Camellia House

Mornings were really quiet, and from my room I had an amazing view of Maggiore Lake. Marta and Alessandro at reception were lovely and handled every request so kindly. The breakfast was cute too. A great stay on the lake in Stresa!

The staff were the saving grace, friendly, polite and helpful. The hotel is close to the lake, but there's a town centre building site across the road. The shower swung rapidly from freezing to scalding, so it was impossible to get comfortable. Breakfast options were very limited and depended on when you arrived. The coffee was lukewarm, and the water for tea was supposedly hot but only warm.

The balcony overlooking the lake really added to our stay. The hotel is a block back from the water and ferry docks, and not far from the train station. Staff were very friendly and helpful, and breakfast had a broad selection.

We found bedbugs, and the manager didn't seem concerned. We were moved to another room and told to shower. The next morning we asked if the room and our luggage would be disinfected, but were told that would take too long and cost too much. Instead, we were directed to an automated laundry service in town, at our expense. There was also a sewage smell. The older part of the hotel was in bad shape for both smell and noise, and the beds were uncomfortable. The newer section was somewhat better, but the lack of accountability over the bedbugs means I definitely wouldn't recommend this hotel.