We have just come back from a week and at Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. Unfortunately, the weather was not so good but the hotel, on the other hand, was really beautiful.
We arrived early, around 11h00 am and the room was ready after 5 minutes. The junior suite where we stayed was on the 4th floor, elegantly decorated and luxurious, with a nice view on the lake. Service upon arrival (check in and concierge-bell boy were efficient and friendly). The hotel gives the real feeling of being back in the Belle Epoque even if they have exagerated a bit in some decorations! Orchids and fresh flowers everywhere, despite the low season. The gardens were outstanding and extremely well kept. The Spa and the indoor swimming pool a nice treat in a bad weather day. Breakfast was good and nice.
On the bill there was a roomrate charge mistake (35€) that we did not point since this hotel was so good!
A true Grand Hotel on the shores of Lake Maggiore!

I recently stayed at the Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees in late May. I had decided on the town of Stresa for something a bit different before I went on to Rome. I had made arrangements through my travel agent with the hotel to send a car and driver to greet me at the airport upon my arrival to transfer me to the hotel. The drive is about 45 minutes and it starts out as nothing really special in relation to panaroma - but once you get closer to Lake Maggiore - well the panaroma changes drastically and it is just beautiful! Down the winding roads onto the main road in Stresa (running parallel to the lake) we come upon the Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees - this hotel is just beautiful. When you walk inside the decor of the hotel is very old world - elegant - stately - as if you stepped back in time. I was greeted at reception and as I had arrived in the morning hours they needed to make sure my room was ready. I sat in the common area for a few minutes and was then escorted to my room. I had originally booked a room with a garden view - but they upgraded my room to a lake view room - I was so glad they did as the view was just lovely. The room with a small balcony was a good size and decorated quite lovely. One thing I did not like - the bed while king in size it was two singles pushed together making it nearly impossible to stretch out across the entire circumference of the bed as the beds were made up separately - sheets and blankets (I know this sounds odd as I was alone - but I prefer a large bed) - it was merely just a little thing that I could live with. The bathroom was fabulous with one exception - they had the old fashioned wand hair dryer (the hotel definitely needs to change/modernize their hair dryers) - as I had not brought a hair dryer with me I went to the concierge desk and requested a "normal" hair dryer - which I was given - problem solved! My room was also extremely clean - inclusive of the bathroom. Housekeeping was really quite smart in once they got your schedule down you were not bothered nor interrupted with turn downs and morning service. Breakfast was inclusive and in their main restaurant - buffet - typical as in other European hotels with lots of variety from fresh fruit, baked goods, meats, cereals juices and if there was something else you wanted they were more than happy to prepare it for you. I did dine at the hotel restaurant and found it to be very nice - the food was good - wine choices were plentiful - though a bit more expensive that the restaurants in the town of Stresa (I found that Stresa in general to be not as expensive of other areas in Italy - almost a bargain). The hotel gardens and pool are really quite beautiful - I had fabulous weather (sunny and warm every day) - and it was very relaxing to sit by the pool after a day of sightseeing. The hotels location is really quite perfect for whatever you care to do from a walk in town - to a ferry ride to Pallanza - to a boat tour of the three islands - to a stroll to the funicular - to even a walk to the zoo and gardens - you literally can walk everywhere. I honestly found the concierge staff to be just ok - in fact I found one concierge staff member to be a bit indifferent - while they were pleasant and helpful (at times) they just were not five star (I was grateful that I had done some research prior to my arrival - this was especially important to my restaurant selections). As the town of Stresa is quite wonderful I would highly recommend the Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees to anyone and certainly would not hesitate staying there again - in fact I found the town of Stresa to be a lovely little jewel in northern Italy - a bit undiscovered to the masses which is perfectly fine with me.

The hotel was excellent in making sure I was picked up from the airport and delivered to the hotel. I had to change airports at the last minute from Linate to Malpensa and the hotel responded to the change right away. Time was of the essence because they were only notified about 1 hour before the scheduled pickup from Linate that they needed to pick me up at Malpensa later in the evening. Chalk it up to flight delays and missed connections . Kudos to the staff and Concierge!

When I arrived it was late, around 12:30 pm and a wedding was going on. The frustrating thing was that no food was available, and everything was basically closed in the hotel. When I got checked in and came downstairs to the bar it was closed as well. I was surprise since it was a Saturday night, but I guess things close early in Stresa or the hotel and it may also be because there was a wedding reception going on as well.

The hotel is beautiful and very ornate inside. It is quaint with a certain style. Beautiful history and artwork dorn the halways . I had a beautiful view of the lake with a small balcony and a great bathroom with jacuzzi jets. A welcomed luxury due to the long flights. Unfortunately it rained most of my stay but it was still enjoyable and relaxing. The rooms are quiet and peaceful but don't look for a flat screen tv but they do provide internet in the rooms and wifi in the lobby area.. Hopefully they will upgrade the televisions sometime soon.

The best and most personable concierge was Raffaello, he was absolutely wonderful and helpful. He definitely is the best concierge at the hotel by far so ask for him. Fantastic customer service and just a pleasure !

The hotel changed my bed from a single to a double bed immediately the next morning which was great. They were very accomodating.

I would say the real caution is being at the hotel when other events occupy the lobby and bar area that is used by guests.There were several corporate events that took over the hotel during my stay so I preferred to spend most of my time outside the hotel.
It rained a great deal so I did not get the chance to walk around the lovely grounds.
(Keep in mind as a side note, many hotels are lined right next to each other facing the lake so you have choices if you want a lake front view.)

Overall the hotel is beautiful, the breakfast is pretty good, and the rooms with a view are fabulous.
Make sure you see Bella Isola and Bella Madre and you absolutely can not miss taking the Cablecar up the mountain I think it is called the Meterone. It is only a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel. It is a must so don't leave Stesa without doing it!.

I would definitely stay here again when I return to Stresa.

First impressions on a sunny day are always going to be good. This imposing hotel dominates its more contemporary neighbours and even seasoned travellers would be hard pressed not to look slightly impressed. The communal areas are as grand as the exterior, while my lake-view room was large and comfortable, if dated in some of its decor and facilities (old TV and pre-historic radio). For a 5* luxury hotel I would expect today to have some more contemporary technology sitting along side the heavy drapes and walnut (?) furniture. Service was mixed with breakfast particularly hit-and-miss and other guests struggling to get what they wanted. Breakfast overall was ok, and the food generally was disappointing although I never ate in the main restaurant, but had room service as well as being part of corporate dining. There's better food (and much better value food) to be had elsewhere in Stresa. Views are wonderful, but you pay for them.