First of all, wow, what a view of Lake Como from this apartment's large balcony – it's truly breathtaking. There are lake vistas to enjoy from inside, too, although the bedrooms look out onto a hillside. Okay, so while the sofa in the open-plan living space is somewhat retro, the rest of the apartment is a bit more up-to-date. We also need to mention that this home is accessed via an outside staircase, so keep your fingers crossed for good weather. When you fancy exploring what you can see from this home, Lake Como is 1 kilometre away, while the historic centre of Varenna is 3 kilometres.

Home truths:
*The apartment is accessed via an external staircase.
*The home has a private balcony and garden.
*The decor is very simple and generic and the aesthetics are not quite up to Plum Guide's usual standards – we've made an exception to let this one into the collection on account of its wonderful views and location in Lake Como.
*Bedroom three has bunk beds, so it's more suited to children.
*At full capacity, there's one bathroom for six guests.
*The nearest railway station, which connects to Milan, is 4 kilometres away.
*There's a free parking space here.