Astoria

We had a superior lake view room. It was so small. Not enough storage and we kept having to move a solitary armchair to either get into the wardrobe or out onto the balcony. I would have thought that a 4* hotel would have provided tea/coffee making facilities or at least a kettle but no. Apparently it is if you have a suite. Having said that there would be nowhere to put a kettle except on the dressing table and even that would be a push!. Housekeepers were excellent. The room was spotlessly clean as was the rest of the hotel. The food was superb. We were there for 10 days and dinner was not repeated during that time. Restaurant staff were friendly. Water was chargeable which I thought was a bit off and a bottle of wine was expensive. We found much nicer wine at a fraction of the cost at the local supermarket. Would we return, because of the room size, the lack of at least a kettle and the size of the room, no.

We had a lovely week at the Astoria. It’s very well positioned right on the lake front close to all the amenities. All staff are very friendly and helpful. We had a few laughs with ‘Kojak’ at the cocktail bar who expertly supplied us with great rum cocktails at a reasonable price. The refurbished pool area was very pleasant for relaxation and the water was even heated! (That’s a big plus for us as most pools are freezing in May). We enjoyed Dinner and Breakfast in the light and bright restaurant with beautiful views looking out over the lake. All the food was very tasty except the scrambled egg which we think was powdered (and not nice). Our room 201 at the rear was comfortable enough although a bit small and the mattress on the hard side. Also, there was a loud, barking dog most mornings and evenings. Luckily it was limited but annoying all the same. We liked the bathroom but PLEASE install some grab rails in the shower/bath. It would be so easy for the elderly guests to slip over and cause injury! Our stay was part of a Riviera Travel package. We thought the Astoria was a good choice for their customers considering accommodation in Stresa is expensive due to the outstanding location.

Overall nice hotel with a well-kept structure and some of the staff kind and helpful. Presence of a very beautiful swimming pool and adequate breakfast. Very spacious and clean room. Unfortunately, the one-night stay was penalized by a problem in the bathroom; the bathtub/shower leaked water as soon as it was turned on. We promptly reported the problem to a very kind staff member who had the towels replaced and had the bathroom dried. The next morning the problem occurred again, preventing us from using the bathtub/shower normally. What left us most dissatisfied, however, was the handling of the situation by another staff member at the reception. After reporting the problem to the first member, we also noted the issue at the reception. After some initial banter, when we reported the problem seriously, we would have expected a more professional and attentive approach, while the tone remained too joking and inappropriate even while reporting the inconvenience. For a four-star hotel and considering the price paid, we expected greater attention in handling the mishap. Considering the inconvenience suffered, we would have expected a gesture of attention from the property, such as at least offering the two bottles of water consumed from the minibar. Not for the economic value, but as a sign of attention towards the customer, attention that, however, did not arrive spontaneously. We will definitely not return.