Lake Orta

We only spent an afternoon there. It’s pretty, but very small. Maybe someone who stayed overnight will weigh in.

Two to three nights is too long for small Lake Orta. Stay on Lake Maggiore and take a day trip to Lake Orta or give it a maximum of one night.
We made the mistake of booking three nights on Lake Orta and ended up driving down to Lake Maggiore every day. Staying on Lake Orta was a mistake for us. We have spent lots of time on the other Italian lakes- Maggiore, Como and Garda and loved them all.

I've been to Lake Orta a couple of times. Once was a day trip and the other was an overnight.

I stayed at Hotel la Bussola in Orta San Giulio which is the main town.

I can also recommend the restaurant Al Boeuc. It was recommended to me by two people I knew who lived in the area. It was wonderful. Try to get a table outside. It's also in Orta San Giulio. I shared a Salumeria platter and a bottle of wine with friends.

I don't recommending make Orta a base for further exploring but I recommend at least an overnight rather than just a day trip.

I stayed at Omegna a couple of nights decades ago. Since that time I’ve only visited on a day trip from Stresa. If you only have few nights for the area, I would also recommend basing on lake Maggiore (maybe Stresa) and visit Orta San Giulio from there. Many more things to see and do on Lake Maggiore.

From Stresa to Omegna is maybe 20 min by car. To go further down to Orta San Giulio (the prettiest town on lake Orta IMO) it’s about 30 min drive.

It find it really interesting how people have very different impressions of a place. We stayed two nights on Lake Orta and two in Stressa on Lake Maggiore and I wish we had spent the whole time on Lake Orta. There's so many walking/hiking trails, really great exploring of the sanctuary, and it really was just beautiful. Stresa was much busier and yes, if you want to visit art and cultured gardens it would be better, but we weren't looking for that.

We stayed at Hotel Giardinetto, which was lovely but definitely far from many things. I would stay in Orta San Guilio if we were to go back.

I preferred Orta San Giulio to any of the villages/towns on Lake Maggiore, though the lake itself is not as dramatic, scenery-wise, and on the whole there is more to see in terms of attractions on Maggiore. If you only stay two nights/one full day, then have an early walk along the waterfront at Omegna, followed by the rest of the day in San Giulio. There is a nice lakeside promenade, walking trails above town, many narrow paths and alleyways, a sacred mount (great views), a tiny island (Isola San Giulio) well worth the short ferry ride. It's beautiful at night.

This might not help be we stayed for a longer period just up the road in Miasino, in an apartment run by a lovely old couple: http://www.villaallegra.it/the-apartments-of-villa-allegra-miasino-orta/casa-clo

There's a fantastic restaurant about a five minute walk away: https://www.ristoranteanticoagnello.com/

Thank you to all of you who have replied thus far to my query on accommodations in Lake Orta. Much appreciated!!

We also spent two nights in Orta San Giulio. Beautiful! We spent our whole day poking around town, walking the trails, feasting on the view. Our whole day was a Sunday and we plunked ourselves down with a spritz outside and watched the world walk by. Some organization was roasting chestnuts on the main square. We thought it was perfectly charming and enjoyed the relaxation.
We stayed at Hotel la Bussola.
If you want to go-go-go maybe it's not for you. But we loved it.

Count me in with the group who loves Lake Orta. I didn't want to leave. I stayed in Orta San Giulio, just down the road from the train station an an Agriturismo called Il Cucchiaio di Legno. Very peaceful, great breakfast, stunning dinners. People came from Milan just for dinner. The rooms are cozy and clean but not luxurious. I walked all over for days - along the lake, up into the hills, through the hilltop Sacro Monte. I have been back since and it was just as special. I've been to most of the other lakes - Como, Maggiore, Varese, Lugano, Iseo but not Garda - and Orta is still my favourite.

Enjoy your trip.

Part of our problem with Lake Orta was our stay at La Bussola, ranked at the top of worst hotel experience ever.