180 degree views of Lake Como from the terrace of our modern apartment

My wife and I and our 1 year-old son stayed at Villa Panoramica for 2 weeks in late May/early June and loved the apartment. The views are even more spectacular than the photos on the website and we loved Argegno - a small town on the lake full of charm and without the big tourism of some of the better-known locations on the lake like Mennagio and Bellagio.

The apartment is 5 mins downhill to the town centre with its small shops and selection of lovely restaurants (recommend eating outside at the Hotel Belvedere right on the lake), as well as the boat stop giving access to all the major locations around Como. We were in two minds whether to hire a car - in the end we did but we didn't need to as the boat provides a frequent and reliable service around the lake. Having said that, you may want a car to give easy access to the supermarket (10mins drive along the lake road) and to avoid the walk back up the hill to the apartment which, although not long, is quite steep on a hot day.

We have rented a number of villas/apartments in Italy over the years but Villa Panoramica is by far the best equipped. The kitchen is fully equipped (not often the case in holiday rentals in Italy), the apartment is well air-conditioned and the bathrooms are modern and clean. There is a good-sized TV with a range of english free-view channels and a computer with wired and wireless internet access. But the best feature is the wrap-around balcony which is very large (twice the size of the apartment) and offers views over the lake to the north, east and south that are simply stunning! We spent most of our time outside with our son and it was a real pleasure eating dinner on the balcony as the sun set over the lake and surrounding hills.

Finally I have to mention the owner, Silvana, who speaks both english and italian (comes from London!) and was very helpful during our stay. In particular, Silvana went out of her way to help us with an issue we had with one of our passports and I can't thank her enough for that.

We fully recommend Villa Panoramica as a great base to explore a beautiful part of Italy.