Very surprisingly there were less than a dozen people staying at this small (<30 rooms) hotel in Borgata, Sestriere. The village is extremely quiet, unlike the rooms if you have noisy neighbours, given the very low occupancy this was not a problem. The staff are friendly and generally helpful but the food could have been better, lacking in variety with an excess of veal, cured ham, cheese, eggs etc. This monotony was not apparent in the many good mountain restaurants across the 'Milky Way'. Also one does not expect the same half finished apple strudel to be presented repeatedly for pudding four days in succession, although there were other choices these were repeated too (creme caramel and a small selection of ice creams). There was lots of fresh fruit although a vegetarian guest was disappointed by having to eat egg dishes much of the time. Some of the main courses were rather strange, for instance two poached eggs with cheese sauce plus boiled carrots and mashed potatoes(!)
The bar area is quite large but lacks a focal point and is not cosy with so few guests, a couple of evenings it was also quite chilly.
Despite these criticisms there were some important plus points - it's very clean and not expensive, with plenty of hot water for showers. The rooms and ensuite bathrooms were warm, and a fair size with enough storage space, far less cramped than in similarly priced chalet accommodation.
- Banchetta Hotel Sestriere
