Grand Hotel Bristol - Stresa

We have visited Stresa once before but were staying at the grand hotel Majestic in Pallanza on that occasion. This time we decided to stay at the grand hotel Bristol after looking at hotels in Stresa on the internet, it looked wonderful and was just a short walk from the town centre. Our expectations were met in full, the hotel was grand in every sense from the palatial reception area to the bedrooms and bathrooms,we had a superior room overlooking the garden with partial lake views. The staff were most welcoming and helpful and not once in the nine days of our stay did we have any problems.We had breakfast every morning and dinner on two evenings.The breakfast was exspensive,€30 per couple, but the four course set menu was better value at €36 each and the food was excellent. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a relaxing holiday on Lake Maggiore with a touch of luxury

Excellent hotel with good facilities. The staff were very friendly on the whole although the reception staff were slightly less charming but nevertheless helpful. Neither of the pools were heated and the indoor one therefore with no sun was uninviting! Drinks and food in hotel were expensive but there are plenty of other places to eat in the town. Decor in main rooms was lovely and there is plenty of seating both indoors and out. Our room was lovely with a good view and balcony. However, some rooms are a lot smaller (about a foot at the bottom of the bed to the wall as our friends found out) and very squashed; this is not clear on the website. The hotel is very clean and breakfast was good value. The views are amazing and Stresa itself is a really relaxing place to be yet has lots to do as well. The hotel is in a quiet location right on the edge of the lake. The grounds are large and spacious, full of flowers and has shady parts as well as full sun. I would thoroughly recommend the hotel although pay extra for a better room.

- indoor pool area: not very clean and welcoming, missing maintenance (shower not working) - food (in the occasion of a wedding): very poor, the courses served too quick one after the other, pasta an risotto served together on the same plate, pasta and risotto overcooked - both not al dente, veal fillet uneatable as it was like steamed instead of proparly made in the oven (probably prepared too early and kept warm too long) - bathroom very small: when sitting on the toilet you could have laid down your chin on the wash basin

Good Hotel, clean, well maintained, professional employees, great breakfast.

Hotel is almost perfect. room is clean,and reception, restaurant,swimming pool bar.. is also kindly. also swimming pool is big and nice view. i want back near furthur.

Hotel was fantastic, facilities excellent and staff very good Food was mediocre and totally overpriced - far better to walk five minutes into the town to a pizzeria than put up with the terrible buffet style food

This hotel is very nice and the personal very nice and professional. The only thing I can tell it is their beds are very hard and the pillows too, but I suppose it is like that in Europe because it is not the first time we have very hard beds in Europe.

Attentive efficient and prompt service whether it was in room dining or concierge. Cannot fault except for noise from street-double glazing may be indicated. However, would gladly return!

It was the first time I spent very little holydays in this marvellous hotel. All was perfect...except the breakfast timetable (till 9h45 !!!)and the road (trafic) in front of the hotel. But anyway I shall go back to this hotel!!!

Booked for 1 night. Stayed 4. Excellent service, wonderful hotel. We were upgraded to room with marvellous view. Only big disadvantage - no insulation between rooms. Can hear EVERYTHING from next door. Noisy in back also - storerooms, working until late at night. Would give 10 but for noise.

Grand Hotel Bristol is a great hotel, very beautiful nice atmosphere the only disadvantage is the added high price of breakfast, so we did not eat there but it has a great location and it is extremely beautiful... Thanks

A great place to visit especially for couples or families who want a quiet relaxing holiday away from all the hustle and bustle of noise and rowdy places where night clubs and bars are the main attractions.

The room was not what was expected. We stayed in a "triple" (myself, husband and young son), which ended up being 2 twin beds (pull down beds) and a pull out sofa, which were just horrible. For the price, I expected nicer sleeping arrangements as the intent was to have a nice restful evening(and at least an opportunity to sleep next to my husband, and not sleep on a sofa bed like back in college!). The result was that my husband barely fit on the small bed, mine was too hard, and my son could feel the springs all night long. No one slept well and really ruined the trip. There was also very little resturant options close by, and hotel resturant was closed VERY early. It was nearly impossible to get food for my hungry son without sitting in the bar, for a long time & wait for only snacks, or walk a few kms (which I should not have to do late at night). Location was relatively close to train station, however slightly further from the center vs. other hotels. Staff was friendly, and the common areas were nice.

My husband, adult son and I spent 4 glorious days in Stresa. The Bristol is the furthest hotel from town but is only about a 10-15 minute walk. The staff was wonderful at checkin and checkout. We had a problem with the lock on our door one night but that was quickly resolved. The pool was extremely cold and if you do not get there early in the morning you may not find a lounge chair as it seems everyone comes out and claims a chair by leaving personal items. We were at the pool one afternoon for 3 hours and even though every lounge was taken, only 20 people were at the pool and others never returned while we were there. That aside, luxuory is the symbol for the Bristol. I would definitely recommend and stay there again.

Ottimo hotel. A due passi dal centro di Stresa. Non possiamo dire nulla sul cibo, perchè abbiamo solo pernottato. La camera era bella, pulita e accogliente. Le piscine ampie e pulite: quella esterna aveva acqua un pò fredda; quella interna era riscaldata. Da provare la jacuzzi! Hotel enorme: attenzione a non perdervi (c'è anche un ascensore orizzontale... si chiamerà comunque ascensore??!!??). Hotel consigliatissimo.

Stayed in 2 rooms with wife, 2 daughters. Wished we stayed longed. Lake views from room. Lovely grounds. Cute town. Only, negative- they charged EU15 pp for b-fast without warning.

One person, maybe he was the supervisor, was not very friendly. He didn't even bid us his welcome although he stood at the lobby. Therefore I marked only 4.

This hotel is absolutely not made for turism. Their focus is business meetings and during summer holidays tour operators's groups and weddings. During my long business life, I travelled around the world and stayed in various hotels. I never seen such narrow and small rooms where you have to select either you enter in the room without your luggages and you can't move or you keep your luggages outside. Worse is the bathroom. You can't get access to the washbasin without stepping over the toilets. Unbelievable!!! The personel is there only for their job and certainly for being paid at the end of month without any effort for being customer oriented. Very frustating. We prefer to forget our stay there.

Our second experience of Hotel Grand Bristol.It still lives up to the first. A welcoming hotel, a superb location excellent faciities, particularly the outside pool and the pool staff are first class. It's certainly a favourite of ours. Difficult to beat in it's class.

Internet to expansive...17€/Day. Swimming Pool, Jacuzi and Fitness room perfect.

Everyone at the Hotel, I mean everyone, was courteous and helpful and really wanted our stay pleasurable. Great location: excellent restaurants, facilities and shops inside. 5 minute walk to Pier in front of an amazing view of the Lake for boat transport. If you are first timers, like we were, and in need of clean, quite, 4 star plus service, this is the best value in the area I'd recommend.

Wonderful location, excellent hotel

Unfortunately the standard rooms are very noisy, you can hear every cough from the next room.

Reception staff were very helpful and friendly. We Couldn't have asked for more. View from the rooms at the side of the hotel were spectacular -lake and hotel garden. Hotel was well located and easy to find. Stresa has good good connections with direct trains to Milan.

An excellent stay. The grounds and location are fantastic as were the breakfasts.

The Grand Hotel Bristol is an excellent hotel in an outstanding location. To make the most of the great facilities at the hotel and the superb attractions of Stresa and the surrounding area, treat yourself to at least a week here - you will not be disappointed. This is luxury on a "grand" scale and for a very reasonable price. We stayed in a standard double which was fine for a short break, but if we were staying longer we would definately consider moving up to a superior double or a junior suite and it would be worth paying extra for a room at the front of the hotel with a lake view. We did not have an evening meal at the hotel or a drink in the bar, preferring instead to stroll along the lake-side promanade into Stresa (500m) were there is a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Breakfast on the outdoor terrace was very good with excellent service and a good choice of quality products. Overall Stresa is one of the nicest places we have visited and the Grand Hotel Bristol one of the best hotels we have stayed in. We can't wait to return!

Lovely hotel in a wonderful position.Only criticism is that bar staff are a bit slow.

Un service déplorable et incompétant! Arrivé à 14h00 nous sommes très déçu de la chambre qui se trouve dans une annexe de l'hôtel. La piscine extérieure est à 18 degrés au mois d'août!!Au retour dans notre chambre, nous nous apercevons que notre douche ne fonctionne pas! C'en est trop! nous informons la réception qui nous change de chambre dans le même bâtiment, et là, c'est le lavabo qui ne foncionne pas correctement et qui coule sur nos pieds, et le tapis de lit qui regorge de cheveux et autres des clients précédents. Le responsable que nous demandons est impoli, et nous quittons cet hôtel superbe de l'extérieur et absolument pas à la hauteur de ses prétentions de d'intérieur pour chercher un autre hôtel dans les environs.

Hotel parfait luxieux admirablement situé sur le lac, personnel tres qualifié ,petit déjeuner delicieux servi en terrasse sur le lac c'est un grand moment de plaisir

The only one problem: the bed was a little short for us.

Oh dear, the food really let this hotel down! It was AWFUL! Most things (apart from the fresh fruit) looked and tasted as though they had been taken out of a tin or a packet, and there were flies all over the buffet table. We were very disappointed, especially as the dinner wasn't cheap. The waiters were bit dozy too, telling us we weren't allowed in one of the hotel restaurants (no explanation why) and then, in the other restaurant, seating us at a table belonging to another couple - who came back from the buffet very affronted that we had taken their seats! On the other hand, the hotel itself had nice, spacious decor and was clean and quiet. Our room was spacious too, and the pool outside looked lovely from our balcony. The staff were helpful enough, although the woman who showed us to our room did not offer to carry my bag even though I was very obviously pregnant. I would recommend this hotel for somewhere to stay, but only if you don't mind it being full of English tour groups, and only if you don't plan to eat here.

Overall, in line with the description and the offer. For a hotel in this category, the room was a bit small and the breakfast buffet leaves some room for improvement.

Excellent stay on an elegant hotel.

We were given a Mountain View room at the 4th floor, there was only one simple problem that we've faced but might be very considerable to others, the problem is the Big Glass Recycle Garbage, unfortunately the hotel staff is using this Garbage to throw all types of glass which causes very loud noise, I wish that the hotel administration move this Recycle Garbage to another place.

Very welcoming & efficient staff. The Grand has all the facilities one expects of an Italian 'Grand Hotel' without a lot of the unneccessary 'stuffiness' that one often experiences. A nice balance between good, discreet service & efficiency.

Breakfast each morning was delightful, outside on the terrace, but the restaurant staff were not very welcoming or helpful - they weren't at all unwelcoming, but just doing a job. There isn't a vast amount to do in the area if it pours with rain all day......

Great hotel, great location right on the lake, fantastic pool area. Too far to walk from train station, but cab was only 10 euros. Only down side was ridiculously expensive wireless internet by swisscom and there was no "in-hotel" store for small things like toiletries, tobacco, newspaers.

We stayed in Stresa for 5 nights (6 days) and the Hotel Bristol was everything that we imagined and expected it to be. We will certainly stay there again when we return to Italy. It is a first class hotel and is extremely well run and appointed.

Beutiful place , everything good .

It's a fantastic hotel in an amazing place. highly reccomended, I travel quite a lot and I've a few hotels like this one.

A superb location, right next to the Barommees Islands and within easy, walking distance of Stresa along a beautiful lakeside promenade. The two swimming pools (indoor and outdoor) are a major asset. There was just one small problem with non-availability of towels in the indoor pool one evening which took a couple of 'phone calls to resolve. However, the overall impression is a Hotel with standards that are impressively high and substantially achieved. There is a sense of space and calm efficiency throughout the hotel. In particular, the restaurant staff handled the large number of residents for the buffet breakfast very effectively. The challenges thrown at them were managed in a quiet efficient and friendly way. There was real and impressive evidence of teamwork amongst the staff. My wife and daughter and I were were only there 2 nights, but would need little temptation to return.

Beautiful hotel, fantastic lake view, large outdoor swimming pool with nice garden around it, featuring tables as well as loungers. Although it is a 10 min walk from the shops of Stresa, it is also a 10 min walk from the cable car going up the mountain. The hotel also features an impressive horizontal elevator that takes one to the indoor pool. For those who crave news, foreign language newspapers are usually (but not always) available, but one-page news summaries are readily available in various languages, and tailored to various countries (e.g. separate US and UK sheets).

Good hotel with excellent facilities and good service in a very good location from the main town, which is very pretty and provides lots of entertainment and good food. Boat trips out on the lake are very enjoyable. Only negative is that the room that we had at the front of the hotel was rather noisy as it was facing the main road. Double glazing would be advisable and that would make it an excellent hotel. overall a positive stay

Beautiful hotel and surroundings. Helpful staff. Pool area could be more attractive - currently very ordinary rectangular pool. However very comfortable and enjoyable stay.

A really beautiful hotel with very good facilities (indoor pool very useful for early morning swims when raining!). Breakfast time can be very busy but staff are efficient and the food choice very good. Our room was at the back of the hotel and became very noisy late at night - presumeably staff taking breaks (closing the balcony doors helped considerably). Staff professional and helpful though did not always feel welcoming. However, really enjoyed my stay and would highly recommend this hotel.

Dear Venere Our stay at your Grand Bristol was among our finest hotel experiences ever. The meals were wonderful. This would have would have been our best experience ever but for the following: · Antonio your maitre d’ was kind and gracious, but very rushed · Concierge services were sorely missing (and therefore a source of revenue for the hotel) · our room was too tiny, and finally · "nickel dimeing" guests a nightly fee for parking is tacky and way beneath the stature of your hotel. Thank you and Best regards Michael Christensen

Stresa is an amazing resort to which we would return. the Bristol Hotel proved to be up to our expectations, but when we requested a lakeview room we were asked to pay a hefty surcharge. we expected an upgrade as the hotel did not seem full. room was ok. breakfast boring. service attentive and competent.

I really appreciated this trip in this hotel. This is a very beautiful hotel, with an indoor swimming pool & jaccuzzi. My only small concern was that our room was on the "bad" side of the hotel, no view on the Borrommees Islands.. Otherwise, I would definitively recommend this hotel.

Everything was perfect except finding hotel. it was a first time to go to Stresa. and map was not enough for me to find a hotel by walk from railway station. but staff was very helpful and kind. view of room was exellent, and swimming pool also good.

This hotel is locate at the main road and very easy to locate. The room is very small, but has all the accessories. The breakfast is very poor in compare to Israeli breakfasts, BUT, in compare to the othere breakfasts that we had in Italy, their breakfast is very decent. Be aware that they are taking 7 EUR for the parking!!! Moshik

Excellent accomodations and location on the lake and easy walking into the town of Stresa. I think the hotel is a little over priced for the accomodations, but then again most hotels during peak vacation times are. I would definitely recommend this facility and I would definitely stay there on a return visit. If my visit were to exceed a three to five day stay I would opt for the many apartments that are available for rent at a more reasonable price.

Your hotel is beautiful and the balconies are an excellent feature. It was so relaxing to sit and look at the scenery. Thanks a lot and I ope to visit you again.

Breakfast selection poor