My wife and I stayed here for one week in August 2011 after booking a last minute trip using an Irish travel company called latedeals.ie. We flew into Verona, and the transfer time to the Grand Hotel was about one and a half hours after we had made a number of drop offs in other resorts.

The hotel is situated right on the waterfront of Lake Garda and is in a lovely location. It has its own promenade which runs the full length of the hotel and meets with the public promenade at the ferry dock at the side door. The outdoor pool is nice to sit at but we found the timber deck over the lake was perfect. This is also the best place for accessing the lake for a dip. The loungers come with complimentary beach towels and are very comfortable. The built-in canopy is useful in the hot afternoon sun, but there are also plenty of umbrellas and tables. There are also plenty of lakeside seats for those who do not want to sunbathe.

Our room had a lake view with a balcony and I would suggest that if you don’t have at least a lake view then you will miss out. It was quite old fashioned in terms of the decoration, but it was clean and tidy and very much met our needs for a week. There was a fridge, safe and TV, and sufficient storage. The bathroom was good, and the complimentary slippers were a nice touch.

The breakfast room has both indoor and outdoor seating and we had no problem getting a table at whatever time we went down. The selection of food was very good and was always of a high quality. There is an omelette station which makes your choice and a waiter will deliver to your table. We had lunch a couple of times at the pool bar which was good but competitively pricy. We ate in the fancy Limone Restaurant one evening to celebrate our anniversary and were extremely impressed with the brilliant service, gorgeous food and exclusive setting outside and right by the water. Mostly we ate in the restaurants in Gardone and can especially recommend Caffe Wimmer, right beside the side entrance. It was very competitive in terms of price and we had delicious Italian food at both lunch and in the evening on a number of occasions. It’s also worth a walk up to the old town of Gardone Sopra, about 15 minutes up hill for a drink or a bite to eat.

In terms of the other guests, we found that it was primarily an older crowd, but there were still enough children around to make feel fun! There were not too many people in the 18 – 35 bracket, and out of high season I would expect that the guests would all be older again.

The Grand Hotel, even though it backs on to the road, has a beautiful lakeside position with its own private garden that sits between the hotel and the lake. There is a small outdoor swimming pool and a lovely sitting area for coffee etc right beside the lake. The ferries to the other small towns that are on the lake, pick up just outside the hotel gate. The food at the hotel was extremely good and the dessert selection was too tempting. The room had a small balcony and overlooked the lake and was very good. There was a lovely intimate bar with a small dancefloor and every evening there was the resident piano playing singer who made the evenings very enjoyable. Probably not for the young holidaymaker. The small village of Gardone had a small selection of other places to eat but was quite small and quiet. Loved it and would go back again and again and again.

We stayed at the Grand in September for 1 week. We found the staff very attentive and pleasant nothing was a problem. The hotel itself is an old building, it is grand and elegant, as the reviews state there aren't minimalist modern rooms but that makes it special it has character. We booked for a lake view room and the only disappointment was, as previously mentioned, some lake view rooms have the view obstructed by trees. We mentioned this to reception who immediately moved us to a room on the next floor with fantastic views over the lake from the balcony. The food was excellent, we were in a tour group on a half board basis and though there was a set menu there was great options and everything was cooked to perfection. We had breakfast on the terrace every morning which was wonderful, there was a huge choice of fruit, cereals, breads and pastries with a chef on the terrace to cook omelettes and fried eggs at your request.

The hotel is in a quiet area but there are a few lovely attractions nearby which can be reached by the dotto train which stops right outside the hotel including the Botanical Gardens and the Vittoriale. The ferry departs outside the hotel and there are plenty of lovely places on the lake to visit. Along the promenade from the hotel are a few bars and restaurants, we often had drinks and cocktails in Bar Rosetta. As mentioned the drinks in the hotel are very expensive, expect to pay around £25 for a decent bottle of wine and £5 for a small coke. We were recommended to try lunch in a restaurant called Emilliano's, don't be put off by the plastic chairs outside the food is fantastic and very well priced.

We picked this hotel based on reviews from other travellers and were not disappointed. The hotel is old and grand so do not expect modern luxuries. For example the elevator barely fits 3 people and it is faster to take the stairs. The TV stations are all news, oh wel so what sit on your balcony and watch the ferries go by. Our window had a fabulous view. The food at teh hotel was good, breakfast is included as is the custom here, buffet style.
My husband and I stayed for 5 days, perhaps a bit tooo long as he does not like to sit still for long. This is a lovely get away to escape noise and the daily rush of life. Expect to slow down and smell the roses here. Not recommended for families or the adventurous. We really enjoyed travelling around on Lake garda by ferry and visiting all the small towns along the lake. The main occupation of your trip will be sipping wine or eating gelao at a small lake side cafe. Not so bad, bring a good book and put your watch in the vault. Relax