Stayed at the Hotel San Carlo for two nights in August 2011. The fantastic location puts you in the heart of Lugano, on a pedestrian-friendly street just a few minutes from the Piazza della Riforma, the lakefront, and the funicular to the train station. Rooms were quirky but clean -- a good choice if you're used to affordable European accommodations, but perhaps a little sparse if you've only traveled stateside. Perhaps the best part of Hotel San Carlo was the staff -- we spoke very little Italian, so we were grateful for the reception staff who spoke wonderful English and even helped us learn some Italian phrases. Good breakfast included, with coffee, juice and pastries served in the hotel's breakfast room.

This hotel was a real dream and a great find. It is perfectly placed on via Nassa, one street back from the road running alongside the lake, and only 10 mins away from Lugano station (via the funicular). The hotel is only small but has a lot of personality and charm. The staff are great and extremely friendly and willing to help. We asked for extra pillows and they were provided no problem at all. The room was really comfy and bright, and very spacious. We had a corner room which had a view through to the lake.

I would definitely recommend this hotel and will stay here again when I am next in Lugano.

Our family of 4 stayed for 2 nights here in Sept 2010. We booked a "family room for 4", which basically is 2 rooms converted into one. Despite that, the room is still rather cramped. One half is filled with a double bed; the other half has 2 twin beds; and there are 2 small stools for sitting. However, the owners made the most of the room space and constructed plenty of shelves for storage.

Location-wise, Hotel San Carlo cannot be at a better spot in Lugano. Situated in the heart of Via Nassa, it is in the midst of high-end clothing boutiques and luxury watch stores. Right next door is a Coop dept store with a supermarket in the basement. One block away is Lake Lugano and the ferry terminal. A few minutes' walk takes you to the funicular station where you can take it up to the train station. Also around the corner is Piazza Riforma where there are dozens of restaurants to choose from.

For the reasonable rate we paid for, we thought the small room was an acceptable compromise for such a prime location.

The included breakfast is basic but adequate. Each table gets a bread basket, with a variety of cheese and jams; coffee/tea, juices, and a fruit bowl which constantly gets refilled.

The staff at Hotel San Carlo was very friendly, helpful, and accommodating. We would recommend Hotel San Carlo if you're in Lugano for a short stay and don't mind somewhat cramped rooms.

Our only issue during our stay was that in-room wi-fi didn't work. The management tried to fix/reboot the system, but it still didn't work afterwards.

We stayed for 3 nights and I had no particular expectations of this hotel being anything more than a convenient place to stay. As it turned out, the experience was very good. Rooms were furnished in a charmingly retro way (although our double bed was pretty saggy in the middle, and the head end was significantly lower than the foot end). Staff were all very friendly and multilingual. We were travelling with a young baby, and she was accommodated very well (we had a travel cot in our room). No problems with noise or cleanliness. Breakfast was much better than I anticipated (a range of breads, jams, fruit, drinks).