Hotel dell'Angelo

Our room for five was clean, the hotel service was great, and breakfast was exceptional. There was no air conditioning, and just three outlets for all five of us. The central location is handy for restaurants and bars, but driving there and finding a parking space are both difficult. We thought parking was free when we booked, but on arrival they said it was a discount at an underground garage, 15 CHF for 24 hours.

We stayed four nights and were very happy with the service. The place was clean, the staff friendly and helpful, and our comfortable room had a tiny balcony with an amazing view of Cardada. It's a small historic building, so don't expect a modern hotel. Being central means you hear street noise, so it may not suit someone with a baby or anyone after a quiet, remote retreat. The lack of air conditioning was fine in this climate, with cool nights and days that weren't extremely hot. I don't get all the negative comments. It's a good place for a fair price. Just make sure you book the right section, since they also run a cheaper tourist class motel or backpacker hostel, which isn't a hotel.

The room switch turned a decent arrival into a bad stay. We were sent to a room before it was ready and waited about 10 minutes outside while it was cleaned. It was cozy, with a nice view and quiet, but then housekeeping told us it wouldn't lock. The receptionist gave us a key to another room. That one was much smaller, had a worse view, and its balcony looked onto another hotel, where the guests and I kept awkwardly making eye contact. It also faced a loud bar, a busy pedestrian street, and another bar with loud live rock all night. With the windows shut, we still heard poor singing and drunk people below until 2 AM. The hotel is tacky and dated. In the dining room there's a statue depicting a blackface character, painted completely black with exaggerated red lips and holding candles. It's racist and tacky, like the rest of the decor, with cheap old plastic angels and ugly urns that look like crematorium ads. Breakfast was limited and crowded, with people hovering over the buffet like vultures. All that said, Locarno itself is beautiful, and I'm glad I got to see it. I wouldn't stay at this hotel again.

The staff were friendly and really helpful. Our room was clean, we had a great view, and the hotel is right in the city centre.