We stayed three nights in the Hotel Concorde in Gerenzano in the off-season. We were there on the second leg of our three-city trip (Paris, Milan, Madrid) celebrating our 10th anniversary. Upon entering the hotel, we found Fadi, the front desk agent on duty, with a smiling face and a good attitude. We were very tired from our plane ride from Paris (it was reasonably late and we had walked about 1/2 a mile from the train station-with our luggage-to get there). Fadi was a gem! He got us into our room quickly and, after we were somewhat settled, we came back down to ask him about a place to eat. Since it was quite late, most places were closed or closing, so he offered to order us some pizza at a local place and have it delivered. We were relieved since we were not in the mood to go out that night. We expected to just have the pizzas in our room but, when Fadi called us downstairs, he had set up the pizzas for us in the small dining area (where they serve a lovely continental breakfast) and even got us some drinks and dessert!
The hotel itself was a lovely little hotel and, since we were there in the off-season, it seemed pretty empty. It was very home-town feeling, with the old-fashioned heavy brass key and keychain for the room, which you leave at the Front Desk before departing the hotel. The elevator was teeny-tiny but fit us just fine. The decor had an old-style '50's feel to it with dark, rich woods and leathers for the furniture in the lobby.
All-in-all, this is the location we talk about the most when we reminisce about our trip to Europe. The memories from this little hotel, and the city of Gerenzano, as well as the rich history of Milan (which is a very close train ride away) created a time we will never forget.
- Concorde Hotel Varese
