Hotel Astoria

Slightly old fashioned establishment it put me in mind of Agatha Christie (I had visions of Hercule Poirot walking through the door). Comfortable room with a wonderful view of the lake although, being alongside a road, could be a little noisy early in the morning. Convenient for the many lake ferries and a short walk from the railway station. Staff excellent, well trained by Claudio. A good option for those wishing to stay in Stresa

I do not recommend this hotel at all. My first experience was being locked in the elevator with my family and my 8-month-old baby, it was super hot inside and there was no one around to help us, my husband had to open it himself. On the other hand, when we entered the room it was an oven, we turned on the air and it did not heat up, the maintenance man said that it would cool down in 15 minutes, we went for a walk for 3 hours because it was impossible to stay in the room with how hot it was and when we arrived the room was the same the air did not work after 3 times they went to check the air they decided to change our room. I had to go more than 3 times to the reception to speak with the manager and even with the owner who did not say anything. They finally moved us and we also had problems with the air conditioning in the new room. The hotel is definitely beautiful but they must literally renew all the air conditioners. Our first day in Stressa was chaotic. Without being able to rest after almost 24 hours of travel. The air conditioning technician was super friendly and tried to do what was in his hands as well as Abi one of the hotel hosts. In the end we were able to rest in the new room but definitely the price of the room is not subject to the comforts that it should have.

I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights in May and did not have an overall positive experience. There were a long list of basic issues, which you can see below, and when my partner and I raised a couple of these issues with the gentleman on reception, he was impolite, came up with excuses and told us we were not correct. Very unprofessional and discourteous, so I therefore I provide a comprehensive review of the hotel and our experience for others. In short I would not call this a 4* hotel at all, it is very outdated and old. It may have been 4* in the 70s but certainly not anymore. Positives: - The pool was very nice and well kept. - Breakfast provided a large spread and generally was pretty decent fare. Negatives: - Hotel bathroom sink didn't close properly, making it difficult to shave. - Sink faucet top cover fell off multiple times. - Only the shower was functional (over bath shower) and the dual water outlet could not be changed to fill the bath. Could use the shower to do this but not ideal. - Bath was unclean and had a few spiders in it when we arrived. - Shower temperature, despite being on the same temperature setting, changed from hot to cold constantly. - Bath plug controller (rotating for open/close) fell off when I attempted to use it. Had to put it back on multiple times. - The silicon caulking around the bath was dirty and was clearly done by a non-professional as it looked awful. - The room AC came on and off randomly. - The window shutter roller controller often didn't work. - The hotel put a charge of €15 a night for a cot without telling us that we would be charged for a cot, and argued that they had told us. Upon showing booking email they reneged but unwillingly. - Access for prams and wheelchairs is poor, bordering on impossible in the hotel and annex. - Most of the towels had stains on them and holes in them. - The hotel room floor had lots of hair (possibly dog?) on it. - In the annex we could hear very clearly when other people flushed their toilets and the waste pipe sounded like it ran through our room. Not pleasant for adults and woke our child up multiple times in the night. - Wifi did not work at all in the hotel or annex. - Annex lift did not work for a day, meaning access to our room on the 1st floor was very difficult with a pram. It would have been impossible for someone in a wheelchair. - Poolside, there were only two deck chairs that were shaded by a parasol, which were always occupied. This meant trips to the pool in the 30°C+ heat we're only short, not allowing for poolside relaxing. - The integrated hair dryer has probably been there since the 70s. Apologies for the long post, however it is a truly representative review of our experience at the hotel.

The food was very poor. The meat was completely raw and I had an upset stomach two days after my meal. The waiter never requests how you like your mest cooked & got annoyed as we complained. They dont give you a bill for your drinks daily but try to overcharge you at the final bill. They allowed germans to take our reserved table alot. But its well decorated, clean.

Perfect location for exploring Stresa. Staff make the effort to talk in many languages and are friendly. The rooms seem a little dated and not perfectly maintained, the bed was OK, but not for more than a couple of nights. In our room, the door handle came off in our hand, the hairdryer wasn't well fixed to the wall and there was a rubber seal missing which caused the bathroom to flood when showering unless you were careful. There are plenty of options for the same price, so look around. Also, Single use plastic in the room for the shower gel etc.. For the money, it was disappointing..