Grand Hotel Gardone

Really do not understand the good reviews for this establishment. This hotel is very, very tired, grubby and outdated. The only thing it has to recommend it is the position and view. The view from the lake view rooms is outstanding. It is well positioned on Gardone with its own promenade. It is right by the ferry stop. There are a few good restaurants nearby, I certainly wouldn’t eat at the hotel! Very expensive and poor quality. Our room, which was supposed to be a better room, was a junior suite, art deco with a front lake view. This room was awful, very depressing and with a plastic carpet, tired looking and not very clean. It had a mini bar with nothing in it apart from two small bottles of still water which we were invited to help ourselves to, for two euros a bottle! No tea/coffee making, no room service. My wife was bitten on her legs, in bed each night. This was not mosquitos! The shower was very dated and ineffectual and was simply over the bath. The sink had stains all over it. The landing area on our floor looked like something out of a very poor nursing home. Tired, worn carpet and decor, no proper lighting with a horrible dismal air, which went for the whole hotel. We were shown other rooms which were equally as bad, if not worse. Breakfast, well where to start. Self service at tables with stained off white table cloths, no cutlery on the tables, no staff to greet us. It was all self service, revolting powdered orange juice, in Italy for goodness sake! Vile coffee from a self service machine. Awful vending machine coffee, in Italy?? Inedible scrambled egg that was like a block of egg, had to carve with a knife. The whole breakfast was totally unappetising. The restaurant was like the rest of the hotel, drab and uninspiring, with no staff. On our return in the evenings we looked in at the bar and it was invariably empty, as was the huge souless drab sitting room. To say we were disappointed would be a massive understatement. We made our feelings known but were still presented with a bill for over £500 for two nights bed and breakfast. We felt totally ripped off. As we discovered after escaping from this dump, you can get superb accommodation and service around lake Garda for the same or less money. Without doubt this hotel was absolutely fantastic in its day but that was clearly a very long time ago. My advice would be to avoid this hotel at all costs. Don’t be fooled.

Amazing hotel. The rooms are great and big. I suggest a lake view room w/ balcony, it’s worth it. Super helpful staff. Highly recommend.

The old hotel, common space needs to be updated. Guests room were modern and clean. Nice pool and breakfast patio.

We spent a week here mid September. This is a beautiful hotel. A bit tired in places but it all adds to the character of this beautiful old building. The setting is perfect. Right on the edge of the lake. Our room appeared to have been refurbished. It was a good size & as requested had a beautiful view across the lake. The room had everything we needed. There were a shortage of power sockets but we managed. The plug under the dressing table was difficult to access. There is no tea/ coffee facilities in the room ( normal for Italy) but we took our own. Loved sitting on the balcony in the morning with my 1st cupa. Our bathroom was very fresh & looked as if it had been redone. The room & bathroom were kept sparkling with daily cleaning. We got clean towels without asking & we had a good supply of toiletries which were topped up daily. This hotel has very long corridors, you will get your steps in here no bother, but most of it is on the flat. We were on a B&B basis. Breakfast had a good choice & freshly cooked eggs / omelettes are supplied on request. The queue could be long sometimes but breakfast is served till 10:30 so often it was quieter later in the morning. Sitting out on the veranda, looking across lake Garda while having breakfasts was a real delight. This hotel could not be in a better position for views. It has a lovely pool & jacuzzi all with stunning views & loads of loungers & chairs. A shaded position was easy to get. The ferry pier was just outside the hotel gate. Very handy. We had a light lunch at the pool bar the day we arrived. It was very nice but VERY expensive. Because of the cost we decided to go else where to eat. We were out most days & there is a good choice of restaurants in Gardone Riviera where you can get a reasonable priced good evening meal. We did have a few drinks from the Churchhill bar in the evenings. The girls were very nice but on the one occasion we encountered the barman, we found him quite rude & obnoxious. We preferred to sit on the terrace & be served by the very pleasant young waitresses after that experience. This was a lovely holiday, we loved the Grand hotel. I believe it has to close soon for a complete upgrade to 5 star….this could make out of a lot of people’s price range. The rooms had a fridge & the hotel supplies 2 small bottles of water daily at a cost of €2 each. We used these on our 1st day & then found a small shop near by that sells 2 litre bottles for €1!! Just to give you a heads up. We could get 8 litres for the same cost as the 2 small bottles from the hotel!!

Lovely property in a beautiful setting. Super close to the ferry/bus links. Lots of lovely places to eat so close by. The hotel itself has lots of lovely areas to relax, like out by the pool and the deck by the lake. Lovely balcony overlooking the lake!

Although it is an old hotel, we had a very decent stay. If not going under a major transformation soon, it is really time to redo the rooms and bathrooms at least. Really a special bar, btw’

Beautiful hotel and our superior room with lake view was stunning. However, the hotel lacked in dining options and was expecting spa facilities and there were none. There was no atmosphere in the piano bar and not welcoming so we ate out every night.

It's a lovely old hotel. The staff is excellent and the location is really nice. My room was clean and comfortable and seemed recently updated. The property itself needs renovation and updating, but it's beautiful.

It was a last minute decision Location is absolutely beautiful, wonderful breakfast with beautiful view Parking available across the street . Walking distance to all the shops and restaurants on beachfront. It is purchased by Hilton and will be closed for two years to be renovated to be a 5 start resort and spa .