Hotel Belvedere

The location of this traditional, Edwardian era hotel was excellent for catching the ferry around the islands. Our huge 4th floor room had a very high ceiling and dual aspect windows, meaning it was light and airy and offered fabulous views across the lake to Isola Madre and beyond to Stressa on the opposite shore. The bed was large and comfortable. The bathroom was also large with a walk in shower that could easily accommodate 2. The lift had been cleverly designed with to fit inside the original staircase, but had glass walls to maintain it's airy grandeur. Breakfast was generous and varied. with separate sweet and a savoury food stations. There were egg boiling points, ham cheese, rolls, cereals, muesli, yogurts, fresh fruit, cakes and croissants. Staff brought drinks to your table and were helpful and courteous. This is a more formal hotel, selected for its location and comfort as we were planning to celebrate our 36th Wedding anniversary on Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of strolls along the lake.

As mentioned, the location was great for ferry connections and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the boats on the lake. Unfortunately, directly outside was a childrens' playground and with warm evenings we had the windows open, so their piercing screams travelled up to our room each night until around 10pm. Parking - there are parking restrictions outside the hotel due to the market traffic. Secure parking is offered but it's expensive. However we found free parking down the road on day one and left the car there throughout our stay.