Gardenia & Villa Charme - Bardolino, Italy 

This hotel is a wonderful example of how a small hotel should be run. Every member of the hotel staff had the welfare of the customer as their number one priority. Everyone was friendly and extremely helpful. We stayed in one of the rooms at the front of the hotel with a balcony and although the main road is about 60m away it was not a problem. The room was kept spotlessly clean and the towels and bedding were changed regularly. When we stayed the temperature was in the region of 35C so the room air conditioning was an essential. The breakfast was very good; not "full english" but a lot better than most continental breakfasts. The only slight issue is that pool is on the small side but there is another pool at the adjacent Villa Charm, that can be used if the hotel one becomes too crowded. I would recommend this hotel as an excellent base to explore Lake Garda.

I have just returned from 7 nights in the Gardenia. What can I say that the other reviews haven't? The hotel was all I expected & more. I have never come across more friendly, charming staff, nothing was too much trouble. We opted for a panoramic/lake view room which was great and probably worth a bit extra. Clean, well maintained, cool (air con was great having just stayed in a hotel in Riva for a few days where air con turned out to be a fan). Breakfast was fresh and a good choice - as well as cold buffet you could have eggs cooked to your liking. The pools are a little cramped but dont let this put you off. We had a fridge in the room which came in handy. Bardolino centre is a 10/15 min walk away - but its very pleasant. There is a good resturaunt right across the road from the hotel if you dont feel like a stroll. We visited a few of the resorts on the lake an bardolino was in my view by far the nicest. I loved the hotel and would definitely return.