Rio Molino Appartamenti

We're already missing Stresa now that our mini break is over. The apartment is bright and surrounded by greenery, and its location is handy for reaching the pier and beach. Chiara "Rio Molino" was kind and gave excellent hospitality, always being available. I highly recommend this property.

Chiara made us feel at home during our wonderful week. She's a very friendly and attentive host, and speaks excellent French. The apartment was bright, comfortable, and well equipped, with a lovely west-facing terrace where we enjoyed the late afternoon sun. We were traveling as a couple with our one-year-old, and Chiara had all the essentials ready for him, including a travel cot and high chair. The apartment is well located in Stresa, which matters since the village sits on a hillside and the climbs can quickly get tiring.

For over €100 a night, I expect an apartment to be clean, and we’ve stayed in much better places for the price. The bedroom and bathroom were okay, but the kitchen was dirty, with grimy surfaces and dishes, hair on the counters, and an uncleaned refrigerator. The knives were rusty, and there was no dish soap, dish towels, or paper towels. The furnishings were worn and basic. The bed frame was rickety, the two simple mattresses shifted around and were very uncomfortable, and the bedspread smelled as if it had never been washed. We won’t come back.

The property had a good location, parking on site, and a nice, polite landlady. But we booked two apartments through Booking.com and found the descriptions inaccurate, with a lot apparently left out. We were only two people in each, which was fortunate: the room described as having four beds could sleep at most two, and one apartment had dishes for just two or three. One had no washing-up facilities, which is unacceptable when there’s a sink right there. The other apartment’s bed was awful, with every spring digging into your back. Both places were very minimalist, with broken parts in the kitchen and countertop. There was nowhere to relax outside, and dogs wandered freely around the grounds. They listened to the landlady, but that still felt uncomfortable. Neither apartment had the advertised TV.