Poiano Resort Hotel & Apartments

We walked to the lake and back a few times, though the free shuttle bus is great too. The resort and rooms were clean and well maintained. There’s an amazing pool area and sports facilities for all ages. Beautiful place, highly recommend.

The views were amazing, and we did enjoy our holiday in Garda in the end. Once in town, we walked to Bardolino and liked it better. Still, I’d probably stay somewhere else if we came back. Our arrival was a rough start. We got there at noon but couldn’t have the room until 4 pm, after being awake since 3 am. Our child is on the spectrum and was getting really restless. They only offered towels so we could use the pool, but our clothes and everything else were still packed in the cases. The resort is quite far from town, and the shuttle only seats eight, so it fills up fast. The last one out of Garda is at 7:15. We were self catering and the listing said there was a coffee maker, but there wasn’t one. The rooms were clean enough, though badly in need of a refurb. The in-room information said the pool bar stayed open until late, but it closed at 6. I also didn’t find the staff particularly friendly.

There’s plenty to do here, and the rooms are large and well equipped with a fridge and stove. There’s a restaurant onsite, laundry equipment, and other restaurants close enough to walk to. The old town is a bit of a hike, but doable. If you’re happy with just toast and coffee in the morning, get a toaster and skip the 15€ per person breakfast buffet.

The hotel refused to refund the unused nights, even though the conditions were clearly below what I’d consider acceptable. After trying several times to sort things out, we had to check out early. This is absolutely not what I expect from a 4-star resort. Both apartments had a strong, persistent musty smell, which other guests noticed too. It seemed like a mix of old furniture, humidity and possibly mold. In our first apartment, C25, there were also ants in the kitchen, and we documented them. After several complaints and waiting more than three hours with our two small children, we were moved to C23, but things didn’t improve. The second apartment had the same unpleasant smell, visible humidity damage on the wall, and a water pipe that made constant noise at night starting around 5 a.m., so we couldn’t sleep. We were shown other apartments, but they all had the same smell. Even guests who were leaving confirmed the problem. No acceptable accommodation was offered.