Hotel Nazionale

Lovely hotel, well placed just out of the centre of town. Easy walk into the centre to bars, restaurants & Lake Garda ferry. All was good, until the very end with the lady on reception dealing with our check out who very clearly chose to comment about us discussing the city tax to her colleague, thinking we wouldn’t understand! Unfortunately we could, totally unprofessional & rude! (Discussion was whether city tax was included in our booking price which our email said it was, but the charge apparently made on booking didn’t, got there in the end)

We have stayed here for two weeks now, and I cannot fault the hotel. I agree with many others that this should be a 4 star hotel as I cannot think of anything they are missing to achieve that rating. The rooms and all areas of the hotel are spotless and the staff are so helpful and friendly. Breakfast consists of a good selection of breads, pastries, fresh yoghurt, fruit, cheese, scrambled eggs and hot and cold meats. They also offer a daily lunch menu for €15 which included main, dessert and drink, though we prefer to explore at lunch and evening meals. The pool is perfect for hot summer days and there was rarely an issue for sunbeds as most people came and went throughout the day and did not keep beds that they were not going to use. The air conditioning in the room was also spot on....worked so well that even an ice queen like myself, who normally keeps it at 18°C and still complains of being too hot, was able to set it at 22°C and occasionally feel chilly!! The hotel is in a perfect situation about 40 minutes from the airport, and has free parking, bikes for guest use and pool towels which are changed every couple of days. We had a room facing the road but heard no noise, not even the fireworks, when we were in the room. An iron is available in a laundry area, and the hairdryer is very efficient. Water is safe to drink from the taps in most places (there is a sign to warn you in rare situations where it isn't) and the shower is spacious and has a good pressure. We visited Venice and Murano, Riva del Garda, Limone, Lazise, Malcesine, Sirmione and Salo during our time and would thoroughly recommend all to other travellers. I doubt we will be back, as we like to have new experiences and there are so many places left to see; but if we were, we would definitely stay here again, no question!

The hotel is excellently located a very short walk to the lake, ferries and buses and a manageable walk from the train station making it easily accessible from Verona (unless like us, you are travelling on the day of a general transport strike!). The room was spacious and kept immaculately clean, and even included a free pair of flip flops each. The air conditioning was the most effective and reliable we have ever had in a hotel. This proved invaluable in the daily temperatures of 30 degrees plus. We had side view with a small balcony although unfortunately the main outlook was as into an Audi showroom, with a distant view of the lake if you were sitting down. The one let down for us was the breakfast; although we were fully aware that this is a continental buffet we have had far better in other hotels, including on the lake. The cheeses and fruit offering were very disappointing but the biggest bug bears were that there were long waits for the buffet to be replenished (and some things weren't replenished at all) and the coffee service was very slow and not particularly friendly. We did though, enjoy being able to eat outside with a view of the pool. All in all this was a pleasant experience, and I would say the hotel is correctly pitched as a very good 3 star at a reasonable price for the area.