The Ziba Hotel & Spa

Breakfast and the room were okay. The minibar had no food options, and there was no room service in the evenings. We were there as part of a large company group, and several drinks were wrongly added to my room bill because nobody checked who ordered them. Basically, anyone ordering only had to give a room number.

The pool was okay, but the pool bar was wildly overpriced. €8 for two small cans of Coke is ridiculous, especially since I didn’t even pay that much during our day out in Venice. The spa was decent, though on our first day both the sauna and hot tub were cold. Breakfast was all right, but the eggs weren’t good even when freshly made. Housekeeping was okay, but they didn’t replace the tea bags, and there was never any milk for our tea or coffee. When I asked the young woman at reception for milk, she just said no. The next day I asked another woman, who was very helpful and gave me a small bottle. The room was basic, but the bed was large and extremely comfortable. The bathroom was large and clean, but I didn’t like the accessible rails or the raised toilet seat. When I booked, they asked why we were staying and I said it was for my mum’s 60th birthday. Was that why we were put in an accessible room?

The location is great for Lake Garda and as a base for visiting other cities, and the restaurant and staff were fantastic. The breakfast was basic but fresh. That said, this definitely didn’t feel like the 4-star hotel advertised, more like a 3-star. We paid for superior rooms but got basic ones, and only noticed after leaving. The hotel didn’t reimburse us. The beds had thin sheets, and when I asked for thicker duvets, I was given a throw instead. I get cold at night, so I ended up using three.

We had a really good stay. The staff were especially friendly, and breakfast was the best I’ve had at a hotel so far. They made scrambled eggs fresh to order, with a kind of honey sauce that was great. Shout-out to the chef, who also cooked a great dinner at the restaurant and had to run the place by himself while we were dining. The location is just outside the small village, and there’s free parking and free use of the sauna facilities. Our room was big enough for the two of us, and the shower was great too.