More about Hotel La Palma
Hassle at La Palma
by A TripAdvisor Member
We booked a 7-day visit to La Palma Hotel, Stresa for an Easter week. Hotel very obligingly arranged a taxi from Milan. Our room was on the 5th floor, but so dreary with dark red wallpaper and yellow accessories. It was like a morgue; two side-lights (which one could not move) and one other small light made it impossible to read at night. The room was also very noisy on a corner of two streets. I said to my husband that we must move to another hotel. The lady at reception (I believe the owners wife) was most unhelpful. She said we had booked for 7 days and could not leave without being charged on this basis. I had previously thought that in a Michelin 4-star hotel, one could sign out before 12 noon, yet she was forcing us to stay at her hotel when we clearly weren't happy. She then informed us we could change rooms, we were shown five rooms all on the noisy side of the hotel with limited lighting. My husband went down again to reception where a younger man was on duty and asked if we could have a room on the 6th floor. He then showed us a very nice room with good lighting and decor. Why were we not shown this room straight away? Why did we have to go through all that hassle? The elder lady sits at reception most of the day keeping an eye on things, due to this fact the hotel suffers from a bit of an atmosphere. Otherwise we generally liked the hotel. The staff are friendly and it was very clean. The other slight niggle was there was no information in the room (maps or magazines) also there appeared to be no room service (seemed odd for a 4-star hotel). There were no FIRE INSTRUCTIONS on the back of the room door nor the list price of the room.
Excellent stay
by TripAdvisor Member MJN_slc
Following 2 weeks in Tuscany, my wife and I finished off at Lago Maggiore and La Palma Hotel. The location is beautiful and the hotel pleasing. We had a view room for 200 euro. The room was well appointed, large and comfortable. It is very close to the lake boardwalk and stresa town center. We stayed here the night before our flight home from Malpensa Airport - it's a 40 minute drive. Lago Maggiore is much more beautiful than Milano! The hotel staff was very helpful and the breakfast was adequate. We recommend eating at Triangolo (it was recommended by the staff), which is a short walk from the hotel. The only drawback is the price, but it's a value in the area.
Good hotel, if lacking in atmosphere
by A TripAdvisor Member
Stresa is a nice resort on Lake Maggiore, great for visiting the Borromean Islands. Hotel La Palma is well located and comfortable. We had a great (if expensive) suite with a large balcony. Pro-rata the bathroom was small, but the jacuzzi bath was pleasant. I agree with other reviewers that the restaurant lets it down. Far better to go to Papagallos in the old part of the village, although it is popular so book ahead or get there early. Breakfast in La Palma was nothing special. As a 'coach tour' hotel it definitely lacks atmosphere but the staff are quite friendly.
Would have loved to have stayed longer
by TripAdvisor Member pipk
We only stayed one night at the La Palma Hotel. I thought it was the best value for money hotel on the whole trip. The room was huge, we had requested a superior room (5th floor). The bathroom was enormous, separate spa and shower with big double sinks. The furnishings were good, we had a king bed, sofa and two easy chairs, and desk and chair and a large balcony, with a fantastic view of the islands.
The staff could not have been more helpful and pleasant. The breakfast was superior to other buffet breakfasts we had eaten.
There was a lovely big lounge area downstairs with soft and comfy chairs for relaxing, so even with a smaller room there were other areas to relax in and have a cup of tea and a read.
Highly recommend this hotel, wish we had stayed longer.
Beautiful - excellent wine bar!
by TripAdvisor Member JHess
We stayed at Lake Maggiore in Mid September, and no-one can deny just how beautiful the lake is. It has such amazing views, we stayed in La Palma hotel which was great – the hotel is very friendly with nice rooms, and does a great buffet breakfast! Highly recommend The Pappagalo restaurant, the food and service there was fantastic. However I wouldn’t recommend Lo Stornello - we did have a very bad experience there when we complained about a tough steak. So be warned!! However just around the corner from Lo Stornello is a fantastic wine bar, where they have a huge selection of white and reds that you can order by the glass, and the bar man can tell you exactly where it came from - its well worth a visit. Overall Stresa is very very beautiful, but in terms of the overall atmosphere of a place - I would have to say I prefer some of the places on Lake Garda.
Good but restaurant let it down
by TripAdvisor Member tjhyd
Pro's -
Nice rooms (you need a lake view)
Good staff
Good secure parking
Good position in town
Cons -
Breakfast selection limited (have had better in lesser hotels)
Evening restaurant meals showed lack of inspiration and quality
Evening menu not very flexible and not well explained - We had a quick meal where we only had 1 dish each, yet we were charged for a full 5 course set meal!!
Overall - Good stay but it was spoilt a bit by the poor restaurant experience. We used the restaurant as a last resort in the end and ate in town (if the weather was good!)
High Class and Pretty
by TripAdvisor Member ExperiencedTravelers
Our room looked over Lake Maggiore - you could sit out on the porch and see the lake and the islands. The hotel itself is very classy, and the service is 5-star. The room was a bit dark (it was decorated, for some strange reason, in red!) but fairly quiet. Breakfast was served in an absolutely magnificant dining room, but was just average for Italy standards. The service, however, was never ending (almost like they could not do enough for you). A great place to spend a couple of days.
La Palma very enjoyable
by TripAdvisor Member kkhart
We spent two nights at the hotel and had a very nice stay. The staff was all very helpful and courteous. Our room was comfortable and well appointed. We booked a Superior room with a balcony and a wonderful view of the islands. Although the weather was warm, it was too early in the season to use the pool (oddly across the street), so we took advantage of the rooftop jacuzzi and solarium. We only had breakfast at the hotel, which was good, so cannot comment on the restaurant.
Good hotel
by TripAdvisor Member GrantL
We stayed three nights at La Palma. The (superior with view) room was OK in size, nothing great but not excessively cramped. It was smaller than the room we had at a three star in France. The public areas were very nice, befitting a four star hotel. Staff were generally helpful. Breakfast was fine. It's a short walk to the center of town, so everything is easily accessible. The swimming pool is across the street. In my opinion, there is no beach in Stresa; a few rocks and pebbles don't count. It's worthwhle to take the boat ride to the Borromean islands.
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