Hotel Iseolago

The hotel was an enormous disappointment given the price and the web site pictures. A 4* hotel but 3*s would be generous. The offer: The room was clean (important) but everything at the hotel was of poor quality, from the pillows, the mattress, to the entire breakfast offering (v poor quality juice, fruit salad (partly tinned?), to the so called access to the lake- a very unappealing area. You had to pay extra for eggs and salmon and another kind of juice. Eh? Given the current economic situation, hotels must be struggling to make the sums work, and I understand that but it feels as if the hotel management has gone way too far in cutting corners. Did I mention the disposable plastic cups in the room?! We booked and then cancelled dinner in the overly lit restaurant because the breakfast was so lacking. The hotel obviously caters to large tour parties as many of the rooms are single use only. Air con was sporadic. The experience and atmosphere- none of the staff were unpleasant and were obviously working hard but the hotel lacks any kind of atmosphere. It is a charmless hotel - akin to a functional UK Travel Lodge. We don’t seek out lively hotels but a central figure who emanates a smile would transform the hotel. When we were clearly leaving with our suitcases, the receptionist didn’t look up. No interest at all. A goodbye and a smile are free. We didn’t see or feel any of the brilliant, Italian warmth and customer care (costs nothing) which draws us back to this wonderful country time and time again. We were glad to leave. The location: it’s a short 15 min walk into Iseo, a classy, friendly town. A lovely place. Great restaurants. The hotel is near a nature reserve so there are a lot of mosquitos. We couldn’t sit on the balcony in the evening. But it’s Europe and it’s summer. Not the hotels fault. The Amenities- the pool and snack bar area look like a municipal run pool. The sun bed design screams 1970s. Clean but again cheap and uncomfortable. .The pool area showed no sign of design or luxury befitting a 4* hotel. Kudos to the pool manager who really worked hard to ensure the pool area was spotless. We eventually found our way to the lake. We think the area belonged to the nearby campsite. V unappealing. We didn’t use the gym or spa. The lounge area in the hotel was very nice. Lovely, comfy sofas in the bar area. What a shame. We had high hopes.

We spent a week in this fantastic hotel. Rooms with a balcony overlooking the pool and facing the mountains. Total relaxation. Every detail is taken care of, from the room to the greenery of the property. The strong point is definitely the staff, from the very kind ladies at the reception, the cleaning staff, the restaurant staff, the highly skilled bartender, the pool bar staff, to the chef who delighted us every evening. Furthermore, on August 15th, a super evening with an extravagant buffet. Wide selection of Franciacorta wines. Excellent location for the lake and the town, which is easily accessible. They pampered us and took care of us in every way. Thank you.

The hotel will not turn the air conditioning below 23°. On top of that it often shuts off in the middle of the night. I get up three or four times during the night to turn it down to the meager 23 they will allow. The condition and the furniture in the room is OK. Breakfast is fine except there’s not much fresh fruit and it takes a while to get coffee sometimes because they have to serve it. You don’t get it yourself. The location is more than a mile outside the center of town. I didn’t try swimming there, but the pool area looks very nice. However, a couple of my fellow female travelers told me that the ladies room at the pool is a hole in the ground not a regular toilet.