Casa Alla Grotta in Riva del Garda

Great view and a super location.

We spent 12 days here as a couple in the deluxe double room. It’s a clean apartment in a peaceful, pretty old street, right by Monte Brione. We had a good stay, though there are several things that could be improved. The bathroom was clean and attractive. The kitchen had a dishwasher, hob, washing machine, and small appliances, with plenty of cleaning products and a good vacuum. There’s no air conditioning, but the nice fan helped. We ran short of rubbish bags during our stay, and missed having a carving knife and a larger chopping board. The extractor hood doesn’t vent outside or have recirculation filters, so turning it on just pushed cooking smells around the apartment. Parking was adequate but shared with other residents, in mud under a tree that dropped little leaves everywhere. I wouldn’t bring an expensive car. We could also hear quite a lot from the upstairs neighbors. Breakfast wasn’t nearly enough for 12 days, with little variety. Everything had been set out in advance, including packaged croissants and long-life milk, and there wasn’t much juice. Some desserts were already past their date after two days, so you’ll need to buy more food yourself. Check-in was confusing. We were told to go to number 28, but the apartment was at number 26, and had to call for directions. Someone was supposed to come, but after 15 minutes we called again and were asked to wait. Ten minutes later, we called once more. Two Italian cleaners eventually came out of apartment 26, but they only spoke Italian. With the owner translating over the phone, we learned they needed another hour to finish cleaning. We got the keys in the meantime, but never saw the owner. We had to send photos of our IDs to check in. After that, everything was fine. There are things to sort out, but we still had a nice time in the apartment. The area is beautiful and quiet, and the place was hygienic.

We stayed four people for two nights over the April 25th long weekend, and the apartment lacked nothing. Breakfast treats were already in the fridge and pantry. The kitchen had an induction hob, dishwasher and tablets, kettle, and coffee maker. There was a bathtub, soap, hairdryer, and towels, plus a double bed, wardrobe, bedside tables, and lamps. You also get Wi-Fi, a TV, an electric skylight, and a thermostat in every room. There were even scales and a rocking horse for little ones. It’s in a quiet hamlet below the Brione cliffs, close to Arco and Riva, and the price was excellent. The apartment is beautifully renovated, with a nice kitchen, bathroom, and double bedroom. Just keep in mind there’s no elevator, so older guests would need to climb two floors.

Everything was spotless, thoughtfully cared for, and fitted out with lovely new accessories. The one awkward thing was the small bathtub, which wasn’t comfortable for showering. A walk-in shower would be much easier.