Bisesti - Garda, Italy 

Have just returned from a wonderful trip to lake Garda, & Hotel Bisesti. We read the previous reviews, & were really concerned about all the negative reviews, we did NOT have anything to worry about. The hotel was traditional in style, very clean, & with really helpful staff, nothing was too much trouble. Our room was a bit small, but the balcony more than made up for it, the food was very nice, a mixture of Italian, continental, & English. Buffet Breakfast was continental, but with a lot of choice. evening meals were waiter service. We met a lot of guests who were visiting for 2nd, 3rd & 4th times,and had never had any bad experiences. Lake Garda is very scenic , with lots of towns on the banks of the lake, all different, all lovely. Boat trips are the best way to see the lake, we took the lake tour, which tours the lake by coach ( with very knowledgeable guides) & boat, A thoroughly wonderful day. Venice is also a trip to take while here. A gondola ride, a trip around the lagoon, & standing in St. Marks Sq. will be some of the memories we will take from here. The town of Malchesine was especially lovely, & was made extra special by our trip in the cable car up to the top of Monte Baldo. The views from the top, which is 1 mile high, were spectacular, & the snow still on the ground was strange,as it was cold up here ( take a jacket ) but very hot at the lake side. So if a peaceful, relaxing scenic break is what you require, then Garda on Lake Garda &Hotel Bisesti should be your first choice.

We chose the Bisesti because of it's prime location in Garda, very close to the lake itself, as well as the local bus station for excursions and the Old Town of Garda, which was only a stones throw away. The hotel itself could do with some updating, and ceratin areas had a distinctly 70s feel. Rooms were of a reasonable size, very clean, and although we didn't pay an extra supplement for a balcony, we were given a room with a "mini balcony" much to our favour. TV had 4 channels in English, better than many hotels I have stayed in. Only complaint would be the bathroom which could really have done with some updating, and the shower was rather tempremental. Do be prepared to be up in good time every day, as the Hotel is located very close to the local church whos bells chime at 7am every morning! Though after coming back home - this seems like a much better way to be woken up than by the alarm clock. We had booked half board, and there was a choice of having either lunch or dinner each day. Unfortunately, the food wasn't that appetising at times, and some nights we left most of what we were given and headed out for our own dinner anyway. This isn't to say that all the food was awful however, and a few of the mains and starters were very good on some days. Breakfast was what you'd expect from a 3 star hotel, continental buffet, and was perefectly adequate. The final thing I wanted to mention is the service of the staff at the hotel. I cannot express how much we were impressed with them, and their genuinely warm, helpful and friendly nature. On more than one occasion the reception and restaurant staff went out of their way to help us, even when we had seen them off duty outside of the hotel. Although the rooms and food were pretty average, the staff really made the stay for us.