After reading all of the positive reviews, I was excited to stay at the hotel: beautiful terrace to have breakfast and dinner; listening to the waves as you fall asleep with cool breezes...; feel superior to the people staying in Stresa!
HARDLY, our experience was a quite different. When we arrived, they told us there was no air conditioning, but with the windows open in the evening it won't be too hot... OK. What they didn't mention was that they had functions both evenings, of about 150 people right under your window. It was impossible to leave the windows open. Yes there was a fan, but with the window open it sounded like you were at a wedding, with the noise and music until well past 1:00 a.m.
Then, when we wanted to make reservations for dinner, the rude girl at the desk, stated that that would be impossible because of the scheduled functions. We could eat on the side terrace, if we like. OK...
And once you get to the island, there is nothing to do. You can walk around it in 10 minutes. There are no ferries after 7:00 p.m. so you are literally stranded with the noise and heat.
If you are looking for something with a little more sophisticated and something to do, stay in Baveno...
And if you do stay, beware of the ferries, take the public ferry, for 6.50 euro, not the other ferry at the dock for 20.00 euro per person. And remember, you have to pay every time
you come and go...
Of course the morning we were leaving the public ferry was on strike so we had to call a private boat for 20.00 euro... My husband and I were ready to use our luggage as rafts just to escape.....

Very friendly hotel, situated on a small island off Stresa. Rooms a good size for Italy, and the views from our balcony could have come from a holiday brochure. The island gives you a sense of superiority over those stuck in Stresa with traffic noise, while we were listening to wavelets lapping the sure. We'll be back!

The hotel's location is wonderful: we were able to arrive late after most of the tourists had left and had the island to ourselves to explore after a glass of wine in one of the waterfront cafes. The island is small, but has simply stunning views across the lake - to the other islands and the shore.

The hotel itself is pleasant: the staff were friendly enough, and the room was adequate, but you get considerably less for your money here than you do in most other Italian Lakes towns that we visited. The room was clean (as was the bathroom) but slightly on the small side with slightly amusing Italian decor (a little fussy but quite sweet). There were beautiful views from the (shared) veranda across the lake.

The evening meal was good - and not too pricey. The staff were very courteous and service was friendly and of a good standard. There's a lovely little table which has its own little corner of the veranda (towards Stresa) so book this if you'd like a romantic corner.

The best bit of the stay was probably breakfast. Whilst the selection of food was fairly average, the location made the meal truly memorable. There's something wonderfullly romantic and relaxing about eating your breakfast outside in the sunshine with a view of a nearby island framed by beautiful plants.

If you're keen to visit Stresa, this is definitely the place to stay - you can get away from the rest of the tourists and find some peace and quiet, and its definitely high on the romance quota.

We personally enjoyed our stay. Our room was clean and relatively comfortable (the mattress was a little firm for our taste!). We enjoyed the lovely views, peacefullness esp. in the evening and early morning/ The breakfast buffet was very nice and although dinners were a little expensive we enjoyed the two dinners we had on site. Staff were very helpful.