Stella D'Italia is lovely and quaint and old school and so different than our stays at Lake Como or Rapallo. First off, the hotel is quiet and mature. Many people we met were in the area to hike and spend a few days lounging in peace. Instead of the lake being busy (like it was at our hotel on Como), this part of Lake Lugano was placid. The water was warm, clear and, without much boat traffic, like glass. The sun deck was small (and a bit crowded), but fine for a spot to drop your towel and shoes. Guests could swim far out into the middle of the water with little to disturb their stroke besides a few swans. In our opinion this was the best part of our hotel experience. As a family of four - 2 adult and 2 older teens - we were in a room with 2 twin beds (made into a large bed) and 2 large cots. Not a ton of space, but more than enough on a budget. The room came with toiletries, a very nice shower, and 2 large beach towels (which were appreciated). One night, we ate at the hotel restaurant. Dinner wasn't inexpensive but well received for our family. We spent one day in Lugano at its Lido Club which included a lake beach, pools, and a diving well. It wasn't cheap to spend the day there (and eat lunch), so after we returned to hotel, two of us walked up the street to order pizza and beer from a Sardinian corner shop. We ate it on our hotel balcony facing the lake. Beautiful in so many ways. An unexpected but cool detail: We didn't need to make reservations for meals. As hotel guests, a table is already reserved for you by your room number. The same table is reserved for you for breakfast as well. Nice, huh? And breakfast wasn't a free-for-all buffet, but a sit-down meal with seconds (and other foods) offered if requested. Parking wasn't the easiest, but the front desk attendants were very helpful in figuring it out. If we didn't have a car, a bus stop located directly in front of hotel could've easily taken us to/from Lugano.

"Climate control" doesn't mean A/C. So open those lovely old doors during the night and don't worry about the bugs! During our stay, many guests wanted to take advantage of the sun deck since the weather was crazy hot. Like at big resorts, some hotel guests put their towels on sun beds to "save" them for the entire day even if they abandoned them for hours. So annoying when everyone is hoping to enjoy the lake. Thank goodness Ichnusa beer was at the ready.

The lake view room is literally what it says. You open the window, step out onto your balcony, and there you have it! Beautiful Lake Lugano together with the mountains right across it. That's all you need, and that is exactly why you book there!

The rooms would do with a bit of an added convenience, like a coffee machine, and a bin (yes there is one in the bathroom). Although the room looked old and a bit tired in some areas (like cracked tiles on the floor), the views and the setting forgive it all. Some hotel guests have commented that they have been coming to this place for years, and it is understandable why!

I booked a last minute get-away and was lucky to find a room for two nights. The room had a lovely balcony overlooking the lake. Breakfast in the morning was served on the beautiful tree shaded patio next to the lake. Dinner at the hotel restaurant was very good with excellent service, and fair prices. They also had a few vegetarian options which we appreciated. The hotel is somewhat frozen in time, which can be charming in dining and bar lounge areas, but perhaps rooms could benefit from modernization (this is not so much a complaint as a comment). There is a great little market with local food and drink specialties directly across from the hotel. The public bus stop which runs to Lugano is across the street from the hotel. There are some walking trails in the hills behind the hotel and village that go up to some nice view points. And the hotel has its own swimming dock with lounge chairs fronting on the lake.

We were happy to have public bus service from Lugano main train station to the village and hotel, however the bus schedule is limited to a few times a day and the bus to Lugano is often late by as much as 30 - 45 minutes so plan accordingly. We missed our boat ride one day and had to run to catch our train the next.

Excellent location of Valsolda with a stunning lake view, with a gorgeous landscape behind the village and close to Lugano. The atmosphere of the interior of the hotel and the garden at the lake are absolutely great. We had the most beautiful room and balcony. The bathroom was updated to modern standards and was very comfortable.

The menu and the food are a bit limited and not up to the excellent standard of the rest of the hotel.

All rooms, the restaurant and the “beach” are facing the lake. Also our room had a balcony with a great lake view. The room was basic, but the setting made it exceptional. If you like hiking, then it is very easy to start right behind the hotel and go into the mountains.

The only thing we did not like that much was the food in the restaurant. An important reason for our visit to Italy is the food, and the food in the hotel we did not find that amazing.

The location was good, with this road from Lugano to the hotel: what a pleasure to drive until there. The room was good, in a vintage style, with a large bathroom and a beautiful view on the lake. The balcony is a real plus for this room.

Some problems with one man in the staff to book a table in the restaurant. Even if you are a customer of the hotel, you can't book the table you want, especially if you want to have a table outside with the beautiful view. A small disagrement.

First of all I like that going there, it gives me the same feeling, when I saw the pictures in booking. The hotel furnishing, the view from balcony, eating breakfast in the beatiful hotel 's yard..... The service was polite, friendly and professional.

The pilow was hard for me, but this doesn't effected to my sleep.

The location overlooking the lake was beautiful, we booked a table for dinner as soon as we saw the dining terrace with views over the lake! Parking was convenient when pre booked, in a a garage behind the hotel, just be careful with passing traffic as there’s no pavement. The lounge was a beautiful room. Sitting on the loungers by the lake was lovely with towels provided for guests to use.

A little tired in places but this didn’t detract from the ambiance, it’s a beautiful building. Breakfast options were a little limited, the juice tasted like artificially sweetened squash and only white rolls, no choice of breads.

This hotel is located by the lake, so all rooms and common areas have a wonderful view. You can jump to the lake from the garden's deck, it's absolutely lovely! It is located in a small village area close to Lugano (10-15 min by car). The restaurant is top level, food quality and service are excellent. There's also a bar and you can enjoy a drink watching the amazing landscape. Our room had a large balcony facing the lake, we loved the view. Good value for price.

The building needs some renovation and maintenance, the rooms are not perfectly clean (pretty dusty) but the bathroom was very clean.

The location of this hotel was really outstanding .If you are a summer visitor the hotel provides a lakeside location with swimming in the lake and where the restaurant extends onto the garden terrace. The restaurant service is of the highest quality, with the waiters trained to serve at table. They were very attentive and well supervised. The food was well prepared as one might expect. There was a good choice ,both in the evening and in the morning, when an omelette with a choice of fillings was a pleasing addition. The room was spacious with a balcony overlooking the lake.

There is limited garage parking available; but we thought this option too expensive ,given the option of public parking metres further on. The sleep quality was affected by the quality of pillows, too hard for our liking.