At this friendly hotel a mere hour's drive from Milan, you don't pay a lot of money compared to hotels close by. In fact you pay a reasonable price. Not too much for a lovely king size bed with clean and nice smelling linen. Not too much for a lovely breakfast and a great choice of coffees, teas and juices. Not too much for the good and cheap wines on offer. Not too much for a private bathroom and bar fridge in the room. And most certainly not too much for free parking at the hotel.
Yes - maybe a bit too much for a steepish 10 minute walk from the centre of Varenna. And yes - maybe a bit too much for no lovely paintings on the room walls. But open your shutters opening out on your private balcony, or lie in bed and you get one of the most awesome paintings you can ever hope to see. Your room towers over the water and you have a fantastic unobstructed view of Varenna and across to Belagio and several other lake side villages. Money cannot buy these views.
Varenna is by far the best option to stay in on Lake Como. No touristy type shops and bus loads of loud travelers. Instead - locals who sit at water edge outside well priced cafe's and restaurants. Rather stay at this hotel because the church bell in the village will drive you into the lake!
Varenna is Lake Como and this hotel is the best value for money in the area. Forget about thin'ish walls: When you wake up tomorrow morning and see the view from your bed, you will extend your stay. Like many travelers do!

We stayed at Eremo Gaudio in May. We really liked it. It was a memorable part of our trip. The best part is the view. We stayed in the Bellagio Room, in the upper part of the hotel. We had a spectacular view of Lake Como and the town of Varenna from our balcony. Just fabulous. We had to ride two funiculars and an elevator to get up to our room, but it the payoff is this outrageously beautiful view. The rooms are plain -- nothing special. But you really can't beat the view.

Eremo Gaudio is tucked into a hillside on the edge of Varenna. It's a little off the beaten track, a short walk from the center of town. That was fine with us -- we liked the setting of the hotel, up on the side of the mountain. We hiked from Eremo Gaudio to Vezio one morning, which was a beautiful walk. Eremo Gaudio is an uphill walk from the center of town. Don't try to walk from the railroad station or the ferry station when you arrive -- it's too far to haul your bags comfortably. Take a taxi. The staff is nice and helpful. They provided ferry schedules, information, suggestions, etc. Overall, I thought this turned out to be a very good place to stay. I definitely would go back.

this was a very unique experience which is why we were drawn to it. I thought that the room would be simple and it was. I asked for a twin double and our room was odd...up at the highest level so the view was incredible, as was the balcony (tiny) but it was L shaped and one bed boxed in with no view. I would instead request a double, looked like 2 twins put together anyway.
The outside elevators were a bit scary the first time, but after that they were fun and part ot the experience. This place is about the view and it is absolutely stunning. The common areas were great, the large terrace and the dining balcony. The walk into town is quick, a bit longer returning as it is uphill but not difficult.

We stayed 3 nights here and the view from our two mini balconies was just breathtaking. So relaxing to sit out and gaze at the lake, one evening there were fireworks that we could see as well. The staff was very accomodating and the breakfast was great. We enjoyed hiking up to the castle above the hotel. It's a short but uphill hike from the main part of town so you'll need to expect some walking to the ferry and to restaurants. Rooms were very clean and comfortable. And being up the hill gives you amazing views of the lake.