Hotel Au Parc des Cigognes

We needed a one-night stop on our drive from the UK to the Italian lakes, so the hotel's location near a main road seemed convenient. Instead, arriving around 9:30 PM after traffic delays, we found the entrance locked and no one there. Calls for help ended in sighs and hang-ups, which made an already stressful situation worse with our toddler along. Eventually someone stayed on the phone and used Google Translate to help, but sounded frustrated throughout. Inside, a rude attendant complained that we'd woken him. We felt completely unwelcome. The room was clean and adequate, but the fridge didn't work and there was no kettle or drinking water. We were deeply disappointed and can't recommend the hotel based on this stay.

After driving from Leicester to Lake Como with our toddler, we arrived at 23:10 to a locked front door, no lights, and nobody there. We had received no text or email with instructions, and no one answered the phone at first. When a man finally picked up, he sounded annoyed that we'd disturbed his sleep. We tried our best to explain ourselves in French using Google Translate, but he didn't seem willing to help and hung up several times. On the fourth call, he gave us the door code in broken English, then hung up again. Inside it was completely dark, and we still had to find our room. I found the key myself using my phone torch. My wife and son had been crying and panicking for about 30 minutes while I tried to sort things out. An older man eventually came in wearing pyjamas, clearly unhappy, asked if I spoke English, said in French that he didn't, and walked off. A text or email with the code and key location would have solved this. We were polite and calm, despite how bad the customer service was. It was the worst travel experience I've had. It also seemed very clear to us that the owners were strong Marine Le Pen supporters and that the place was for certain people only. I'm not joking.

We had a great day out with the family and enjoyed lunch in the large restaurant. It's a lovely place to take kids. Allow at least two hours, unless you're really short on time.

In an emergency, I needed a restroom and offered to buy whatever was necessary to use one. The receptionist said the restaurant was closed and that the lobby toilet was only for hotel guests and staff. She told me the nearest option was the train station, a 30-minute walk away. I was treated horribly.