The Mirage is a lovely little hotel in Columbare, about a 25-30 minute walk from Sirmione. The hotel is basic but very clean and guests are well looked after by the hoteliers, Cinzia & Fabio who provided us with useful information, recommendations, wonderful breakfasts and the use of use of two of the hotel's bikes during our stay.

The hotel is close to the restaurants, cafes and bars in Columbare, which we found preferable to the busy tourist centre of Sirmione. Sirmione itself is pleasant and picturesque but can get extremely busy with sightseers, especially at the weekend.

Staying at the Mirage hotel also gives you the use of the swimming pool and facilities at nearby Hotel Europa, about a 5 minute walk. The hotel is on the lake and in the week we were there we never had any problems getting a sunlounger either by the lake or the pool.

All in all, the Mirage is very highly recommended for a very reasonably priced stay on Lake Garda.

We enjoyed a one week stay at the Mirage and must say a big thank you to Cinzia and her husband who were first class throughout. They were always there to help us with any queries we had- in addition, the maid was first class, the rooms were thoroughly cleaned each day. There is air conditioning in the room but although there isnt a fridge, we were allowed to put any cold liquids etc in their fridge which was great.

Breakfast was excellent as well, it set us up for the day.

Please note, it takes maybe 20-25 minutes good walking to get to Sirmione itself so make sure you sort out the bus systems ASAP!!

There were plenty of cafes, supermarkets, shops round about in columbare which is where the Mirage is - we liked the eurobar best.

In summary, the Mirage was great value for money.

Thanks for a great week.

Booked this hotel through Expedia based on the earlier review on this site. I have to say that this was a great find and such a pleasant experience!

After staying in the historic centre with everything on hand we weren' altogether sure what it would be like to go further out to Colombarde. However, the hotel might not be as conveniently located as those in the historic centre but there is a good bus service linking the two areas for a euro each way per person it was good value and bus time tables were displayed in the hotel. Or on Saturdays or Sundays there's a boat shuttle service about 700m down from the hotel to the historic centre for 1.5 euros a head. The one benefit of staying in Colombarde is that it's not as expensive for eating out as it is in the historic centre.

Lots of information for local attractions is displayed in the hotel foyer and there are really good tourist information books and leaflets available on the front reception for free!

The staff in the hotel were fantastic and were happy to help with any query as well as booking taxis etc. They even allowed our daughter access to the internet so she could keep up to date with her friends back home!

Breakfast is the usual buffet but with huge slices of watermelon and a vast array of cereals that would appeal to adults and children! Coffee, teas (but you may want to take your Tetley or PG Tips), fruit teas and so many fruit juices we were spoilt for choice. They also make a wonderful cappucino! You can choose to eat inside in a small dining area or outside in the garden beside the grape vines!

We were in a triple room with a veranda - okay there's no real view of the lake but you're less than 5 minutes walk away. The rooms aren't overly spacious but with adequate wardrobe and drawer space for a family of 3. The rooms, however, are well serviced on a daily basis - with fresh towels and pillowslips.

Also less than 5 minutes walk away is the Hotel Europa where there is free access to a lovely, clean and fresh swimming pool! Plenty of sun beds at the pool and if you go round the other side of the hotel, there are more sun beds and direct acces to the lake for swimming.

Lots of good restaurants locally that the staff at the hotel are only too happy to advise you of - plus they've also got some deals going for fixed price menus at some restaurants.

Overall a great experience and we can't recommend this hotel highly enough, particularly good value in what can be a very expensive area of Italy. So if you're thinking of going to Sirmione - this hotel is well worth a try!

Stayed at the Mirage on our first visit to Sirmione in 2003. Not quite sure what to expect but pleasantly surprised.
The hotel is compact and modern. The rooms are quite small, but spotless, and very well furnished and appointed (To be fair, we had asked for a third bed to accomodate our 11 year old son in what was basically a double room.)
The location is ideal. No lake view, unless you have really good eyesight, but set back off the main road in a side street, it is blissfully quiet at night, yet only a few steps away from the shops, cafes, bus stops and weekly market.
Cinzia and everyone there are unfailingly cheery and helpful, their welcome sincere and warm.
No dining room for an evening meal, but countless eateries only steps away, and you probably still wont be hungry after eating the fantastic (included) buffet breakfast!.
There is generous car parking. There is no pool, but they have (or had, better check) an arrangement with the Europa, 5 mins walk away, to use their pool free of charge.
Note that The Mirage is in Columbare, which is a modern, mainly residential area, rather than the 'Centro Storico' of Sirmione. A couple of k's away, this is a pleasant evening stroll, but you'd probably want to take the bus or a taxi if you wanted to visit regularly. On the other hand, it's an ideal base for touring the lake or farther afield. For example: the bus takes you to Desenzano, Peschiera, or Verona from where the train can take you on a day trip to Venice or Milan
Would we return? we already have!....