Hotel Suisse

We zaten nog niet neer of moesten al verplicht water kiezen (wij dachten dat dit een service van het restaurant was) maar betaalden achteraf de volle prijs! Mijn vriendin en ik kozen beide een glaasje wijn en die was niet te drinken, met nog kurk in het glas! Mijn vriendin koos een pizza van zeevruchten maar deze was niet te eten! Te harde korst, onmogelijk te snijden. In Italië bij Italianen die geen pizza kunnen maken. Een pizza waarbij er een bodem, een klein laagje tomatensaus en overrompeling van inktvis lag, dat was alles behalve een aangename smaak. Zeker als je weet dat de smaken er zelfs niet waren. Ik heb gekozen voor een lasagne en deze was een kleinere portie dan een potje come-a-case uit de Delhaize. Bij het betalen moesten we 10 euro voor ons 2 betalen voor de service, 4 euro voor een fles water met een raar smaakje. Gelieve te weten dat ik mij zelfs inhoud over de vriendelijkheid van het personeel. Het enige voordeel dat ik kan zeggen is dat het mooi is binnen en de bediening vlot is.

I recently visited this restaurant with my two children and had an extremely disappointing experience. Upon taking a seat at an available table, the waiter rudely informed us that the restaurant was closed, despite the fact that we saw other people entering. Feeling confused, I left briefly but decided to return to speak with the manager, hoping to clarify the situation. Unfortunately, the manager’s response was even more disheartening. Without any attempt to understand our side of the story, he curtly remarked, “This is Italy, not Dubai or Riyadh, and we will not serve you.” Shockingly, he accused me of disrespecting the waiter, even though we had quietly taken our seats without saying a word. The lack of professionalism and the dismissive attitude we encountered was deeply unsettling. As a customer, I expect to be treated with basic courtesy and respect, regardless of the situation. Sadly, this restaurant failed on both counts.

We were recommended this restaurant by the receptionist of our accommodation (Alla Torretta), he advised both were owned by the same person. The accommodation was dubious but the Hotel Suisse looked a lot nicer and in a pleasant location so we thought we'd give it a go. There was a good choice on the menu, although it was a bit pricey. The waiter was helpful and told us about the specials, one was a tomahawk steak which my husband chose. However, halfway through eating it he crunched on something unexpected, it was a piece of metal wire!!! Our friend got the manager/owner over who was arrogant and quite dismissive of the item, insinuating we planted it there! He took the metal wire away however, when we looked at the photos the next day, you can actually see it when you zoom in. I dread to think what could have happened to my husband if he had swallowed it. If you eat here, be on your guard!

Local fish dish was a bit fishy, and a tiny portion. It looked more like an appetizer to share. We were also surprised by the $20 cover to get a table. We did not see this on the many outside. We’ve eaten at many fine restaurants and I would say the food was not worth it. They also accidentally charged us $70 extra on accident but we caught it and they easily took it off.

The room was large and airy with lovely doors looking directly out onto the lake. The décor was shabby chic, attractive to look at but perhaps not very practical! The drawers didn’t open very well, the top of one of the bedside cabinets was broken. There was a shower door missing and most of the bathroom fittings were a bit wobbly. There was a TV and AC, but we didn’t use either. The Hotel Suisse is primarily a restaurant, a very good and popular restaurant and we think that the rooms above are an afterthought. We arrived on a very wet day in Bellagio and the restaurant was heaving! . We parked up and delivered our luggage, you have to drive through the tiny streets of town to get to the hotels on the front and are allowed to park for 20 minutes only. We were offered parking at 15Euros a day, a must in Bellagio. Parking is at a premium and at least 28Euros a day. The proprietress, Luisa was extremely busy as the restaurant was full of punters, but she did give me time to organise the parking. A waiter took our bags up to the room (no lift, 3 floors up) and very hurriedly gave us a tour of the room and dashed away. Having read previous reviews, we were expecting to be ignored, this was not the case just rushed! Despite the odd problem with the fixings and fixtures in the room we very much enjoyed our 5 day stay in this hotel and at the end of the day we could have stayed along the road for twice the price…..as the saying goes ‘you pays your money and you takes your choice’.

We ate lunch here today and we felt quite ripped off. 1 course Lunch for 2 with a soft drink and a glass of wine was 62 euros for a small meal. We were quite happy to spend money on a nice experience but here are the pros and cons. Pros: food was really good Cons: rude manager. He seated us and he acted like we were an inconvenience to be there. When I asked for a glass of house red I was told ‘no’ and that I must choose from the wine list. A cover charge of 5 euros per person was added without our knowledge to the final bill. Food portions were small, half the size we expected. Around 19 euros for a lasagne which tasted great but was the size of a starter. The service was quick to be fair but as an experience overall it was not special or even good. We wouldn’t go there again.