Poiano Resort Hotel

"Just returned from a week at October half term with a teenager. It was colder than expected, we should have taken coats. The pool was bitterly cold so we couldn’t go in unfortunately, I bet it’s great in the summer. Location wise it’s a bit far out. We walked into Garda most days (30 mins) and had to queue for the minibus home (only runs back between 3:15 and 6:45pm) . The driver was the nicest guy we met, there were a lot of very grouchy Italians at various ticket offices, restaurants, in the hotel… it wasn’t the friendliest place we’ve been. We managed a ferry trip to Sermione (beautiful), and bus trips to Malcesine (very small and annoyingly the cable car wasn’t running), Sealife at Gardaland (great) and Verona (very impressed) and also walked to Bardolino (very nice). We then struggled to fill our last few days, and spent one rainy day in our room playing card games. Shame we didn’t have a nice view, our room was dark and at the back of the hotel. Balcony was too cold to use. Room was very dated but the cleaning service was great and we had fresh towels every other day. Hairdryer is not very powerful at all so I’d advise to take one. Buses are on a limited service at this time of year too, so if you miss one you’re a bit stuffed. Need to plan with precision. Food was interesting. Breakfast ok but not lots of choice really. Two course menu in the evening was hit and miss, but there’s always salad. Couple of standout desserts in the vanilla slice and tart au fruit. Evenings were literally dead, the piano bar was open on 4 of our 7 nights for an hour but only had around 4 tables in it. So we sat in the main bar area/corridor in bright lighting with no music. Ok if you just want an early night after your meal, but certainly not a lively holiday. Wasn’t expecting a €70 tourist tax charge on departure, that stung a bit. In summary: Garda is small and was very sleepy at this time of year. Lovely lakeside scenery with a few nice restaurants to have a drink. We had a nice week, it was something different, but we spent a lot of money on transport trying to travel about to occupy ourselves. Slightly wish we’d booked something a bit livelier and in the sun."

"We were a bit concerned with some previous reviews. We were so pleasantly surprised because of these. We returned on 18th October. 2 adults 2 kids 16 and 10. Accommodation - we had a superior suite, when we emailed to ask for 2 single beds for the kids instead of a sofa bed this was no problem. Room was exceptionally clean and spacious. Furniture is a bit dated but no stains on material etc. Terrace just beautiful with chairs and loungers. Great shower, room cleaned at any time you liked every day, fresh towels and sheets daily too. Food - We went half board. Breakfast is bog standard but fresh, great coffee continental and cooked dishes to choose from. Evening meal.... we were most concerned about this as we have been all over Italy and never had a bad meal! 3 choices per night - meat, fish or vegetarian. The food was superb, quite high end I'd say. If you're a fussy eater just order from the kid’s meals burgers, chips etc. Fab salad bar and as many desserts as you can fit in. Honestly no idea why anyone would complain about the food. The bar cafe was closed for season so no daytime snacks. We just stocked up on break, meat, fruit from Garda. Shuttle Bus - Morizio the driver is fabulous. Free service into Garda. Issue is it only holds 8 people. Coming back to the hotel we witnessed arguments as people just blatantly ignoring queues and trying to get on. Found it a bit stressful if I'm honest. Morizio tried his best. Bus too small I'd say. Staff are absolutely wonderful from arrival to departure. Cannot do enough for you. Special shout out to Yolanda from reception. Pool is Olympic size - cold. Fine for us Scots (and nice when you actually start to do lengths) but not for kids and can't stay in for long. All grounds are immaculate and as all rooms are on steep slopes a wee buggy will take you around if needed (we didn’t) We played golf, swam, used the family hour at the spa, ping pong and drinks on the terrace. Trips: Gardaland - Brilliant Verona - Nice but very busy Ferry to Sirmione - beautiful place. My advice is don’t listen to the haters. We'd go back no problem."

"I don’t understand people and their bad reviews about the hotel. It was amazing the staff so nice and friendly the free shuttle bus was great such a wonderful and pleasant man. Nothing was too much trouble. Food was top notch couldn’t fault anything really. Our room a junior suite was clean, nothing broken (we have experienced that in other hotels) beds very comfortable."