Hotel Borgo Vistalago

We had a good stay and enjoyed the quirk and character of this hotel. The 12 rooms are situated in various units, all within less than 100 metres of the main reception/breakfast room. Rooms are all quite different. Our Lake View Suite with Terrace was light and airy, with patio doors opening onto the main road and lake, whereas our sons’ split level Superior Room was located on an ancient side street, utterly charming, but dark. Both suffered from the noise of late night revellers. The staff were all friendly and helpful, the manager, polished, engaging, and the go-to fella if you don’t speak Italian. Parking is on-street and the hotel can provide you with a pass which brings the charge down to just €0.50 a day (€1.00 per hour without it, free between 8pm and 7am). We usually managed to find a spot (mid- May) but I can imagine it’s trickier come July. The sweet little breakfast buffet is included in the room rate and served from 8 till 1030am (the lovely staff kindly allowed us to come a little earlier). The town boasts plenty of restaurants within walking distance, nearby bus stops for travel to Bracciano and Anguillara Sabaza, and a ferry in season. But back to the rooms - I suspect guests will report greatly varying experiences given the diffuse layout and styling of rooms. Number one criteria for me is always light - as much natural light as possible, so I was delighted with our Lake View Room which was bathed in it, as well as boasting magnificent views. We also appreciated the provision of a kettle, coffee machine and fridge. WiFi was good, as was our shower, but the supply of bathroom products was as skimpy as it gets, and the quality of them as basic as it gets. Our room was also crudely and cheaply finished, very rough and ready in areas. Our son reported that his shower was weak and ineffectual, but he was otherwise happy with the room. Our stay wasn’t for leisure purposes, we were in the area to compete at the nearby Vallelunga Race Circuit, less than 20 minutes drive. The hotel was a convenient base for us, and if returning we would certainly consider staying again.

This is an albergo diffuso, and our lakefront suite was a few buildings away from the main hotel. We were greeted by our charming and gracious host, Mario, who is the manager. Several guests, all arriving from transatlantic flights and tired, arrived early and at the same time. Mario greeted everyone warmly, and it made a big difference as we all had to wait for our rooms. We were able to order coffee and waters from the hotel’s cafe as we waited for our rooms to be available. Our room, a suite, was large for Italy. We had a beautiful lake view from the bed, the balcony overlooking the lake, comfortable bed, and pillows, and a large bathroom. There was also seating in the room. We will definitely return to this hotel next year for a longer stay. The hotel is in the center of town, walking distance to the bakeries, restaurants, the lakefront is across the street, there isn’t a better location. It was very Italian, the service was very personal, and we really enjoyed the experience. It was worlds away, in a good way, from the Hilton in Dallas where we stayed at the commencement of our trip.