Hotel Continental - Tonelli Hotels

We enjoyed our four-night stay, and the staff were generally friendly and accommodating. The clean rooms were basic, and the breakfast and self-service dinner buffet had plenty of options. The rooms felt a little dated, though, and after the first day our coffee, tea, and milk weren't replenished, so we had to go downstairs for more. For dinner, we were seated in different dining areas. We heard other guests call ours the "naughty corner." I don't understand why summer guests are put in such a basic dining space; it gave off a class-divide feeling. The dinner menu food was underwhelming and bland, not what I'd expect at a four-star hotel in Italy. The waits between courses were extremely long, over two hours one night. We wouldn't go back.

The room was clean and comfortable, and the pool area was lovely, well kept, and great for relaxing. Housekeeping deserves a big compliment. They were consistently friendly and greeted us with a smile. The facilities were nice, especially the pool and clean rooms, but our overall experience was mixed. Most of the other staff seemed indifferent or even cold, with a few exceptions. On several occasions they ignored us completely, as if saying a simple “good morning” was too much. That surprised us after being charmed by Italian hospitality in past years. We found little of that warmth here. As the saying goes, if being friendly and smiling now and then isn't in your system, hospitality might not be the right job for you. Breakfast was mediocre at best, with nothing especially fresh or inviting. The coffee doesn't even deserve one star. A more welcoming atmosphere would have made our stay much better.

The two pools were great and never felt too crowded, and there was plenty of entertainment. We also loved the food and the lovely staff. The free shuttle runs to and from Torbole, where you can easily catch a ferry to other towns around the lake. The main downside for us was the children. We came during school holidays, which was a big mistake: lots of lovely babies, but also many unsupervised kids coughing over the buffet, taking food, and touching things on other people's tables while staff and parents seemed not to mind. If you're travelling without kids and don't want food coughed on or your things knocked off tables, I'd come outside the school holidays.

The location was peaceful and pleasant if you have a car, and the pool was nice, though a little tired. The rooms were very basic, with a tiny balcony and just one pillow on the bed. There was hardly any tea or coffee, and we kept having to ask for more. Dinner was a strange set-up: they led us to a separate room away from the main restaurant, with no atmosphere and very slow service. For the price, it was quite disappointing.