Villa del Gusto

Bellinzona is beautiful. We had a great day hiking and saw several castles as well. Our rooms were excellent, and breakfast was another lovely meal, with homemade yogurt, muesli, bread, and pastries. We arrived late but still made it in time for a wonderful multi-course dinner in the garden. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while, and everything around us was so peaceful.

The accommodation itself was really poor, but I would have minded much less if the owner had been polite and welcoming. Instead, her attitude ruined a weekend I’d planned with my friends for months. I came away feeling she just wanted the money without providing service, and I’d rate the place and service among the worst in the travel business. Save your time and money and stay away. While we were in Ticino, I called the owner to check the check-in time and ask whether we could leave our car nearby before the 4pm check-in, so we could visit Bellinzona. She shouted at me to check the booking.com app, said goodbye, and hung up. When we arrived with my friends around 6pm, she didn’t greet us. She coldly pointed out the parking and rooms and made us feel like we were bothering her. The apartment felt cold, and certainly wasn’t a villa. The booking photos didn’t reflect what we found: old boxes with vegetables were piled at the entrance, and there was a mess everywhere. Our rooms were dark and smelled bad. The towels were old and had holes, and there was no soap or shower gel in the bathrooms, or even a bottle of water. When I asked about checking in, she shouted that she had no time and told us to do it when we left the next day. So we spent the night without giving our identity details. That really shouldn’t happen, since you don’t know who might show up there without being identified.

It’s basically an Airbnb, and it was my worst travel experience. The stay was very unpleasant. Breakfast was all sweet food, with no cheese or ham. The parking was extremely narrow, and we couldn’t find it without help.

Horrible stay. The hostess was rude and hostile, the parking situation was desperate, and the four flights of stairs felt dangerous. There’s no lift. The towels were old and rough, and breakfast was pathetic. Save your money and go somewhere else!