This 3-4 star hotel is exactly as described and reviewed. So don’t expect a 5 star luxury palace. But if you want a good hotel in a quiet position, a 10-15min walk to the centre of Desenzano, then this fits the bill. We arrived earlier than regular check in but were met with friendly reception staff. I had emailed Hotel Oliveto knowing this and as promised could leave bags at reception and use the pool and pool bar till our room was ready. I forgot to pack a towel in hand luggage so rented pool towels (€3 per towel for the entire stay - not unreasonable) The pool is 25x10m, clean, not overly chlorinated and a lovely 28 degrees. It has spa corners to relax in and plentiful loungers and umbrellas. The family friendly hotel had lots of kids but the pool was never overly crowded, nor was the space around it. There’s no view of the lake but it’s reasonably private and I think it’s fine. The pool bar is open from midday till 7 and serves simple snack food (sandwiches, toasties, chips etc along with a reasonable range of drinks) A separate shaded seating area means you can eat away from the pool. When we got into the room, it was one of the older styles (as expected). The new refurbished ones look on the photos to be of a much more modern and luxury type but the standard double we had was as per the photos. Given I wasn’t planning to do much in the room other than sleep, wake up and shower, it was fine. The bathroom is dated but there’s plenty of hot water, a reasonable shower, very good AC and despite the previous reviews I found the WiFi to be pretty good. The breakfast was varied and as expected at a 4 star hotel. Plenty of choice with juice, coffees and teas, cereals, sweet pastries and cakes, continental meats and cheeses, yoghurts, fresh fruits and limited cooked breakfast items. We stayed when the hotel was full and although the dining area was full, we never had to wait for a table. Serving up till 10am meant we could lie in too. The other hotel facilities we used was the gym. A reasonable place with 2 running machines, a static cycle, rowing machine, a multi-weights machine, bench, free weights, kettles, Swiss balls and mat. Well air conditioned, you needed to book (COVID restrictions) but we were always able to get a slot we wanted. There was an indoor pool, and spa circuit but it was so nice and hot outside, we never tried them. The other reviews seem to be positive about them. We never had dinner at the hotel either. Desenzano del Garda is a town at the lower West corner of Lake Garda. It has some upmarket shops but in general is a laid back place with lots of restaurants. Don’t expect trendy fashionista bars or nightclubs. It’s clearly fueled by tourism but again doesn’t feel overly crowded or intimidating. Just a nice compact place. It’s a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel to the town centre which was never a problem. The town has a rocky beach with lounger/shade hire, pedalos and beachside restaurants. We found an amazing family run
Very Good
20 Reviews