Castello Visconteo

I was really looking forward to being able to stay in this absolutely gorgeous old Castle Fortress that has such a rich history of decadence, battles and once housed the likes of Leonardo da Vinci! We drove from Turin and arrived in the early afternoon at 3pm as on the booking site it stated that we could check-in at that time but when we arrived we were told that we could not check-in until 4pm. I showed the girl working at the reception desk that the listing stated we could check in earlier but she said that there was no-one to check us in as she could not make the pass key for us. This was our first red flag that there might be some problems here. After talking with her for about 20 minutes, she agreed to give us a pass-card key that would het us into our room. We had chosen one of the Suites and lugged our bags up the elevator and across some very long, beautifully appointed hallways and lounges until we found our room.Our room was absolutely gorgeous - a two-floor space with the bedroom and closets up on the second floor and a huge seating and dining area on the main floor. The bathroom was also very spacious with a long tub, a separate shower and a toilet and bidet. The windows were very tall and had a nice view of the surrounding area and part of the nearby river.Breakfast is served on the main floor in a beautiful little room and had a wide selection of tasty food and treats.Lots of parking - beautiful facilities and the grounds are immaculate - I walked across the bridge and over the river to look at this fabulous fortress from the other side and it is breathtaking.

We tried to check-in at 3pm because the booking site stated we could at that time but when we arrived we were told that we could not check-in until 4pm. After 20 minutes we were finally given a pass key but when we returned from eating at a nearby restaurant on our first night we couldn't get back into the Castello because our pass key was not working anymore. Someone had to come get us and eventually printed off a new card for us saying that we never should have received the other one in the first place. We were awoken by dogs barking outside in at 6am in the morning and they kept going until after we had returned from breakfast. We went to Milan for the day and when we returned for a rest - the dogs were still barking outside. We tried to have a bath but there was no hot water - I called the reception desk and was told that it would be fixed in 30 minutes. It was not. I called again an hour later and was told that it had been fixed already. It was not. They then offered to move us to another room but we were exhausted from walking through Milan all day and just wanted to relax - the very idea of having to pack up everything and move to another room was out of the question. I asked the receptionist to please have the manager call us - nobody ever did.The next morning we were woken up at 6am by barking dogs again. After breakfast I complained about the noise and was told that there was nothing they could do about it as the dogs were not on their property. I once again asked that a manager please contact us - but nobody ever did.The following morning we were woken up by the dogs and then by a man outside with a leaf-blower that went on for at least an hour. It was so loud that it felt like it was right in the room with us. I actually recorded the noise on my cellphone and when we checked out - I played it for the receptionist and asked her why a manager had never called me back like I had asked for - twice. She apologized and said that everyone was too busy.

A great place with little or no staff and service

Staff too limited. Little or no service. Restaurant no more operating

the hotel is the real castle! Amazing.Restaurant MESO is must to visit.

everything

Very good

Superb

Exceptional

magical place, great service

Exceptional

everything

It was very nice!

Very good

Superb