave Angela a big box of snacks and some wine as a birthday gift. I was, yet again, very impressed with how proactive they were in recognizing her.

Upon arriving in Milan, we met our driver by baggage claim. He wished Angela a happy birthday and we were off to his car for the two-hour drive to our hotel. The ride was comfortable and relaxing and we were both able to take in the beautiful scenery along the way.

We were greeted warmly when we arrived at the hotel and, after an efficient check-in, given a comprehensive tour of the property. Our room was spacious and well-furnished with a nice view over the courtyard containing the property’s outdoor pool.

After showering, I called down to make reservations at Ristorante 1827 so we could enjoy their “Seven Deadly Sins” prix fixe dining experience. Luckily, they had a spot available for dinner, so we got dressed and headed down.

Entering the restaurant is a little interesting, as you have to go through the resort shop. The decor is certainly unique.

We enjoyed our dinner. The dishes had interesting flavor profiles and, while it wasn’t my favorite dining experience ever, Angela really enjoyed the complexity of each item.

A chocolate birthday cake awaited Angela when upon our return to our room. We were already quite full from dinner, but we still ate the cake because it was so delicious.

August 4

Breakfast at the Grand Hotel Victoria is delicious, with tasty a la carte options alongside a very high-quality buffet. In addition, barista-made coffee is available on demand and is uniformly great.

After breakfast, we walked to Villa del Balbianello. The villa was a filming location for the Star Wars prequels and the James Bond movie Casino Royale. The walk to the villa was long and hot, but the buses around Lake Como aren’t reliable in terms of sticking to the published schedule and we didn’t want to risk not making our timed entry.

Our ticket included both villa and garden entrance and, because we arrived quite early, we were able to move to an earlier tour. The villa is beautifully decorated, playing host to the last owner’s collection of artifacts from his many expeditions. The garden is wonderfully maintained with picturesque views everywhere you look.

While the location is now the property of the government of Italy, it was previously the private home of a department store scion and renowned world explorer. When he died, he had arranged the home such that it was ready to transform into a tourist attraction immediately. We snapped quite a few pictures inside and outside, including one of Angela in the most famous spot at the villa.

Departing from the villa, we started walking back in the direction of the hotel, hoping to catch a bus along the way. It was a scorcher and we both desperately wanted to be off our feet, but we didn’t see a single bus before we reached our destination.

By the time we arrived at the hotel, we were both absolutely exhausted. We decided to relax for the night. We freshened up, laid down, and promptly fell asleep until the morning (aside from a random staff member knocking insistently on the door at 2100 to deliver room service that we didn’t order).

August 5

We woke up feeling very rested and decided to go for a run. We walked north along Lake Como before spotting a well-maintained climbing wall directly adjacent to the walking path. From there, we started our 25-minute jog, looping back to finish the same place we started.

After another delicious breakfast, we walked to the nearby bus station and bought tickets to Piano so we could go for a leisurely walk. We hopped on the C12 bus, which was much nicer than I expected it to be, and rode it to the stop closest to Lake Piano.

The lake was very pretty, although much smaller than Lake Como. The first 60% of our hike was a lot of fun. We saw some corn and farm animals before I took some fun pictures of Angela in front of the beautiful landscape.

From there, things rapidly went downhill. We ventured into the woods and were immediately assaulted by swarms of angry mosquitoes. The cloud of insects surrounded us for the next mile and a half until we finally emerged from the Bloodsucking Forest of Nightmares into Bene Lario. The mosquito swarm did a lot of damage and, for once in our lives together, I was in worse shape from bug bites than Angela was.

We walked through Bene Lario to the closest bus stop to return to Menaggio. Unfortunately, we missed the last scheduled service before the route takes a mid-afternoon siesta (or something), so we waited almost ninety minutes for the next bus.

The bus eventually showed up and we made it back to our hotel about twenty minutes later. We lifted weights at the well-appointed gym and then laid by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. The outdoor pool is very nice and the lounge chairs are extremely comfortable. I enjoyed the several hours we spent laying outside reading.

For dinner, we visited Dal Toto. We didn’t have a reservation so they sat us in a small courtyard adjacent to the restaurant’s entrance. Service was good, but the food was mediocre at best. Angela opted for the risotto followed by the fried fish. I chose the carbonara and grilled steak. We split the assorted vegetables, which were unexpectedly battered and fried. Neither of us would recommend dining here unless you can’t find anywhere else to eat.

After our disappointing meal, we visited La Fabrica del Gelato in the main square for an absolutely delicious post-dinner treat. Angela chose hazelnut while I opted for dark chocolate. After grabbing our cups, we sat on a bench near the water to enjoy our dessert and end the day on an extremely positive note.

August 6

After another delightful breakfast, we walked from the hotel to an intact section of the Cadorna Line located up an easily accessible trail on a nearby mountain. Surprisingly, we only saw a single other family hiking (they were German, which I guess fits the stereotype).

It was thrilling to us to see a well-preserved section of trench works dating from the first world war.

From the trenches, we walked to the Chiesetta degli Alpini and marveled at the beautiful view over Menaggio, Bellagio, and Lake Como.

We walked around a bit and stumbled upon the Menaggio Alpinist Club’s headquarters.

Feeling hot and sweaty, we decided to eschew further ascent and headed down the mountain via a nearby roadway. Before reaching the hotel, we stopped at a pharmacy to buy some hydrocortisone cream to treat our mosquito bites and give us some much-needed relief. Once we reached our lodgings, we changed and spent the remainder of the day relaxing poolside. While there, we enjoyed a delicious light lunch.

For dinner, we visited Divino 13. We were seated after a fifteen-minute wait and treated to a delicious meal. The waiters were warm, friendly, and happy to recommend their favorite dishes. We split an enormous arancino. Angela ordered pizzoccheri, a traditional Northern Italian dish, while I opted for ricotta and spinach ravioli with a butter sage sauce. Everything we ordered was incredible.

August 7

After a late and leisurely meal, we decided to go for a walk around town to see some of the local sights. First, we stopped at the old castle wall.

Then, we found the hidden miniature waterfall.

We walked up the hill to see the privately owned Villa Valsecchi, a beautiful residence.

As we continued on our way, we were suddenly caught in a thunderstorm. We retreated under a canopy of trees and waited out the worst of the storm.

We decided to cut our walk short (as we were soaking wet), and headed back to our hotel. Knowing we wanted to take the bus back to Como the next day, we decided to stop at the bus station and buy some tickets before relaxing at the spa for the rest of the day. Without a doubt, the spa is the highlight of the property with amenities including two saunas, several unique water experiences, an ice room, and a large indoor pool with massaging jets.

We took the time to enjoy each and every inch of the spa. At one point, we were moving from one set of jets to another in the indoor pool for almost thirty minutes. I loved our time in the spa and am so glad we decided to spend the majority of the day there.

For dinner, we wanted something super casual. We visited Pizza EuroSnack Kebab where we each ordered a pizza. I chose to have the pizza diavola while Angela ordered the pizza prosciutto. They were both tasty and the restaurant offers great value off the typical tourist track.

August 8

Before breakfast, we had an intense workout session followed by some poolside stretching. It was really nice to grab a couple of towels and a yoga mat and loosen up after hitting the weights hard.

We ate our last luxurious breakfast and then took a brief walk so I could stand in the lake and truthfully claim that I got into Lake Como while we were there.

Returning to the hotel, we packed up and departed at 1140. The staff seemed incredulous that we were going to take the bus to Como, but that’s never stopped us before. We walked to the nearby stop and waited about twenty minutes before boarding the C10 and settling in. The buses around Lake Como, as I’ve mentioned before, are really nice with luggage racks and comfortable seats.

After a pleasant ride to Como San Giovanni rail station, we disembarked and purchased tickets for the next train from a conveniently located kiosk. First class was very cheap, and I knew we’d have a quieter car if I opted for it, so I gladly paid the fare difference.

Our train ride to Milan was uneventful. After exiting the train, we walked to the metro station and took the subway to Duomo Station. From there, it was only a five-minute walk to our next hotel, the Park Hyatt Milan. I specifically booked this hotel because one of my friends raved about their experience. While the property was certainly nice, and our room was very beautiful, the service left me a little disappointed given how disjointed it was outside of the breakfast staff.

The location is excellent, though, as the hotel is just steps from the duomo complex.

We dropped our bags and headed towards Sforza Castle, walking through the courtyard and the adjoining Sempione Park.

From there, we continued to the Arco della Pace.

I was really struggling with the heat at this point, so we returned to the hotel, picking up some delicious passion fruit boba tea at Shaker along the way. When we got back to the hotel, we freshened up and settled in for the night given that I was half-asleep anyways.

August 9

Breakfast at the Park Hyatt Milan was tasty with solid a la carte options and an interesting buffet containing both traditional Italian cured meats and pastries alongside Asian and Middle Eastern options.

After breakfast, we visited the Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa, a chapel decorated with bones. To me, it looked like something out of the grim world of Warhammer 40k.

From there, we walked to the Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore. The basilica was nice on the inside, but the real treat was outside where the Colonne di San Lorenzo are displayed.

We returned to the hotel to grab our climbing gear and headed, via tram, to Rockspot for an afternoon of bouldering and wall climbing. This was the first legitimately large climbing gym we’ve visited, with sixty-foot high walls and a huge array of bouldering options. We had an awesome time, even if it felt like we were melting for most of our visit due to the lack of air conditioning.

Returning to the hotel, we spent some time in the hot tub to relax our sore muscles. When we got hungry, we walked to Starita for dinner, passing the Arco della Pace again.

We split the fried zucchini blossoms and an aroncino to start and then each enjoyed our own pizza. I once again ordered pizza diavola while Angela chose the pizza Romana. Everything was quite delicious and the prices were very reasonable.

August 10

After breakfast, we visited the Museo Novecento. The museum mostly hosts contemporary and modern art. The collection is relatively small but contains some interesting pieces.

Next, we headed to the Pinacoteca Ambroziana, another museum. I much preferred the art and artifacts on display in the exhibits at this location.

When you leave the museum, you can enter the crypt. It is certainly worth a visit.

We were feeling a bit peckish, so we stopped at All’Antico Vinaio for some delicious sandwiches. The bread was amazing and the ingredients were extremely fresh. We ordered our sandwiches and took them back to our hotel to eat in peace.

After relaxing for a while to let our food settle, I went out for a run aorund Parco Sempione while Angela headed to the property’s gym to lift weights. On my way back, I picked up passion fruit boba tea from a different Shaker location. We wound down for the night and enjoyed our drinks while watching the season finale of House of the Dragon.

August 11

Our last full day in Europe was primarily a travel day. After breakfast, we packed up and checked out, heading for the train station at 1030.

We enjoyed a pleasant ride to Zurich where we disembarked and grabbed a quick bite to eat from a local vendor.

Our next train departed shortly and a few hours later we found ourselves in Geneva. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to explore the city or the surrounding area, but we certainly will in the future. We hopped in the free shuttle from Geneva Airport to our hotel for the night. The property was nice enough for an overnight, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay there.

Tired from our long journey, we decided to eat at the property’s on-site restaurant. While quite expensive, our burgers and fries were undeniably delicious.

For dessert, we made a brief stop in the M Lounge before heading to bed.

August 12

We woke up at 0415 to check out, catching the very first hotel shuttle at 0510. Check-in for our flight was easy and we cleared security in less than five minutes. The lounge opened at 0600 and was pleasant enough. There was a decent spread of oatmeal and a coffee maker, but not much else of note.

Our flight to Frankfurt boarded at 0630 and our one-hour journey was pleasant. We were served a mango yogurt, bread, jam, and coffee. When we arrived in Frankfurt, we made our way directly to our gate because our flight to Las Vegas was supposed to have started boarding before we even arrived. Of course, being a leisure airline with people unfamiliar with flying, everything took much longer than expected. We stood around the gate for a while and eventually boarding started.

The hard product on Eurowings Discover is certainly dated, but the flight attendants were kind and helpful and the food was surprisingly good. The worst part was definitely the other people on the flight, with a number of screaming children and a woman who decided to randomly open her sunshade every ten minutes, lighting up the darkened cabin.

We landed in Las Vegas ten hours later, retrieved Fitz from boarding, and reflected on yet another excellent trip. We relaxed a lot more than we normally do, but we still saw quite a few new things and made some awesome memories along the way.