Sept 3rd to 10th. First time to Italy and loved lake Garda. Maderno is a small place but fine to stay in ( we are in our late 50s.) Ferries are close to hotel, not much going on in Maderno ,not much night life.We used the ferries every day. I expect younger people would enjoy the busier towns on the lake such as Malasine and Denzenzano or Riva, A must is the Dolomite tour and a trip up the mountain , we enjoyed Venice but you dont get much time there, The lake tour is very worthwhile.
Rooms in the Hotel were clean to a good standard, we had a balcony view ,the food was ok but not a lot of it.
Staff were helpful and freindly,

We have just got back from the Hotel Bel Soggiorno at Maderno in August 08. The hotel is excellent place to stay. We found the staff extremely friendly and helpful, they were always on hand to answer any questions and whilst their English is not the best we were able to get by .The food was excellent, great choice and if the menu wasn’t to your liking on the day you could always ask for the daily fish dish. The meals are served daily with a choice of potato's and a selection of cold vegetable's - don’t be put off by this they tasted wonderful .Gilberto, the chef, came round every table each evening to make sure you were enjoying your meal, Our room was overlooking the lake, and like others have said you could hear the traffic noise, when the shutters are closed you here very little. The rooms are clean and have a mini bar which surprisingly was priced low, towels and bed linen changed daily infact the towels were changed every time you seem to use them. The room also had a TV but only had CNN as the English choice channel - however I didn’t go on holiday to watch TV. Open the widow and there is a magnificent picture of the lake WOW. The rooftop pool was great, freezing cold when you get in but take the plunge you soon warm up. There are fantastic views over the lake, sun bed and towels were supplied by the hotel and there was always one free. Maderno is quiet; there are a few bars and cafes, a really nice walk along the prom. We hired a car but never used it once so save yourselves the money and see every thing the island has to offer by boat. The hotel is ideally placed for the ferries, we went somewhere different every day, This is a wonderful place to stay and relax, enjoy the peace and quiet the lake has to offer, travel across the lake to the small village's and wonder around the cobbled streets, there are markets on every day some where around the lake, you will find however leather and items expensive as its more like shopping on a high street than a market when it comes to price , you just have to haggle a bit. Most people however, speak a little English! A trip to the top of the mountain in Malcesine Monte Baldo is well worth a visit, get there early as you will need to queue, it took us about 1hours 20mins but was worth the wait. Other places we went to were Venice, over rated in my opinion, however you have to go, share a gondola with other people if you can we paid 18 euros each, better than the 120 they wanted for the 2 of us. Isle of garda is also worth a visit, included in the price is a guided tour which is excellent. When we went we were the only two people that spoke English so had our own guide for 2 hours. There’s so much to see and do - can't wait till we go back , and oh the weather was 30+ every day - not that that mattered, Ciao.

Have just returned from a week in Maderno on Lake Garda, staying at the Hotel Bel Soggiorno. This hotel deserves its good reputation. It was excellent value for money. An old hotel over two buildings. With a roof terrace swimming pool affording a lovely view of the lake and mountains. Clean, very comfortable beds, large shower rooms and excellent service. I always have a single room and they can be inferior - not this hotel! A lovely double room with plenty of lovely towels! The hotel staff could not have done more for us, even letting me keep my room until I left in the late afternoon. The food was plentiful and varied. The family running the hotel are always around and very friendly - eating in the dining room every evening with the guests. Tipping the staff was a good idea and I am sure that is why they were so kind about keeping my room on.
The resort of Maderno is very quiet and is best used for a base to visit the other resorts (beware the last ferry gets back about 6.30pm). However there is a lovely walk all along the promenade past the ferry terminal and ice cream parlour! The place is beautiful, friendly and not a rip off.
We were able to arrange trips to Verona and Venice throught Reception.

I cannot reccomend this hotel highly enough.

Stayed at the Hotel Bel Soggiorno at Maderno in September 07. I had looked for reviews of this hotel, and information about Maderno for weeks before we went and just could not find anything. Well, the hotel was great. The staff were friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble for them. The food was excellent, good varied choice and always piping hot. Our room was on the front overlooking the lake, yes you could hear the traffic noise but we knew this hotel was on a road so it did not bother us, it wasnt bad at night. The room was clean and beautifully decorated, you only looked at a towel and it was changed. The rooftop pool was great, fantastic views over the lake and you could always get a sunbed and towels were supplied by the hotel. Maderno was quiet, but there were a few bars and cafes and a really nice long prom to have a wander on to walk off all the fantastic food. It is ideally placed for the ferrys and we went somewhere different every day. All in all we had a great holiday and would return to this hotel. Just a mention about Gilberto, the chef. He came round every evening to make sure you were enjoying his food, a really nice touch.