Hotel Desenzano

At €190 for the room, garage parking still costs an extra €15 per day. The rooms were really poor for the price and the four-star rating. Getting into the garage is awkward too: you have to go to reception for someone to open it, with no automated system. That’s a problem if you arrive or leave after 9pm. We only found out about the many better options after booking and experiencing this hotel. I’d avoid it.

We had a fantastic week at Hotel Desenzano. It was spotless, in a fantastic location, and the staff were extremely attentive. At checkout, we were given a lovely jar of marmalade, I think by the hotel owner. Such a kind gesture. We’d happily recommend the hotel and hope to return soon. Thank you.

The hotel is close to the train, the bar service was great, and breakfast was alright. But we definitely would not stay again or recommend it. The worst part was how we were treated after my hair dryer shorted out. The older woman who owns the place spoke badly about me in Italian to another staff member, accused me of smoking, and gave me dirty looks and gestures when I came to get my key. They kept my key while serving everyone else in line, made me wait ten minutes, then pulled me aside and yelled at me in front of the lobby. I don’t smoke, and when I denied it they called me a liar to my face. I had to bring my hair dryer down to show them. It was the most disrespectful hotel service I’ve ever had. There’s also a strange, inconvenient key routine: you have to leave your key and collect it every time you come or go. They said it let housekeeping know when to come, but that didn’t match my experience. A maid walked in without knocking while I was completely naked. My husband also repeatedly needed to get into the room while I was showering, so I had to stop and let him in, or he had to walk down the hall and down two flights of stairs, then wait in line for the spare key. We had to queue every time we went out or returned. The physical problems added up too. The beds, pillows, shower and air conditioning were all bad. On our first night in April, I got about ten mosquito bites because it was hot and we had to keep the window open. The shower and door leaked badly, so after every shower we used two full towels to contain the water and clean it up. The bathroom floor stayed wet, and the provided slippers were very slippery and dangerous on it. In the evenings, you could hear people talking on balconies, on the roof, in the hall and in other rooms because of the acoustics. When it rained in April afternoons or evenings, there was no food nearby. We had to walk up or down a huge hill whenever we wanted anything.

We missed the train and needed somewhere to leave our bags for the day. This was a great option at €6 per bag, and I’d highly recommend it.