The Hotel Royal in Stresa is in a delightful and convenient location, off the highway on the Viale Lido. It's a very short walk downhill to the dock for ferries to the Isole Borromee. From our balconies, the view was gorgeous with Lago Maggiore in the foreground. Our rooms were comfy and quite clean. We enjoyed the the breakfast buffets in the beautiful dining room, and well as the cozy bar balcony for cocktails in the late afternoons. We met interesting fellow travelers there, too. Giovanna, at the front desk, could not have been more kind and helpful in arranging our stay, and helping us figure out ahead of time how to make restaurant reservations. Thank you, Giovanna! (From the U.S., we called 3 excellent restaurants and were able to make reservations over the phone; these restaurants did not take online reservations.) Off-street parking is tight, but ok! And since we walked down to the ferry dock, we didn't have to re-park on days we visited the islands. I would suggest having a car if you stay at this hotel and wish to visit sites other than the islands.

What a wonderful week! I am mid fifties and travelled solo with Inghams for a week. My room was very spacious with a very comfortable bed, ample storage and a great balcony with beautiful views of the grounds and the lake.
The grounds and swimming pool were fantastic and the hotel gives you a pool towel. No issues getting a lounger.
I am vegetarian and was half board. Breakfast was an amazing selection of food. You order dinner at the breakfast and the lovely head waiter negotiated food for the evening and it was delicious.
The whole hotel is beautiful, an expanded villa with so many lovely pieces, paintings, sofa areas etc. I enjoyed a cocktail in the bar, the safe is free and housekeeping was efficient. It is superbly situated for the Carciano ferry point so you can get around easily.
I had a brilliant week, it was good value for money, Stresa is gorgeous and I would not hesitate to recommend.

Once again we returned to the Royal Hotel this time for a short spring break. We found it as good as before. From the moment we arrived, all the staff made us feel at home.
They all have very a pleasant manner with the visitors. The breakfasts are buffet style, so one could have as much or as little as one wished. As we were on Half Board we had dinner each night. The dinner menu was excellent with something for everyone. The quality of each course was of a very high standard and the servings were more than adequate. Some nights we even ordered smaller portions of the starters as we liked them all. Service was excellent. Congratulations to the chef and staff. The whole meal was made more enjoyable by the accompaniment of local wines. After dinner one could relax in the lounge area to enjoy a coffee or two perhaps accompanied by a liqueur. Over the winter the reception area had been given a make over. It was more open plan making it easier to speak to the reception staff. The bedroom as usual was in spotless condition and was kept so during our stay by the chambermaid. The view from our balcony of the snow covered Alps with the early morning sunshine on them was magnificent. An added bonus is the spectacular panoramic view of Lake Maggiore and the Alps from the roof terrace.
Summing up - our short break in Stresa was so good that we have booked for later on this year.