Admiral Hotel Villa Erme

Rivoltella is a pleasant little village with a good beach bar and some nice restaurants. The hotel was lovely, and we'd stay again. The staff were friendly and even made our anniversary feel special with a complimentary bottle in the room. The pool was bigger than I expected, and our room was large and nice. Getting around was the downside: it took 35-40 minutes to walk to Desenzano and 90-120 minutes to Sirmione. Buses were unreliable, and a taxi cost E15. Without a ferry connection, exploring Lake Garda from there wasn't difficult exactly, but it wasn't easy either. I'd hire a car.

The spa was spacious, with nice heated pools, and the hotel also had a good heated pool. The rooms felt smaller than average, though ours had a large balcony with seating. Breakfast was sufficient, and there were complimentary bicycles and parking. A kettle in the room would have been a useful addition.

We had a really nice long weekend here. It's on a busy road but close to the lake, and the place was clean and well looked after, with friendly staff. There was plenty of hot water and towels, though the shower cubicle was tiny. My only real complaint was the hot tub noise. We couldn't avoid hearing its rumble in our room. It's an easy walk to Rivoltella, or farther to Desenzana, and makes a charming, genuine Italian hotel for a short break.

Our meal was a bad experience. The salmon was raw and still wasn't cooked properly after they tried again; the salad tasted bad too. People in bathing suits walked through the restaurant on their way to the pool, and kids were loud in the pool behind the glass by our table, despite the supposed quiet time from 6-8pm. The man at the bar smiled at us, then talked about us in Italian to other guests right in front of us. He was very rude. The breakfast cook was kind and helpful, and the front desk staff were nice. Our rooms were hot. We'd planned to spend a few days in Italy, but we're leaving now. The drivers are aggressive too and don't stop for pedestrians. Yuck country.