Excelsior Splendid Hotel

Stayed at this hotel for four nights late September as part of an organised trip through Bob Cole travel. This hotel is very tired and needs time and money spent on it. The quality of the rooms varies from good to shocking. We spoke to numerous people who had asked to be moved rooms because of smells or the general bad condition. I found the food to be bland and the quality of the 'free' alcohol to be very poor. The location is excellent and i would recommend the restaurant which is a 5 minute walk in the direction of Menaggio. This is a holiday which is trying to be 'all inclusive' the reality is that you get three meals and some dodgy local booze.

Far too many people, 5 coaches arrived the night we arrived. The meals were a fight for a table for 4 people even though we went in late. Some of the rooms were awful and we heard nothing but complains and people moved rooms many times. We would never go there again The staff were over worked but friendly and helpful. The road outside was a killer and very noisy. Shearings let us down badly and it is one company we wont use again.

Enjoyed the holiday but ,whilst clean,the hotel is in need of some 'renovation'. bedrooms,in particular needed 'updating' and many guests asked to change their rooms. Our opinion is that it should be rated as 2 star.

I went to Lake Como in August 2004 for 1 week, I though the Hotel was superb, Room was kept clean every day, clean towels. The food was great, eat and drink as much as you wanted - how can you complain about that, Service as excellent. I would defo recommend anyone to go there, I would most certainly go there again Well done

In february of this year I booked with a friend to stay at the Brittania Hotel for one week in September. We were really looking forward to it as neither of us had been to Italy. 5 days before departure we were contacted by Shearings to say the hotel was overbooked and we were being transferred to another hotel. We tried to find out details of our 'new hotel' but information was vague and a thorough webb search drew a blank. Our alternative accommodation, although very comfortable and the staff very welcoming and obliging was nothing like we believed we would find at the Britannia Excelsior. We spoke extensively to our Shearings Rep who managed to transfer us to the Brittania on the Saturday morning. Once there, I loved it! I found the wood floors in the bedroom a real novelty. There was lots of tasty food and fabulous ice creams. The staff were friendly, helpful and found time to chat about the area. i especially enjoyed taking the ferry to Bellagio. I would like to go back if I could guarantee that I wouldn't spend the first three nights of my holiday stranded in the middle of nowhere. Has any other traveller experienced this problem?

Do not take room 2 on the gound floor the one with the balcony nealy on the road .We then managed to get moved to 435 the view was good.This room had a problem with the shower built in to a cupboard which in turn splashed water into the bedroom .Meal times were hectic an badly oraganised THIS HOTEL NEEDS A REFIT.We will never use again..

I have read all the recent comments about the Hotel Britannia and agree wholeheartedly with the comments from the person from Liverpool. I have stayed at this hotel twice and am due for a third visit in October - with Shearings. Some of the Shearings' drivers genuinely know a lot about the local area and you can learn a lot from them about who lived in the area. Take a look at the Villa Margarita - about 100 yds from the hotel in the direction of Menaggio - the composer Verdi once lived there. Further along the Lake is Drongo - which is where Mussolini was captured. I travel alone and consequently book a single room. Both rooms I've stayed in (once in the main hotel and once in the annexe) were clean. Whichever hotel you stay in, anywhere in the world, there will always be a percentage of people complaining about the rooms and/or the food. The food at the Britannia is adequate and it is mostly buffet, so you have a chance to try dishes that you wouldn't normally eat. As for "nothing to do in the evenings" - do what the Italians do - go for a stroll by the side of the lake (it's quite safe); take an evening trip over to Bellagio; take a good book. You don't have to sit inside all evening just to take advantage of the free bar (unless the weather is bad of course). All I can say is "roll on 23 October; and 16 April" - YES, I've already booked my place at the Hotel Britannia for next year.

I have spent many splendid weeks at the Britannia excelsior hotel. it is a typical 3 star Italian hotel with bags of character. I found a wide choice of food at the restaurant to suit everyones' taste, very helpful staff, a wonderful free bar* and great views across the lake. It is a quiet resort, but hey!, If you want Blackpool, why come to lake Como! I travelled with Shearings holidays and found it great value for money for an all inclusive holiday*. We must thank our Shearings driver/ guide, Chris, who looked after us so well while we were there and took us to some amazing places!. A big special thanks to all the staff at the hotel for being so friendly. the only problem I found at the hotel were too many English people sitting around doing nothing, which is crazy considering the beauty of the lake. afterall, it's better than Blackpool.

I find it difficult to understand the vast differences people experienced at this hotel. I know we all have different tastes but ... The food was very poor any we had to eat out often. It was not typical Italian food! Thank god. The staff were good and we could put-up with the condition of the hotel. There was nothing to do in the resort. Complains to Shearings produced the comment that less than 1% complained. Certainly almost every one when we were their was unhappy about the food. Perhaps it depends on who is staffing the kitchen. My advice- I would not take the risk if you get the "bad lot" it will spoil your holiday.

although the hotel is old .every thing is clean the staff very friendly and the food very good and plentiful.we enjoyed our holiday very much and met some very nice people. now we have been to the three lakes. I liked this one the best. we went to a different place every day.on the ferries and the local buses.