Hotel L'Approdo

I found the whole place a bit like a retirement home. The hotel is very basic, and the only reason I can see for its four stars is a few extra amenities such as the tennis court and pool. The staff felt too corporate, and I didn’t get a warm, personal welcome. The room was small, the beds uncomfortable, and the bathroom smelled of drains. The TV was so tiny you’d need binoculars to watch it, and the shower gel and other toiletries were poor quality. Breakfast offered a lot of choice, but the quality was poor: the eggs were left on a hot plate and didn’t taste fresh, and the other food was tasteless. I was very disappointed and really wouldn’t recommend it. There are much better three-star hotels in the area that offer far more.

The setting is gorgeous, which makes it all the more frustrating that the hotel felt so neglected. My room had a nice view but was uncomfortable, with dated amenities and a bathroom that seemed to be falling apart. The pool and lake area also badly need attention, and breakfast left me worried about food poisoning. After a few amazing nights at a five-star place farther up Lake Orta, I was shocked to see L’Approdo rated four stars. The photos gave me a different impression, and the stay felt overpriced and deeply disappointing. I hope the property can be rescued with a full renovation and warmer staff. Until then, I’d suggest an Airbnb in Orta San Giulio.

We spent one night here and got a room facing the restaurant. There was a wedding going on, with loud music from midday until midnight, and nobody had warned us. When we raised it, the response was basically that these things happen at events. A simple apology would have been the least I’d expect from a four-star hotel. The staff came across as rude, and the hospitality didn’t feel four-star at all. After I posted a review on the booking platform, they replied that guests appreciate their hospitality. The reviews here make that claim hard to agree with.

The view is nice, but the facilities are old. We were given a windowless room that felt like a basement, with no Wi-Fi and poor amenities. You have to pay extra for a lake-view upgrade. The pool was cold and dirty, so swimming wasn’t an option.