Du Parc - Sirmione, Italy 

We got a late minute booking (14 June to 20 June 2008) to stay at the Hotel Du Parc through Thompson Lakes & Mountains website for a very reasonable price but as the hotel and staff were so good we would have readily paid 3 times as much. The hotel is very well maintained, with an excellent swimming pool (you get given beach towels so no need to bring any). Our room was very comfortable and had everything we needed – tv, fridge and safe along with a balcony overlooking the pool. We were staying on a half board basis – which consisted of a buffet style breakfast with waiter service for drinks and a 4 course waiter service evening meal which included a bottle of red, white or rose wine per couple. The food is of a very high quality with a choice of around 4 dishes in each section. The Head Waiter, Paolo had excellent customer care skills, was very courteous and friendly (a lovely man) and ran the restaurant very well. The rest of the staff were also very helpful and friendly. It is easy to get into Sirmionie by either using the free hotel shuttle bus, by getting the local bus (you can buy bus tickets at the hotel reception for 1 euro each way), it takes around 20 minutes to walk in along the lakeside or a taxi is 8 euros. From Sirmionie there is the main ferry point to get to other resorts on Lake Garda. On a Tuesday there is a brilliant market in Desenzano – where I managed to buy a Dolce & Gabbana handbag for 150 euros, being Italy most of the clothes were of a very high quality and were current season – a shopoholics delight! The local town of Coloumbare was less then 5 minutes walk from the hotel and we tended to go there for a drink in the evening to one of the local bars such as ‘Euro Bar’ or there are plenty of bars on the lakeside. We have travelled all over the world and Hotel Du Parc provides a high standard of customer care. I would definitely recommend it - in fact I wish I was going back there next week! .

We booked this fairly late and was surprised at the quality of the holiday package as you don't always get 'nice choices' when booking late. We booked with Directline Holidays but found it was a Crystal Holiday . Hotel Du Parc is set in a quiet almost residential area of Columbare near Sirmione. It is a pleasant walk to the Lake through Columbare where there are a selection of shops, and restaurants. Our room was very clean and comfortable. Very nice bathroom, air conditioning that worked and not noisy as you sometimes get, furniture was tasteful with comfy beds. We were very surprised to find the safe's situated in the wardrobes were completely free....no rip off fees! Pool towels were provided free (Not like last year in Calabria). Restaurant very pleasant , buffet continental breakfast with a good selection for everyone (occasionally there would be tinned fruit salad, but some days fresh fruit available, waiters very helpful. Dinner was 4 courses waiter service . Included in our package was a bottle of red, white or rose wine and a bottle of water every night. Lovely food , all Italian with no chips or pizza at all. Good selection of dishes, we didn't have a bad meal all week. The desserts offered a very good selection of fresh fruit flans, gateaux, apple strudel, gorgeous fresh fruit salads and more....couldn't believe my eyes. There was tea, coffee, cold drinks and biscuits served every afternoon....another nice touch. The waiters and other staff were very helpful and friendly and spoke good English even though I tried out my basic Italian. There was even a free trip to Verona included in this package which was very good even though it was 35-36 degrees and humid. I regret now not booking to go to the open air opera at Verona....it looked an amazing place but I couldn't face sitting in the extreme heat with the little insects which liked to make an appearance at night.....perhaps another time. We booked a Lake Garda tour by coach which took us all round the Lake from top to bottom. We stopped at Lazise at the bottom end and and Riva at the top where, after we had stopped to wander round the town and have lunch we were then taken on a boat trip from Riva to Limone. This took approximately 35 minutes and was beautiful ,and the breeze on the Lake was most welcome.. Time to have a look round Limone then back on the coach to continue the tour. We drove through almost every little town on the Lake , not rushed thankfully and it was very pleasant. This was really good to do early in the holiday as it gave you an insight into which place you wanted to visit by boat or bus of course. We went to Bardolino where there was a big market. Very enjoyable as Italian markets are except the heat came down like a big blanket of humidity at lunchtime and nearly creased me !! Sirmione itself is really really pretty, with a castle , like a lot of other towns and narrow winding streets with the usual shops and restaurants. This is also where the ferry point is to get around the Lake....don't forget to study the timetables so that you gauge your return home correctly. They get very busy and at Bardolino we had bought the ticket but very nearly was refused as the boat was full. The Hotel Du Parc shuttle into Sirmione was most useful but it needed to be extended to afternoon pickups for those people who like to return to take a rest in the heat of the day and also an evening service would have been most welcome to go and see Sirmione at night. It wasn't too far to walk but for myself who recently had a foot operation and others who weren't very mobile it would have been a godsend. Overall all it was a 'nice little package' and the only negative notes were the shuttle times and there was no amenity room available on the day of departure...this was great shame as a lot of people like to swim, especially when it's very hot and like to shower/ change before coming home.