Villa del gusto

Doesn’t deserve a recommendation in Lonely Planet! At arrival the host was very hostile and seemed annoyed about our arrival. She almost didn’t respond to our questions and left as soon as possible - as if she was in a hurry to get us out of the way. The house and garden was messy and not kept. The room was below average and SUPER hot. No air condition. Really hard to get some proper sleep. Old towels and no shampoo etc. for the shower. It says parking but the parking space is so narrow it’s impossible to get a medium sized car inside. The host didn’t care and left us on the street to figure it out on our own. A friendly neighbor helped us find a parking spot. The house has so much possibility to be a nice place but we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

We stayed one night at Villa Del Gusto for a business trip and our first visit to Bellinzona. Villa del Gusto was conveniently located for our meetings which is why we chose to stay here. The hosts were very responsive prior to our arrival and friendly once we got there. Parking was easy. WiFi was good and our room was wonderful; spotlessly clean with a fantastic bathroom (giant tub, hight tech separate shower, toiletries, robes, etc) ||After reading the Trip Advisor reviews we decided to book dinner at the hotel in advance to avoid driving after dinner and we were not disappointed. Our three course meal started with a range of antipasto which was delicious. Our main course and dessert were also very tasty. The hosts recommended wine made by friends of theirs which we also really enjoyed. Dinner was CHF50 per person which is reasonable in Switzerland although expensive for Italy. ||Breakfast was included in our room rate and was ready when we wanted it and was also delicious. Musli, fruit, fruit & nut bread, bread, cakes, preserves (all home made).||Overall the convenience and friendly service of Villa del Gusto really made our stay enjoyable. We will stay again on our next trip to Bellinzona.

Clean room with a great mattress, clean bathroom, a warm welcome, safe parking for the motorbikes, and a fantastic breakfast with homemade honey. You can't ask for more.

Clean, good WiFi, 15 mins walk from the station, felt safe. Quiet and restful. No TV or luxuries like cream so you'll need your own. Good value for money.|Was able to check in early which was great after a long journey.|The Ticino card is available to all tourists staying in a registered lodging, but no one told me this. Its a really important piece of info as you get free public transport through the whole region & can only be arranged by your lodgings. I wasn't told and found out about it accidently.|Although family were efficient, they weren't very friendly or accessible|

Couldn't have had a better visit. Arrived late, but in time for a wonderful multi-course dinner in the garden. It was one of the best meals I've had in awhile, and the surroundings were very peaceful. Our rooms were excellent, and we had another great meal in the morning, including homemade yogurt, muesli, bread, and pastries. And Bellinzona is beautiful, we had a great day hiking, and saw several castles as well.

(+) Villa del Gusto is a place for those who is looking for calm and quiet accommodation in Bellinzona. The guesthouse is run by a couple, who live at that residence. Villa del Gusto has a nice location, which is just 400m from Coop supermarket, 500m from Ticino river and 1,5km from the main railway station. The villa has a nice well-kept garden with a tiny pond with gold fishes and lotus flowers. Our room was spacious and had huge bed, separate bathtub and shower. Everything in the guesthouse is well maintained and nicely decorated including the room we stayed and all common areas. In spring and summer you may have breakfast or dinner on a terrace and listen bird singing. The hostess Michela and her husband cook very well. If you like surprises, good quality food and 3-course menu, you can have a dinner at the guesthouse. For breakfast you get home made jam with muesli, home made yogurt and home made pastry. The pastry might be different any other day. The hosts sell craft beer made at their villa, chestnut and walnut (or hazelnut) cakes, various honeys, home made sauces for pasta or bread spreading. ||(-)There is nothing negative I can say about the guesthouse. Be aware that the parking place is a bit narrow and better fits for smaller cars. I missed eggs for breakfast but you won't leave hungry in the morning :)

This is a family run bed and breakfast with quite a few rooms. Ours had a full (quite large) bathroom ensuite. It was so inviting and refreshing. We felt like we were in someone's home, which we were as the family lives on the property. There is a very large and comfortable yard with a pond and sitting area where we were served dinner and breakfast. The dinner is optional but so worth it! It's $50 Swiss Francs and worth it. The food was truly outstanding. The dinner had so many courses, we could not even count them all. The husband and wife are both chefs and create amazing meals. My husband forgot to tell them I am gluten sensitive and on the spot they made a few adjustments for me. It would be a good idea to let them know of any sensitivities, as I'm sure they would gladly accommodate them ahead of time.(They actually sent my hubby an email specifically asking that he overlooked during our travels with limited Internet access). I felt badly they had to do that on the spot, but she had some gf pasta, bread and cookies and whipped up some substitutions for me that were absolutely outstanding. The quantity overall was huge, but each course had small plates of a variety of fresh food. Our bathroom was actually bigger than the bedroom. But the bed was comfy and there was quite a large closet to store things. The best part of the stay (besides the food) was meeting other guests who were enjoying the dinner and breakfast alongside of us - a great family from Australia. We had so much fun and enjoyed every minute. The hosts Mikela and Massima (not sure I spelled their names correctly) work very hard to make your stay perfect. I would highly recommend this place. We did not have time to explore the town, as we had planned this as a quick stop on the way from Italy to Frankfurt. It looked like there were some interesting castles to explore and a town to enjoy for a day. This establishment accepts cash only, so we did have to make a trip to the bank, as we overlooked that in the booking.

We overnighted in Bellinzona, the first stop in a week long road trip in Italy. Villa del Gusto was a perfect transit stop away from the old town in a residential district. The room was spacious with a huge bathroom and the off street parking was also welcome. The real treat was the dinner which the family serves only if you book in advance. The antipasti were abundant and delicious, a great way to put us in the mood for the rest of our Italian trip. The main course was also good and the chestnut cake was moist and with a touch of mountainous flare, as were the polenta cookies.