Hotel Regina Palace

Wow! This hotel is incredibly gorgeous. Decor is belle epoch with lots of ornate ceilings and beautiful workmanship on all the walls. We had a huge suite, including a cute little kitchenette area. Our balcony was gigantic, and could seat six people. We were overlooking the lake, which was a fabulous view. The grounds are meticulously maintained, with gorgeous flower plantings. Service was always excellent, and we had really good breakfast from the lavish breakfast buffet.

Very impressed with our couple of nights stay here. Fantastic location. Stunning architecture. Classy service. Wonderful breakfast. Room: Requested a quiet room and was given a lovely room at the back of the hotel looking over the pool, gardens and nearby hills, with a small balcony. Air-conditioning worked well, plenty of toiletries, robe and fluffy towels. We didn't use the mini bar. Hotel: The hotel decor and gardens are stunning. The outdoor pool is relaxing, easy to get sunbeds in July, huge pool towels available for guests. Staff: The reception staff were wonderful, helpful and efficient. Wait staff were discreetly attentive. Breakfast: A vast array of choice. Range of fruit, pastries, breads, meats and cheeses, cakes, yogurts plus a host of hot options. Fresh coffee made to order. We loved sitting on the terrace looking over the lake and watching the birds while we ate. Clientele: Mostly older people, some in tour groups. A couple of families with children, some mixed family groups. Range of nationalities. Hotel felt genteel. I am surprised by other reviews criticising the staff, they were fantastic. There is no tea/coffee in the rooms but we didn't need this, so it wasn't an issue for us. There are so many nice cafes to explore.

My aunt and I stayed for a week in June. Our room was on floor 4 with a view overlooking the lake which was beautiful, we enjoyed sitting and watch the Swifts at eye level. Room clean, the only thing which was disappointing was the mini bar which you had to pay to use to keep your own drinks in. We stayed half board, the food was excellent with a choice of dishes every night, well presented. Gardens and pool area well kept and pretty Hotel interior is fitting for the hotel style with amazing chandeliers. Staff all friendly and helpful - thank you to all. I would stay here again, just lovely and relaxed.

Most reviews on here echo my own thoughts. A superbly located hotel clinging on to traditional values of service, decorum and taste. Our week’s stay was started with 3 days of rain and other than the indoor pool/spa the hotel doesn’t have anything to entertain guests. Can’t recall seeing any children though during our stay. Most of the guests are, eerherm, elderly shall we say and many were travelling as part of an organised group tour party. Perhaps their expectations, and criticisms, are different to independent travellers such as ourselves. We were in room 104 overlooking the lake with a private balcony. Only issue was lack of tea/coffee making facilities which for a hotel of this status is poor. We experienced no issues with noise from other rooms.Contrary to what others have said we found the front desk staff to be courteous, professional and tackled any issues we had with respect and efficiency. Restaurant staff seemed to outnumber diners at times and when the weather improved we enjoyed dining outside on the terrace. The food was of high quality, varied and we always enjoyed the typical Italian dishes that featured daily. As for breakfast, if you didn’t enjoy the vast range of options on offer, all I can say is you must be very picky or hard to please. One area for improvement is the pathways to the outdoor pool with uneven tiles and very slippy when wet. My wife actually tripped and fell, thankfully without harm. The pool is ok, no problem getting sun beds. We did the 3 island trips not appreciating when booking that in addition to the €15 per person two of the islands charge €20 to visit the house/gardens. We also rode the little ‘Noddy’ train that does a 30 min trip around Stresa and this was very pleasant. The Friday market is good for leather goods, clothes but I wouldn’t say good value. The other trip we did was a disaster - the Centovalli train/boat trip to Locarno. From Stresa station we travelled to Domodossola where we had a 90 minute stop over. This pretty town had a market (Saturday) and we strolled around and had a drink in a cafe. So far, so good. Then we boarded the ‘Centovalli Express’ for a 2 hour journey through what we had been told was breathtaking scenery, magnificent views of the Alps, mountain villages and Lord knows how many bridges and tunnels. The reality is, as I should have guessed, the view from one side of the carriage was of sheer rock face and from the other a forest of trees, interspersed occasionally with clear views of towns and villages but quickly replaced by the rock face and tree flora. The seats were incredibly uncomfortable and the on board service was a tired looking selection of snacks on a trolley. We only had 1 hr 20 mins to explore Locarno so not much was seen. The return journey, by boat, was due to leave at 4pm, but a 4.45 we were still queuing in the rain. When we did set off the speed of the boat was noticeably slow. It transpired that one of the engines wasn’t working and we were going to

This is a wonderful hotel full of old style Italian charm. One or two people have said that it's old fashioned, well of course it is! If you don't appreciate this kind of old world charm go and stay in a Travelodge . The room was comfy, clean and well furnished, staff were excellent and the food was very good too. It is in a great setting overlooking the lake and very close to the charming shopping area in Stresa. A lovely place.