Marconi - Sirmione, Italy 

We just arrived home and I couldn't wait to rave about my second stay at the Hotel Marconi! This is without a doubt my favorite hotel in the world. It's a little piece of heaven right on Lake Garda. What makes this hotel so special is the Visani family who operate the hotel. They treat everyone like family! Carlo speaks many languages and goes out of his way to make sure that your every need is taken care of. His mother is a sweetheart who is up early working every day and into the night. She always made sure we had our cappucino's and whatever else we needed. She is a dear woman. Her husband is a pastry chef who makes the fabulous breakfasts. I am already craving the wonderful cakes and cookies. They greet you with a potted flowers and a personal note when you arrive. Then, when you leave they send you off with a wrapped gift of one of Pappa Visani's cakes. YUM! We lucked out and had a balcony room with a perfect view of the lake and then another side baloncy with more views of the lake and gardens. Pure heaven! Our room was large and spotless! You will see everyone working and cleaning all day. We then had to move to the annex building after three nights (we knew this in advance), but lucked out and still had a small balcony and views of the lake. This room was tiny, but the bathroom was good sized. It actually helped us with our packing because we didn't have room to spread out. We were very happy with this room as well! We loved relaxing on the patio/deck; swimming; soaking up the views; having a drink at night with the added pizza snacks; visiting with others outside or in the large family room/bar area. Most everyone at this hotel is a "regular" and they book their return stay one year in advance. Being in the U.S. we don't have that luxury of planning that far in advance. So, we'll just have to take our chances. I love this hotel SO much that I would plan my visit to Sirmione around when the Hotel Marconi actually has rooms! We discovered something new on this trip that we didn't learn on our first stay.......the Hotel Marconi has the best food in town! You can have lunch and dinner at the hotel with the best views of the lake. We met the nicest couple from Germany (Ciao, Paul and Claudia) who told us about the wonderful dinners at the Hotel Marconi. The food style is Italian homecooking. You know the food is good when locals come here to eat dinner. We had the BEST pesto pasta, grilled sea bass and homemade tiramisu EVER at the Hotel Marconi! Once we discovered they served dinner, we enjoyed our last three dinners at the hotel. It was hard to leave our friends at the Hotel Marconi. Carlo is so helpful with arranging tickets to the opera in Verona or instructions on the boats to visit other towns on the lake, etc. Essentially, once you are at the Hotel Marconi you have no worries and they take care of you. We love this hotel and were sad to leave. My husband and I hope to return with my parents in the next year or two. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who made our stay so wonderful! Until we meet again...........Salute!

My husband and I were travelling in the Lake Garda region between May and June 08 and came across this great hotel in the centre of Sirmoine, we were so glad we did. We paid approx ?70 for the room and didn't expect much but as arrived in our room we were very surprised. The hotel itself is like something out of a fairytale the rooms are decorated to a very high standard and the breakfast was out of this world, staff were brilliant and very helpful. The hotel is rated a 3* as there is no pool but to be honest we have stayed at worse 4 * ones. We are very travelled and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed, it was a beautiful hotel on the lake, like the hotel Talented Mr Ripley.