Hotel Alexander

The staff were so friendly and took time to chat, and there was always plenty of good food, including new dishes to try. We had no noise during our stay, as most guests were older, which suited the relaxing holiday I wanted. The weather in October was great, so we were fortunate. The hotel sits near all the shops and other amenities, and the harbour is a good spot for regular boats to other towns. The beach is pebbles and stones, not sand, so bring flip-flops. The gardens were well looked after, and so was the pool, though the water was freezing. It’s a great location in Limone, with stunning lake views from our balcony thanks to its position up a small hill. The hotel is a bit dated, but spotless and well maintained. Rooms were cleaned and towels changed every day. There was no kettle for tea or coffee, which wasn’t ideal, and the bathroom layout was awkward, with the shower cubicle just inside the door, but it was still manageable.

I had a terrible stay, and this did not feel like a four-star hotel. I called to book for seven people and was told they’d email a reservation link. I paid the full amount through it, then five minutes later the hotel called to say I’d booked for six and needed to pay another 90€ per night for the seventh. That wasn’t what we’d agreed. When I asked to cancel and get a refund, they said I wouldn’t get my money back. I ended up paying the extra 90€ and went anyway. The rooms were a real shock. The shower is completely open in the middle of the room, with no walls and no privacy. The “terraces” and balconies connect across the whole floor without dividers, so there’s no privacy there either. There was nowhere comfortable to sit at night. The rooms had no simple facilities like a coffee machine or water boiler, and you had to buy drinks directly from the hotel. We tried to spend as much time away from the hotel as we could. One day after the beach, two employees said there was a lot of sand on a towel from our last beach visit and they couldn’t clean it, then asked us to pay €40. I offered to take the towel and clean it myself, but refused to pay €40 for a towel. They walked away and didn’t mention it again. I could say much more about how bad it was. If this had been a one- or two-star hotel at a third of the price, I wouldn’t have said anything. But this experience, and I’m only describing part of it, cost around 5000 for a week. Really unbelievable.

The food and drink at the hotel were cheaper than in the village, and all three of us loved the authentic Italian cooking. Dinner had a salad bar, three choices each for the first and second courses, then dessert, and we were never hungry. Breakfast was excellent, thanks to the hard-working woman cooking. The views were stunning, and the hotel is about a three-minute walk from beautiful Limone village. My 88-year-old dad loved staying in room 232, which had an incredible view. We were in room 308 beside a rooftop where you could sunbathe all day. Both rooms were very clean and maintained to a high standard by a lovely woman whose name I never got. On arrival, Joeseppi was superb to deal with. Vanessa and Amastasia were fantastic in the restaurant in the mornings and evenings, and Joeseppi was wonderful at the bar. All the staff made our holiday. Martin, our travel department tour host, was a great guy too. My excellent rating is for the value, location, food, cleanliness, and especially the staff. Thanks, Hotel Alexander, for a brilliant holiday. Highly recommended, and we’ll be back. We were with the travel department, so we didn’t eat a la carte.

Martiniano was the standout part of our stay at Hotel Alexander. He went out of his way to help, suggested trips for my wife and me, and pointed us to places in Garda to watch the Euros (football) and get good food. The room was clean and comfortable, the amenities decent, the pool great, and the location perfect. It’s a good hotel overall, and thanks to Marti’s service I’d definitely stay at Hotel Alexander again.