Penthouse Valentino

The view from the balcony was "to die for". Lake Maggiore in front of you and the snow-capped Alps to your right. On a few nights we were even treated to a firework display over the lake in Stresa. The apartment was spotless on arrival and the bed linen & towels had been professionally laundered. The kitchen was modern, well equipped and had every facility you could wish for. The beds were comfortable and there was plenty of storage space for clothes and baggage. The owners, who lived downstairs, were very hospitable and friendly and left us alone to enjoy our holiday in peace. The representative from the company was very helpful and the communications from the letting company were clear and timely.

We arrived in the middle of June, there was a heatwave and temperatures were well into the mid 30's. The lack of air conditioning in the bedrooms made for an unpleasant night's sleep. At first we tried sleeping with the windows open but ended up with mosquito bites so in the end we just kept the shutters closed, left a fan switched on all night and slept on top of the covers. The WiFi connection was slow and patchy in places. It was ok for browsing but poor for streaming TV or YouTube. You really need a car if you're staying here. It's unsafe walking down the road into town but there is an alternative route if you don't mind steps and overgrown footpaths. This didn't bother us as we had a car and are keen walkers but even so we mostly took the car into town. Edit (after contacting management company to resolve): I would advise potential guests to be consider carefully before booking. You will get charged for any damage whether or not it's your fault. The fridge shelf fell off the door whilst my wife was putting items in the fridge. She'd only put 3 small jars on the shelf when it collapsed. We were charged for a new shelf despite my providing photographs showing that it had failed before and was glued back together. Seriously, when was the last time a fridge shelf collapsed in your home? Secondly, we were charged for a new shower hose. This failed during normal use because the screw connector was extremely flimsy and not fit for purpose (probably another bodged repair). The shower has a drencher head and a hand-held shower attachment. All I did was to remove the hand-held attachment from its holder to rinse my feet and the hose connector snapped. I did not use any excess force, I'm not a ham-fisted oaf. Again I provided an photograph , showing a defective part but to no avail. We would have liked to revisit this property next year but not any more.

Schöne und sehr saubere Wohnung nicht weit von Verbania. Reservierter Parkplatz für Gäste. Überdachte Terrasse, wo man essen und den See sehen kann, wirklich wunderschön! Wir hatten eine wirklich gute Zeit... Küche mit allen Geräten ausgestattet. Schnelle und pünktliche Schlüsselübergabe.

The apartment space was lovely, extremely clean. The kitchen was very well equipped. There was water and prosecco in the fridge, but we weren't sure if there was a charge.

The small print. There is an additional charge of €8 for a towel and €12 for bedding. Because of this there is no hand towel in the bathroom and no mat for the shower. There is an option to bring your own, but both rooms have 2 single mattresses so they are not double sheet size. There is an additional deposit of €200, we paid this by card, but there was some issue in refunding it (though it was done quickly). There is also a charge of €1 per person per night. The arrangement of the furniture isn't great, its impossible to watch the TV from the sofa. The wifi isn't great, doesn't reach to the balcony. The access is a little difficult. You must have a car, there isn't good public transport. No air conditioning and only 1 fan.