What People are saying
beautiful property,
driscoll_229on 03/11/2016 16:45Absolutely loved our stay, the problem arose more so when we returned home.. we booked through booking.com and did not realize that we had already paid through our credit card. We paid for our stay cash and because a friend was having issues with her credit card we paid for her stay on ours, now we are arguing with this bnb for our money back. too bad because we wanted to come back but because of this we won't be.
Lots of Problems.
Madison2010_10on 10/08/2016 22:20While the property is clean, we had a lot of problems starting with driving up and down the perilous mountain road for an hour and a half trying to find the property. There is no sign visible from the road and we finally had to ask at the Fire Deparment and they said that it wasn't even in Stresa but in the next village up the mountain. We were given the attic room in which you can't stand up in parts including the bathtub/shower. My husband hit his head 3 times on the beams causing nasty wounds. Moreover our toilet did not flush the first two days of our stay (very nasty) so we finally left two days early. Massimmo didn't seem particularly concerned and the maid said the pipe were not angled properly so this is not new. The room had a nice patio but the chair was broken. There were no fire alarms that we could see and with the very inconvenient location where you cannot really walk to town without risking your life, this place was not for us. In August it is very very difficult to find parking in Stresa so it would be better to find a place in town that has parking. The breakfast, croissants and rolls and good coffee was fine and there are nice lake and tree views from the property. The wifi was slow so the tv didn't work properly which was a shame because the Olympics were on. Finally it was my understanding of B&Bs that the owners need to live on the property. Massimo is a hired manager and needs to do a better job of paying attention to problems. He did make good restaurant recommendations though.
Wonderful Hoilday
GaryHadleighon 13/06/2016 21:38Had a wonderful stay despite the weird and wonderful weather, but there's more to a break than sunshine.
Big thanks to Massimo who is a funny and entertaining host but does not invade your space. The breakfast conversations had us in stitches some mornings and thats a good start to any day.
Rooms and common areas are spotless, cleaned and tided each day to perfection with a magic duster we think.
The view over the lake is as expected beautiful and on a bright and sunny morning, haunting when a little cloudy.
Cars can be parked on the property behind locked gates so one less thing to worry about.
Short drive down to the town or if adventurous a walk down the twisting roads, there is a bus that stops directly outside as well.
Plenty to keep you amused on and around the lakes and further afield if your fancy a change.
We loved the holiday and would recommend to anyone.
Quiet, beautiful B&B but quite a hike to town and back.
rckovallson 10/11/2015 04:18We stayed in July 2015 and I must say I wasn't expecting the long hike to town. My son and I are in good shape so it wasn't a problem, also able to burn off the wonderful meals and gelato! Massimo was helpful with giving us directions to a shortcut down to town, also with recommendations for restaurants. We were a little disappointed that our room was in the basement, but it had a nice walk-out and large living area. The internet was spotty and had to use in the communal area. The breakfast was really good and served on the beautiful terrace.
What happened to the helpful owner?
sg_pixelon 05/10/2015 15:56Our group (6 of us) had a very unfriendly welcome from Massimo. Nothing specific, but he barely said hello. I asked him for help making a reservation at a restaurant (I told him which one) and he said he would bring me the number, instead of offering to make the call himself - and he never brought me the number.
The wifi did not work. At all, not just in the bedrooms as per other reviewers. When we pointed this out to him, he replied "Don't you think I know that?" and just grunted when asked if he was doing something about it.
The worst part was it was COLD (Sept 23)! He said it was against the law to turn on the heating before October. When we asked about this in town, they laughed and said Massimo "had short arms" meaning he was just stingy.
We were supposed to stay 2 nights, but left after the first night, even if we had paid already. If Massimo had at least been friendly, and shown he was trying to sort things out, I would have not had a problem staying, but he seemed incredibly grumpy.
Also, other things that have already been mentioned in other reviews: you are far from Stresa by foot, some of the rooms are in a semi-basement with no windows, no private bathrooms, but might be OK for families. Breakfast was just OK compared to other places.