Unfortunately I only ended up spending one night at the Camelia, but I wish it had been longer. My room had a large, private balcony overlooking the garden, which was great for reading at night. The bed was very comfortable and the hotel had a welcoming feel to it. Although I didn't get to use it, the hotel had a large reading room that was well stocked with newspapers and magazines. The walls were thin and there was quite a bit of street noise, but the hotel clientele was very quiet and I slept very soundly. I would definitely go back to this hotel!

The Albergo Camelia is a charming hotel within walking distance of the Locarno train station. Our room was big, with a nice balcony overlooking the garden where you can have breakfast and dinner. The garden is just lovely -- in June it was filled with hydrangeas of all colors. Breakfast was ample. I would recommend having dinner from the menu, rather the half-board dinner -- or eating in the city, where there are many restaurants. There is free wireless internet access in the living room off the lobby.

Das Albergo Camelia ist ein charmantes Hotel, das man vom Bahnhof Locarno aus zu Fuß erreichen kann. Unser Zimmer war groß und mit einem schönen Balkon mit Blick auf den Garten ausgestattet, wo man auch frühstücken oder zu Abend essen konnte. Der Garten war sehr schön, im Juni war er voller Hortensien in allen Farben. Das Frühstück war üppig. Ich empfehle Ihnen von der Karte zu dinieren und nicht Halbpension zu buchen. Oder in der Stadt Essen zu gehen, dort gibt es viele Restaurants. Im Wohnzimmer bei Lobby kostenlos Wireless Internet empfangen.

We spent 3 nights at this hotel in August and found it very good; we had a triple room with balcony and paid around 180 CHF a night which I felt represented pretty good value for money in Locarno. The room was reasonably spacious, very clean with comfortable beds and we found the owners friendly and helpful. It's only about 10 minutes walk from the railway station and about the same down to the lakefront. The only slight problem we found was with noise - not from the hotel itself which was very quiet - but from the road which runs alongside, I found it difficult to sleep with windows open. The best thing about this hotel though was the breakfasts which were outstanding - a huge buffet with loads of fresh fruit, organic cereals, breads, croissants, meats and cheeses - the best I think I've ever enjoyed at any hotel! Talking of which if you need to eat cheaply in Locarno (or anywhere throughout Switzerland) head for the 'Manora' self-service restaurants. The one in Locarno is just past the station on the way down into the main square : really good food (especially with kids menus), reasonably priced - about half what you'd pay in a normal restaurant, plenty of choice for vegetarians as well - it seems to be where the locals go. Anyway I would recommend the Albergo Camelia - you just might want to pack earplugs!