Stayed an entire week at the Tresa Bay hotel in Ponte Tresa (suburb of Lugano). It can easily be reached by light train from the center of Lugano. Forget about the car, the traffic caused by Italians coming in to Switzerland to work is horrendous in the morning and evening. Parking is sparce too. However, this small hotel right on the lake of Lugano and right at the border with Italy is cute, very clean, has right sized very comfortable rooms and an outstanding restaurant with patio right on the lake; quite romantic. The cuisine in their restaurant is truly something to write home about. Make your reservation well in advanced. I heard that the place books out quickly in spring and summer.

Hi we stayed at the Tresa Bay Hotel during July on Business. I managed to use the hotels sun deck down next to the lake. Our room was very nice, fantastic views of the lake and mountains. I loved the glass window in the bathroom, everything was as it should be. We enjoyed the breakfast and evening meals in the hotel, all food was to a high standard. We also liked the train station which is just over the road, 20 minutes and you are in the heart of Lugano. We shall return, all staff friendly and happy to help.

This hotel is real mixed bag. Starting with the positives we found the staff friendly and helpful on arrival. The location is handy to the train which takes you to lugano along a picturesque lakeside line. There is free wi-fi access in the foyer area which also reached our room. The Restaraunt served an excellent breakfast and the one dinner we had was very enjoyable. Good quality food without being extraordinary. Ther restaurant is certainly in a lovely location overlooking the lake. The lakeside position is the saving grace of this hotel. Every room has a balcony allowing you to enjoy the views, watch the ducks and absorb the serenity of the water. Unfortunately the serenity is somewhat broken by the noisy road next to the hotel. The car noise is incessant and can disturb your night time sleep. The room was clean, there is a safe for valuables. The beds are fairly uncomfortable and a little short. The bathrooms are small and dated. The decor is a bit 1970s. The TV reception was not great and the TV was a bit old. Overall the hotel borders on a motel style and really needs a good make over. That said, It was nevertheless an enjoyable stay and we were made to feel very welcome by all the staff. if I needed to stay in the area again I would be happy to stay there but wouldn't seek it out especially.

We stayed for three nights in August. The views of the bay are fantastic and every room gets one so I understand. However the rooms are very dated and are not what we'd consider 4 star. There was also no aircon in our room, which any other time of year would probably have been fine, but the evenings were warm and to cool the rooms down we had to open the door to the balcony. Unfortunately this means you have to put up with both the noise from the nearby road and the possible smoking of your neighbor on their balcony.

The service and the restaurant were fine and we were able to park, although spaces are limited. We looked at the pool and the wellness area and was pretty underwhelming.

The hotel is a few hundred metres from the Italian border and we found that the better eating options were on that side, particularly if you are prepared to walk around the bay (its quieter there). You can get to Lugano by train (almost stops outside the hotel) or by ferry (although limited service to the bay). If you do go try and visit the little village of Morcote, it is truly beautiful and relatively untouched by the tourist crowds.

If the view from your balcony is really important and your not bothered about the room or being slightly away from bustle of Lugano then its fine, if you're looking for genuine 4 star quality then perhaps look elsewhere.