Hotel Britannia Excelsior

This was a Newmarket package holiday with good bits and not so good bits! The hotel looks quite ornate and swish on it's website and we didn't realise that the place was a popular one for large parties, but we got a decent room on the left side of the hotel with an angled view of the lake and a beautiful view of the Alps. Somewhat tired in appearance and rather cramped, so that we kept hitting our shins on the bed base to get to the wardrobe. As we were only there for a week, the storage space was adequate, but our suitcases were stored behind the curtains. Couldn't get our TV to work, but it was a nice rest from Brexit. The bathroom was definitely in need of an update, but everything worked and there was always plenty of hot water, clean towels & friendly chambermaids. The dining room was vast, but clean and smart, though the seating system for tours needs to be sorted out as we were assigned a table by reception, sat there for two meals, made new friends then got bumped off in favour of of a group of three, so not impressed with that. Our tour guide gave up trying to sort it! The food was quite disappointing, with breakfast being tinned fruits, yoghurt or the same cooked items every day. Lunches and evening meals were often overdone and always on a buffet system. However, there was a varied salad bar which always looked fresh and interesting and the daily fish choices were usually tasty. The only exception to the buffet was the six course N/Y meal which took almost 5hrs because it was individual service and the food was acceptable for that meal. Given that there were over 525 diners, the staff did really well to serve everyone! The noise level became horrendous as the evening wore on. The singer/pianist was great and switched from pop to opera at the drop of a hat. Dancing in the aisles too, but not much space to try anything fancy. At midnight, most people wrapped up and went across the road to witness the firework display which was splendid, and we shared it with friends so it made a great start to 2020. The inclusive wines and drinks at meals and in the bar were fine if you could actually find a seat and many people absconded to the wee place next door to the hotel. Most of the other hotels were already closed for the winter, but the local buses passed the door enabling us to travel around. I was glad that we were on a tour with excursions as it would have been a bit dull otherwise. The Magic Light evening in Como Town was fun, busy and visually great. Then the Bernina Express day out was just wonderful for the views, the snow and the mountains. Absolutely memorable. Boat trips to Bellagio and also the full length of the lake were also very enjoyable and having sunny, crisp weather with blue skies every day made a big difference. We'd love to go back, but not to this particular hotel as it was far too large for us and the food was more like school meal fare. The staff were generally pleasant, agreeable and helpful so no real complaints. We went to enjoy a very different New Year and returned home to Scotland after an unusual,and enjoyable, Hogmanay. Only disappointment? George Clooney wasn't on his balcony to wave as we sailed past!

We stayed here for New Year. Other than the bedroom the hotel was cold. The "free" bar was run by a reluctant elderly gentleman; in fact most of the staff were rude and unwelcoming. The hotel was more interested in the forthcoming winter closure, rather than the needs of the customers staying at that time. The hot food was cold and service was abrupt. Not a hotel we plan to return to.