This hotel was very pleasant overall but had one serious flaw: the air conditioning situation. We turned down the temperature control in the room because it was too warm (June, in the 80’s outside), but it had no effect. When we called the desk about it they transferred us to engineering who blew us off, then when we returned to talk to the desk they wouldn’t answer the phone. Finally we resorted to opening the door to the balcony at night, which helped as the night cooled, but it was still humid plus it became noisy toward morning since our room was on the street. In the evaluation form we filled out when leaving, we mentioned the AC problem. They later sent us an email stating that the AC IS NOT TURNED ON until the hot summer months (apparently that doesn’t include June), except by special request! Apparently our request was not special enough. It’s a shame because the hotel’s location is extremely convenient, the staff is friendly, and otherwise the room and bath were fine.
Breakfast: a minimal buffet.
Balcony: We enjoyed our little balcony with its view of the lake immensely. Be warned, however that the balcony rooms are on the front and thus on the street which has a parking lot, a children’s playground and the ferry terminal on the other side. We didn’t mind this during waking hours, but some people might.
Parking: the hotel has no parking of its own. You can park in the lot across the street, or in other public parking spaces nearby, but only certain marked spaces are free. The paid spaces use the usual ticket acquired from a machine. If you want to forget about your car, leave it alone for many days, and take the ferry everywhere, as we did, you’ll need a free space, so it may take some patience to find one. (We finally did even on a Saturday afternoon). Also, it doesn’t work at all on Fridays because there’s a market, and thus no parking is allowed at all in that area.
Surrounds: The Pallanza area itself has only a few streets of interest to tourists (one great gourmet food & wine shop). There are several bars and pizzerias and restaurants along the strip along the water, and a nice walkway at the water’s edge. There is one fabulous, expensive restaurant, Ristorante Milano, see reviews elsewhere. Whatever you do, don’t miss visiting the Borromean islands, Isola Madre and Isola Bella. The ferry will take you right there.

Me and my family stayed here for a wedding which was being held in town, most of the other guests opted for the very expensive Majestic hotel - we didn't! And we're very glad of it! The staff were charming, the room was huge with a lovely little balcony overlooking the lake. We didn't eat breakfast but it did look good. A great place to stay if you plan to be exploring the lake and eating like kings at some of the fantastic restaurants near by. Great value for money.

Our window and balcony looked right out on the lake. The hotel was spotlessly clean, the rooms were spacious, and the people at the desk bent over backwards to be helpful and kind, in several languages. We loved being right across the street from the ferry - we got an all-inclusive ticket for three days, and could jump on and off whenever we wanted. The bar at the ferry building was a wonderful spot to watch the sunset. The hotel has an upscale dining room with excellent food. We ate there once - there are several other good restaurants right nearby. But we had a delicious breakfast every day at the hotel. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone, but I'd make sure they knew that the imbarcadero is across the street. This is where boats load and unload to the beautiful Borromeo Islands, and traffic comes and goes until the wee hours. There's a children's playground right in front, on the lakeshore; and Italian children stay up until ten or eleven, making lots of noise, as children do. The weekly street market, with delightful local color and bargains, happens early right outside your window if you are there on the right day. This hotel's super-central location makes it noisy, but if you have a balcony, as we did, the world-class view more than compensates. Truly, this is one gorgeous view. This hotel is an excellent value, handsome, clean, well located, with a courteous, helpful staff. Would I go again? Yes, but as a light sleeper, I'd take earplugs.