Grand Hotel Bristol

Grand Hotel Bristol descritpion

Located at the foot of the Alps, Grand Hotel Bristol overlooks Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands. It features a panoramic swimming pool and a large, lush garden.
Rooms are decorated in a classic style and have an elegant feel. They offer either mountain or lake views. Many have a private balcony.
The hotel features a marbled lobby with Bohemian-style crystal chandeliers. It also includes an indoor swimming pool, gym and 2 hot tubs.
Guests at Hotel Bristol can choose from 3 restaurants serving Italian and international cuisine. Drinks and cocktails can be enjoyed at the bars.
The property is 0.3 miles from Stresa and a 10 minute walk from the train station.

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The staff speaks English——Grand Hotel Bristol's staff speaks:Italian,French,English,German
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Facilities of Grand Hotel Bristol

Outdoors ：Outdoor Pool | Grounds

Pets ：Pets are allowed. Charges may apply.

Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Breakfast in the Room | Snack Bar

Internet ：WiFi is available in all areas and charges apply. | WiFi is available in the business center and charges apply.

Parking ：Private parking is available on site (reservation is not needed) and costs EUR 10 per day.

General ：Paid WiFi | Safe | Non-smoking Rooms | Elevator | Heating

Languages Spoken ：Italian | French | English | German

Reviews for Grand Hotel Bristol

Review 1：We had a room with a balcony and lovely view, but two twin beds pushed together

Review 2：Beautiful location across the street from the lake. The pool and surrounding grounds are lovely. It has an elegant feel. .

Review 3：It would be nice to have 24/7 wifi without difficult procedures.

Review 4：The rooms are stunning, with classic 'mansion' decor. Location at the end of the promenade is great, short walk to playground and center. The indoor pool is large, so nice and warm. Turn-down service :-)

Review 5：Breakfast was over-priced, although good.

Review 6：Brilliant location right on the lakeside promenade. great mountain and lake rooms from many rooms. Good facilities including pool and gym. Nice gardens and grounds. near to town centre, ferry terminal and rail station. Comfortable, clean rooms.

Review 7：The dining wasn't quite our usual, but want bad. The shore front has so many restaurants it didn't really matter.

Review 8：The location is amazing, you can't get better!

Review 9：Location adjacent to lake outstanding. Walking distance, through waterfront parks, to center of town good. Our room, on the top floor, overlooked the lawn and pool, with a view of the lake and mountains. Outstanding.

Review 10：The Grand Hotel Bristol was in an excellent location across the street from Lake Maggiore. Secure parking was available at no cost. Service was excellent.

Review 11：The staff was just not interested in hospitality that should come with a hotel. It was if we were intruding on their day when asking questions and help.

Review 12：The location was excellent.

Review 13：Bath Room very noisy. Bedside lamp no control switch have to unplug the socket, the power control board is not working at all most lamp have to switch off individually.

Review 14：Nice and peaceful enviorment

Review 15：Really huge (like 400 rooms), very much an excursion hotel...guest treatment reflects this. Weird free wifi scheme. Breakfast is poor and incredibly expensive (16eur p/ person)

Review 16：Really nice hotel, great views and a nice pool

Review 17：Would have liked tea making facilities in room and slightly bigger bathroom. The toiletries could be better quality.

Review 18：Our room had very good views and was spacious with nice balcony. The pool was cold however still lovely. Staff were polite.

Review 19：Actually all was good.

Review 20：Elegant classical style and atmosphere, the view and location are amazing, room and bathroom are clean and comfortable, antique furniture, great balcony

Review 21：Nothing bad, only minor observations which wouldn't put us off at all - the pool was quite cool, we only saw one inconsiderate couple reserve their sunbeds for over 4 hours! No free wi fi which wasn't a problem for us but might be for some. Parking is charged but there is free street parking outside. Maybe the hotel could space the sunbeds out a little more but there is the option to move them.

Review 22：Lovely, good sized room with balcony overlooking pool & part lake view with afternoon/evening sun. Bathroom smaller than some but well equipped. Lovely pool, with a large area around - plenty of sun beds & table tennis . Good breakfast choice both hot & cold with option to sit inside/outside - breakfast extra but less than stated on booking.com, we felt overall we got a good rate for room & breakfast. Stayed here 3 times and would happily stay again! Good choice of restaurants in town, Stresa has lovely gardens/ islands to visit and is a good base to explore further afield by boat/ train.

Review 23：The bedrooms are worn and dated - the beds are hard and small. The wifi is ridiculous - 4 hours free starting from the first time you log in so you have to use it all there and then.

Review 24：The old worldly Italian charm and location. The hotel is beautiful to look at.

Review 25：We had a wonderful stay! They ungraded our room to pool lake view, and the view was great! The pool area is very nice, comfortable and facing the lake. The staff on the reception and the pool bar is very helpful. The area where the hotel is located is very charming and perfect for walks along the lake shore.

Review 26：We didn't eat in the hotel as it appeared to be the same buffet menu each evening and the breakfast at 24 euros per person was a bit pricey!

Review 27：The hotel is very impressive. It has a prominent position overlooking the lake. We did take a peek in the other hotels located on the lakeside, and I have to say, I think we chose the best hotel. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, so if the weather is poor, the children can still have fun. The room was very clean and spacious.

Review 28：Old room, back view on garage, no plugs, you can hear all noises as walls are very thin Too expensive

Review 29：Pool and spacious common facilities - Great location

Review 30：The beds were on the hard side, but a minor grumble in the scheme of things

Review 31：We booked last minute and were expecting a "mountain view" room, but to our delight had a lake view on the front of the hotel. The pools were wonderful - having the indoor pool for our one rainy day was a real bonus. The outdoor pool area was never over-busy and always relaxed.

Review 32：Internet only free for 4 hours, thereafter you can extend for 2 hours by completely a questionnaire on the hotel. Slightly annoying that Internet is not completely free in a hotel which is so good otherwise.

Review 33：Amazing views over Lake Maggiore. Large balcony. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Review 34：Breakfast was not in our package, and was very expensive to add, so we just went down into the town for breakfast each morning. Not really a big deal for us, minor detail.

Review 35：Beautiful hotel in fab setting. Lovely grounds around hotel, very friendly staff.

Review 36：WIFI could be improved and FOC for the entire stay

Review 37：Location, grooming of the surrounding, everything well maintained. Close to many shops and restaurants.

Review 38：No wi-fi in room & use only for 4-hr. free. No slipper & minimal amenities ( no shower cap) in room.

Review 39：Nice location with a pool nearby the lake.

Review 40：Size of the room and shower in the Superior Twin Room with Mountain View was disappointing. If a person is not tiny he/she won't be able to get in the shower!!! and can get stuck!!!:) It was a mistake to order Superior Room because we extended our stay for one day and ordered 1 day in Standard room and it was more comfortable I think. Although we couldn't sleep because of the noise at night. Sometimes unfriendly staff on the reception can spoil the mood. But some girls on the reception are very helpful

Review 41：Завтрак/Breakfast was good. Nice swimming pool area Good location

Review 42：Free wifi for 4 hours (which is great), but you could not log off, so once it had started your 4 hours started counting down. No clean towels by indoor pool in the morning at 8.15, (they arrived about an hour later), so had to use room towel Breakfast very expensive

Review 43：Pools, indoor and outdoor Location

Review 44：Very noisy room with sewage or water flowing from other rooms toilets/taps keeping us up for most of night. Quite rude and patronising staff, particularly when we expressed displeasure about being up lots of the night with the water noise.

Review 45：Good outdoor pool

Review 46：Bathroom tiny. Shower hose has leaks. some furniture is chipped. No water boiler available for guests. Not much access to charge telephone/PC. Bad noise insulation between rooms. The free WIFI is not stable.

Review 47：Location. Short walking distance to Carciano and Stresa pier; 10-min walk to train station. We got upgraded to room with view to lake, which was a surprise. But as we are on the 1st floor, we have view of the hotel ventilation as well!

Review 48：Arrived 20 mins early and were told to sit and wait... that the room was ready but not allowed in until 2.00pm exactly. After staying 3 nights..night before departure printed note on bed to vacate room before 11.00am or else we will be charged extra and doors disabled. How rude!!! Free Wifi for one (1) minute...come on!!

Review 49：Hotel need to pay more attention to breakfast. When busy certain food was late being replenished

Review 50：Great location with fantastic views. Pool area was excellent

Review 51：When we entered no one helped us with our bags and the reception had no idea on the history of the hotel nor that we booked a room - being passionate hotel bloggers, we found this very disappointing. There was no complimentary water, coffee or "apple" in our room which we couldn't enter because our key didn't work. The wifi is only free for a few hours, shampoo in same bottle as bath foam and you get a personal reminder at night to leave room at 11. When checking out we wanted to store our luggage and were rudely pointed to a room with no word, help or guidance. The ladies at the reception are a trio of unprofessional, rude ladies. No smile, no good day and no goodbye. We travel a lot, use only 4 and 5 star hotels and know there are 3 or even 2 Star Hotels around with a much better service. Our advice is to Invest a few euros more and go to the Regina palace or the grand hotel borromees next door. There you won't find bored and unfriendly front desk staff like we unfortunately experienced. It surely doesn't live up to the legendary name and normally expirienced service of the Bristol's around the world!

Review 52：- the helpful and very friendly maids - the location - the cleanliness - the pool with its view

Review 53：- a lot of extra's had to be paid for, i.e. breakfast (usually overcrowd room), wifi and parking. - bath rooms are really too small. - house keeping personal enters bed room without knocking on the door.

Review 54：the dinner at the man resturant was less than what i expected. the food was OK nothing special.

Review 55：i liked everything, the location, the pool was great, the view, the cleaness, the efficient staff. just the place to be.

Review 56：The internet is not free and it's a major hassle to log in and out of the network every time you want to use it.

Review 57：The staff was very friendly. The facility is beautifully maintained. Very pleasant and relaxing stay.

Review 58：What's the most important thing in a hotel? The bed is hard and small. You will hate the bed with the exception of the following conditions: you require a rock hard bed because you have a lower back condition, you sleep on your side (compensating for inadequate length of the bed), you are of small stature, you do not enjoy a comfy duvet (because there are only shabby blankets). The toilet seat is bizarrely shaped and extremely uncomfortable. Poor value for money

Review 59：Swimming pool is okay, much smaller than appears in pictures online

Review 60：The Wifi is free, fast, almost everywhere (except some parts of the pool)... but it's time limited!!!... It's limited to 4 hours on the first day and 2 hours on the following days... Come on: it's 2015! Wifi should be totally free for the duration of the whole stay!

Review 61：The pool is great! The service is nice, the breakfast is good and the overall environment is really romantic...

Review 62：Not very clean! Fitness small and old, Room with mountain view but placed in a back added part not the same architecture of the front building of the hotel! 10 euros per night of parking hotel fees.

Review 63：Location, staff, style. Garden, beauty in general.

Review 64：There was free wi-fi for limited amounts of time each day, but it was very unreliable and I could only connect once during our 4 night stay. Rooms at the back of the hotel on lower floors are noisy from early morning due to the proximity to the kitchen entrance.

Review 65：Located directly across the road from the lake, and only a few minutes walk in to the town.

Review 66：Internet access is limited to a certain amount of hours and it's a bit of a hassle to connect to the wifi.

Review 67：Nice, classic hotel. Staff was friendly. Great garden and pool.

Review 68：Water leaking through ceiling from aircon unit onto power socket on 1st night. Reported 3 times to reception and took them 90 minutes to come and look and repair. No glasses left in room for drinks on 3 consecutive days. Rooms are not very well equipped by modern hotel standards.

Review 69：Pool and pool-side bar are lovely.

Review 70：Beds were uncomfortable, sheets were stained. The whole hotel is old and needs to be updated. Looks regal from the outside, but the interior is really showing its age.

Review 71：Pool facilities very good, location to town was good. Bathroom was clean. Parking was easy (but not free).

Review 72：Limited free wifi otherwise expensive to buy needs to be free unlimited like many other hotels

Review 73：Facilities were great and an imposing lake front position

Review 74：The small room advertised as a junior suite at an exorbitant price. A nearby hotel gives a much larger room with breakfast view and balcony. No

Review 75：The view from outside of the lake

Review 76：Bathroom only had a hand held shower over the bath with no shower curtain although there was room for a proper shower cabinet if they had dispensed with the useless bidet. Water everywhere as a consequence. Furniture old fashioned but possibly went with the style of the room.

Review 77：We had a junior suite which was expensive but had the lake views. Maid service excellent. Lots of towels. Breakfast extensive. Hotel grand as in its title. Good air conditioning.

Review 78：Everything was very clean and the pool area was good because the depth of pool was at one. Also a very nice bar at the pool with good staff, plenty of tables and space and no bed blocking

Review 79：To much staff.... But to little time to customers. Restaurant quality was like a pension and mostly for large groups of bustourists. We did some times meet good service. But also less competent. View from 3 persons room described as "mountain" was more a backyard.

Review 80：Rooms was fairly modern. Swimmingpool large and clean.

Review 81：Lack of adaptors for electrical appliances, limited free Wi Fi which was not adequate. No outside light on balcony

Review 82：Location, comfort cleanliness, staff helpfulness

Review 83：Air conditioning did not seem to get temperature below 15 degrees C. which made room too hot at night. (Daytime temperatures around 34C and lowest nighttime 23C - an extreme Europe wide heatwave during our visit.)

Review 84：Elegant hotel with dining terrace overlooking the lake and Isola bella. Large outdoor pool and also 20 metre indoor pool at rear which was largely empty. Staff helpful and friendly.

Review 85：Expensive breakfast (we ate out to avoid the €23 tab).

Review 86：Furnishings are like the palace of Versailles. Nice pool, convenient location for Stresa town. Good garaging

Review 87：Rooms slightly outdated. Aircon didnt work well. System of limiting WiFi minutes was really irritating - required constant login&logout during stay.

Review 88：Pool

Review 89：Paid wifi (poor reception too), paid parking, very expensive breakfast, all on top of a highly priced room (assessed on "normal" prices, not what we actually paid, as we got a deal). Contrary to the grandeur of the main hotel, the room was very disappointing and looked tired. Room facilities less than some small B & Bs we have stayed in. We were told we had been "upgraded" to a "lateral view" (?) but all we could see was the roof of the conservatory.

Review 90：Very opulent grand hotel with attentive staff, superb gardens and pool and overall good atmosphere.

Review 91：No free wifi which isn't acceptable these days. Apart from that we were just missing flowers on the balconies compared to all the other hotels! A very minor point.

Review 92：Loved the classic Italian style of the interior, beautiful stained glass ceilings, huge chandeliers, room furnishings very comfortable. The pool was stunning, loads of sunbeds, lovely setting. Excellent breakfast, attentive staff, but not intrusive. Immaculately cleaned. Very good value for money.

Review 93：Noting....the place was great. The hotel is a bit dated but it's got a lot of character.

Review 94：Staff, pool, view, were all amazing. Really lovely hotel. We were upgraded to a sea view and it was spectacular. Staff were so helpful and professional.

Review 95：Severely limited powersockets for charging in room. Only one for cleaner near room door. Ridiculous in modern day when most have a smartphone.

Review 96：View over lake was great!

Review 97：Wifi not included in price. Today it is totally unacceptable to offer 3minutes of free wifi and for the rest a paid service at 25 eurocent perminute. These days wifi should be standard.

Review 98：Klassieker, gelegen aan promenade in het mondaine Stresa

Review 99：they charge you for every extra you ask for, like more than 2 hours of wifi. also dinner was not good, the second night we eat in stresa for half the price in the hotel, and it was much better dinner. breakfast is ok

Review 100：the facilities of the hotel are very nice, the pool, rooms and lobby

Review 101：Slight issue with towels for the swimming pool but quickly rectified.

Review 102：Friendly staff - no issues from the moment we entered the reception. Good location - easy to walk to main part of town. Did not eat at the hotel so can't comment.

Review 103：Continental bfast very expensive for what we got. No your desk information re islands opposite.

Review 104：Staff did try to get us a taxi when raining to station but none would come to pick us up.

Review 105：Hot water deficiency in one of the two rooms on Sunday morning was not good. The buffet breakfast Sunday morning was great, but 125 euros for 4 adults, 2 young children is a little salty.

Review 106：For our purpose, that is, son's family with grandchildren 7 and 10yrs., picking us up at Malpensa and relaxing after the trip from the U.S., it was perfect. Swimming pool, proximity to lake, center of town, full service, was welcome.

Review 107：Free wifi for only 120 minutes for 2 days. Very annoying to have to log-in and log-off everytime. Shower was not hot enough

Review 108：It was clean, bed was fine and staff was friendly

Review 109：Following a busy weekend on Monday it seemed breakfast consisted of a re-heat of the weekend's leftovers. Although the restaurant staff were reasonably good about it, I had to argue with reception about not paying and got told off for using the word "disgusting". (Which I wouldn't have used had I not had to argue but how would you describe biting into an unexpectedly cold and greasy sausage!)

Review 110：location and the indoor pool; good value for money. The common parts and outdoor space are very attractive and the outdoor pool would be great in warmer weather.

Review 111：No problems at all.

Review 112：Quiet location just a ten minute walk from the main town of Stresa. The hotel was very ornate with a good sized room and excellent bathroom. Lovely pool area and gardens to use if the weather is nice. Would definitely stay here again.

Review 113：We had a mountain view room with balcony. Indeed, the room had an excellent view over the lake and the mountain as a backdrop in the far back. It was nice to sit in the balcony, enjoy a bottle of nice wine, appreciate the terrific view to the Isola Bella!

Review 114：A little far out of town. A decent walk (but beautiful). Outdoor pool was cold, indoor pool was a humid unpleasant place with a not very hot hot tub. Loud room, it sounded like the room above us was playing marbles, could hear all the noise in the hall. Internet was AWFUL, my husband and I had to share a password, and take turns, then we had to log off after we each downloaded our email, because we had a limited amount of time, and the log in process was a hassle. We weren't able to download some items, because the internet was very slow.

Review 115：Incredible view. Nice running path around the lake , right from the hotel.

Review 116：Leaving

Review 117：The location was excellent. Room was great with an added bonus of views. Facilities fantastic! What a great way to finish my hectic trip in Europe Relaxing! Will stay again

Review 118：No coffee or tea making facility in bedroom Bedroom stuffed full of over sized furniture Complicated wi fi system - only free for a period of stay Very expensive price for breakfast

Review 119：Location

Review 120：There was nothing to dislike.

Review 121：Helpful reception. Excellent breakfast. Swimming pools and spa's were nice and clean. Although our room was at the rear of the hotel we had nice views from the balcony and I was impressed that each room was inspected after it's daily cleaning. The grounds were beautiful and a nice place to enjoy a coffee after sightseeing. Good on you Grand Hotel Bristol.

Review 122：Nothing !

Review 123：A luxurious suite that was most comfortable and has a wonderful view from both balcony windows. Breakfast in the spacious dining room was sumptuous, and the service unfailingly helpful and courteous. The staff at Reception were always helpful, too. Our stay at the Grand Hotel Bristol was a most enjoyable and memorable experience.

Review 124：We booked a twin room. It was lovely with balcony and lake view. However, the furniture could have been better configured to suit usage as a twin room.

Review 125：Location; Views; Proximity to train station; Pool; Service.

Review 126：The limits on wifi access. Also, the lack of breakfast choice - a continental breakfast choice should be an option.

Review 127：The location - an easy walk into Stresa, the cleanliness, the comfortable bed, the helpful staff, the great pool area

Review 128：Staff not as helpful as I would have hoped when I was having trouble accessing money for payment to you from my bank. Having to pay for wifi. Tiny towels in bathroom.

Review 129：The pool,the proximity to everything.

Review 130：Poor sound proofing (could hear the carts from/to the cuisine in the yard, people talking in the doorway), expensive wireless, ridiculous tv, staff not trained to a 4* hotel standards, too much plastic in the bathroom...

Review 131：The pool and also, the pool but really, only the pool Breakfast buffet is OK

Review 132：The hotel offers a breakfast buffet at an extra cost, the food was not worth the price. Although the terrace atmosphere overlooking the lake was nice, the second morning we bought pastries from a local shop and enjoyed them on our room balcony in the morning. Overall I would not consider this to be a detractor to the hotel as a simple solution can be found.

Review 133：We were looking for a nice hotel with a relaxing pool and nice view with an easy location to the main center of Stresa. This hotel filled all of the requirements and everything was nice. We even booked a mountain view room and were able to have a room on the side of the hotel which gave us both a mountain and lake view from our balcony. The hotel is in a quiet area away from the noise of the town center, but was only a 5 minute walk along the lake to the center, so a very good location.

Review 134：Hotel was old fashioned and stuffy. Focus is on the bus tours that pass through and th individual service expected of a 4 star was missing. Prices were high and service average. The furniture had active woodworm and towels and bedding weren't changed as frequently as should be the case for a 4 star.

Review 135：Wonderful location and Stresa is a goos centre for seeing the area.

Review 136：No hospitality / tea coffee tray in room - would have loved a cup of coffee on the balcony in the morning before breakfast. Free WiFi a bit confusing - they had just put a new system in. 4 consecutive hours on 1st day - so, from log-in, time ran down even if not using (so don't do what we did - log on to check e mails etc for 10 mins then go for an explore, drinks and dinner and then return only to find your time has run out!! Then you have 2 hours cumulative (only clocked up whilst actually using it) on subsequent days - as long as you filled in the on-line questionnaire!! Parking - all info on their website and in room states 1st 24 hours free then 10 euros per day - "unless you book through bookings.com then it is never free" - direct quote from receptionist when we queried it on check out. We had booked a superior mountain view room and on check in we were told we had been further upgraded to a lake view room so were expecting something pretty special. Suspect we had a standard room - albeit with a lake view but by the time I had parked the car and gone up the room my sister had unpacked for us and as we had been on the road since 04.30 I did not feel inclined to go and check out what the superior room would have offered.

Review 137：Location - just a short walk along the lake-side into the town centre. Hotel grounds and public areas beautifully presented, very clean. We had a lovely relaxing stay at the hotel and although the negative comments may dispute this they were smallish things but just thought they would be of benefit to future guests. The only REAL niggle was the payment for the superior room only to get a standard room. Our stay was not about the view from the window but treating ourselves to a bit of luxury / space / pampering. However would still go back there and recommend to others.

Review 138：Breakfast way too pricey, much better to stroll into town to one of the pavement cafes, wi-fi should be free, restaurant lacking in character so didn't use, plenty of nice places to choose from in town. There was a singer in the bar on Tuesday night, we felt the hotel would benefit from some more entertainment as the bar is very quiet at night

Review 139：A classically styled Hotel in a nice location with an easy 10 minute stroll to the centre, lovely pool and garden area, if you like a modern Hotel the Bristol is not for you as it is packed with chandeliers and old furniture which adds to the charm. We had a room with a fantastic view of the lake, not particularly large, but this is what you will get with a Hotel of this age, but it was perfectly adequate and vey clean, the maids were very efficient in cleaning the room. The hotel is also a short walk from the station, for those travelling by train, and the cable car if you wish to travel up to the Mottarone, which is well worth the effort.

Review 140：Balcony was a on the small size to sit at with the table. Breakfast was not included in our booking and at €20 each a day we thought it expensive. However walkkng into town each day to a lovely local cafe was fab and felt more Italian and much less expensive.

Review 141：The hotel is beautiful, the po is great and bed was comfy. The shower was great lots of hot water and air con worked well . Some people say it's a long walk to town but I think it's fine if you are a fit and able person,

Review 142：Staff cold, no free wifi, no complimentary breakfast. To expensive compared to other hotels nearby.

Review 143：Nice pool and rooms. Beautiful building. Beautiful views, nice and quiet, unless you have a mountain view room, then you hear staff preparing in the back. Very clean and good housekeeping.

The Fine Print

In case of early departure the hotel reserves the right to apply a penalty fee.