Hotel Ristorante Lago Bin

We had a lovely stay. The staff were really friendly, and the restaurant felt cozy. The food was delicious, with generous portions.

The valley location is a real drawback. The rooms were clean, but need renovation, especially the bathrooms, and better soundproofing. You can hear every door in the corridor and cars on the street. Staff were helpful, though not very friendly. Prices are fairly low, but what you get is a hotel that’s at most two stars.

The photos came together beautifully and really reflected the couple’s vision for their Italian wedding. I found this shell (see photos), which was perfect with the JimmyChoo pearl heels. As the photographer, I could move decor and other interior pieces around, then put them back where they’d been. Not every venue would allow that. The hotel did an amazing job hosting the destination wedding, and the staff were lovely to the vendors as well as the guests. I accidentally left my airpods there, and the hotel manager made it a personal mission to get them back to me. It wasn’t easy, but they managed it and sent them to me. An iconic hotel close to Dolceacqua.

The setting around Hotel Lago Bin is undeniably beautiful, but that was the only positive part of my recent stay for a wedding in Italy. I can only give it 1 out of 5 stars, and wouldn’t recommend it for a special event. The service was very poor. Food arrived two hours late, and without air conditioning the indoor spaces were uncomfortably hot. The AC in our room wasn’t working either, and the rooms weren’t up to the standard you’d expect for such a special occasion. The owner was exceptionally rude throughout our stay. The next morning, while we were sitting by the pool, we were told the tables were exclusively “for clients.” That felt really weird, especially since we’d slept at the hotel and were buying things at the bar. It left us feeling unwelcome and frustrated. I was surprised to see the wedding staff serving breakfast the next morning, even though we’d left the venue quite late the night before. It made me question their working conditions. The wedding itself was memorable, but that was down to the guests’ efforts and spirit, not the hotel.