Thank you for your feedback. We advised ahead of your stay that as you were travelling in the post covid august period the lake was extremely busy and so we recommended a car for this week. Hence we organised transportation with a private pick up from the airport to the home for your arrival and departure and arranged a day trip around the lake as well as a day out on the glass topped Bernina Express to occupy you for 3 of your days here. In addition organised wine on arrival and offered to organise food supplies for your arrival plus flexible early and late check in and check out times to suit your schedule. We do try and offer customer friendly service at all times (please see all other reviews here and on other leading air and booking sites) We have over 50 reviews all told...most with 5 stars as the home matches the majority of most guests who stay here as the home on offer is exactly as advertised. The walk to down to the village is 10 minutes only on foot. Unfortunately as you say given your age i understand the 600 steps were too much for you so agree perhaps an alternative home if you chose not to hire a car would have suited you better. All towels are brand new and updated at the beginning of every season. If you had requested a change of towels during your stay we would have been only too happy to oblige. Likewise the last guests may have turn the freezer up too high and if you had mentioned any issue we would have been happy to ressolve this for your immediately. We demonstrated to your wife how the washing machine and dryer works on arrival and had you requested further clarification would have been happy to assist. The road was busy as your stay coincided with the national ferragosta holiday-the busiest of the year. Traffic is significantly reduced at of evening. Most guests are sightseeing during the day and then of an evening there is no issue with road noise in addition the metal shutters, double glazing reduce any noise plus the air conditioning keeps the home cool. Thanks again for sharing. kind regards Barrie

It pains me write and reply to this review having suffered the very unfortunate experience of hosting Angela and her family. On arrival Angela and one of her party behaved in a less than educated manner repeatedly screaming four letter expletives on arrival because they had arrived prior to the check in time and therefore the home was not ready. The language she used was so coarse that we made an unprecedented invitation to offer for her to leave if she was not happy and offered to readvertise the week she had reserved (for over six months) and override the Vrbo policy to refund her if we could resell the dates. Indeed, given the experience of hosting Angela, i wish she had left. The dishwasher works perfectly (guests before and after have used it without issue) We contacted Angela to show her how to use the dishwasher but any offer to help was rebuffed. We write on our advert "Garage-Private garage for parking. We recommend bringing a smaller car to the home to access the garage and as more convenient for the narrow roads and parking areas around the lake and city centre of Como" Perhaps Angela was too busy cursing and missed this along with the clear instructions supplied for check in as well as the check in time. The home is professionally cleaned with linen, bedding and towels freshly laundered and supplied. Guests our only required to recycle their waste on departure which is clearly communicated to every guest to ensure Lake Como is kept as an area of outstanding natural beauty. This was clearly communicated to Angela, too. We have reported Angela's behaviour to our agent at VRBO and confirmed to the site to share with other host's that we do not recommend hosting Angela at any property on this platform given she does not respect hosts rules and is the rudest guest we have had the displeasure of hosting in the many years of welcoming guests to Lake Como. To date we have 25 previous reviews from guests (viewable here online as well as countless other reviews on other leading booking and b&b portals) where every other guest has been a joy to host and they in turn have been delighted with the home, our service and personal local insights offered to ensure they get the very most from their stay. So this review is as contrasting from other guests experiences as the behaviour Angela displayed during her stay,

Thank you Bob for your kind words. It was a pleasure to meet you. Regarding your comments regarding basic items in the home I think there must have been some confusion which home you are referring to on your travels. To confirm liquid soap and loo paper is left on arrival for all guests plus towels for each guest. We don't supply conditioner or shampoo as this is a self catering home but just like you requested ahead of your arrival we can organise anything for you including food and wine to enjoy on your arrival. we are always happy to oblige! We look forward to welcoming you back soon. kind regards Barrie

Hi Susan, Many thanks for taking the time to write to us. So glad you enjoyed the home and the property matched your expectations. Appreciate very much the 5 stars! We hope to welcome you back soon. For our guests to note, the living room mentions features two patio doors and a sliding window. If opening all three at the same time, as was the case here you can hear the traffic however it is not necessary to open all the windows as we have air conditioning included which can be set at your desired temperature in every room as well as heating so whatever time of the year guests arrive they can be comfortable in the home without any necessity to open one or all of the windows. many thanks Barrie

Thank you Frank for your review and comments. I am delighted you enjoyed your stay and found the apartment exactly as described and photographed. The home includes air conditioning at no extra cost throughout the home so as you mention if you keep the windows closed you do not here any noise however you can still stay cool in summer and warm in winter. With regards to parking and access to the city I would like to take a moment to address these points. We do clearly state on the advert to bring a smaller car as easier to drive around the narrow streets of Como and to park in the garage so that guests are prepared ahead of their arrival. There is also communal parking 5 minutes walk from the home as well as the private garage located beneath the home. We also state the walk is 10 minutes down to the city centre, the first part of the walk being on the road, this is typical of the landscape of the Lake Como and it is normal for people who live but understand this is very different to where you live in the United States! Hence the reason we advise guests on this advertisement so all holidaymakers are prepared in advance of their stay as we do not want any surprises on arrival. So even though unfortunately you did not pick up on this thank you for highlighting this point for other guests who are reserving this home. Guests can also take a taxi to the village if required from the home.

Thank you so much Mike for taking the time to submit a review. We really do appreciate it. It was lovely to meet you and your family. We are delighted as one of our first guests that you enjoyed our penthouse! As you mentioned the site is working towards accepting card payments for every reservation for the coming season where we hope to accept card payments for future reservations. Usually a bank transfers cost less especially from within the euro zone. We hope to see you back here in Como in the coming seasons. Warmest wishes. Barrie and Julie.