Campione Univela Hostel

The views, tasty dinners, and general atmosphere helped make up for a disappointing start. I’d recommend this place to people looking for peace and beautiful scenery, though it could be much better with daily room cleaning and without all the plastic tableware. Thanks for a pleasant stay, shortcomings and all. We were surprised on arrival to find that the building describes itself as a hostel, so we didn’t feel it offered the service or amenities we expected from a 3-star hotel. The staff were friendly, and there’s a large private parking area. The location is right under a mountain, with a private beach and incredible lake views. The beach has a lovely lawn, loungers, umbrellas, and chairs, but the mountain casts shade over it around 16:00. Nearby public beaches lose the sun quickly too. The private beach isn’t suitable for children who need a gradual entry: you get into the water by ladder, like at a swimming pool, or straight into deep water from the pier. The nearby public pebble beaches have a gentler entry. There’s a restaurant at the hotel, which is convenient. Lunch food and drinks could be ordered from the menu until 15:00. At breakfast, every dish was in reusable, high-quality plastic, and even at dinner all drinks, including wine and water, came in plastic cups. I didn’t like eating or drinking from plastic. Breakfast was a 4/5: the selection stayed the same each day, but there was enough to eat, with juice, water, coffee, yogurt, muesli, eggs, and sweets to have with coffee. Dinner was included for us. Each day there were three choices for the first course and three for the main course, followed by dessert, with a bottle of water included. The first course, usually pasta or salad, came quickly, but we often waited a long time for the main. Maybe the kitchen struggled with the number of guests. The food was always tasty and filling, though, and it was nice to have proper tableware for dinner. Only the drinks were in plastic. The rooms are modern and have large showers, but there was no daily cleaning at all. There was visible dirt on the floor when we arrived. On the second day, we had to wait for the cleaners, who seemed to clean rooms only after guests checked out, and ask them for toilet paper. Even when they came to replace our towels, they didn’t clean the room. Towels were changed only every 3 days, and without hooks in the bathroom, they stayed damp. The only towel rail was inside the shower itself. Our balcony was very small, had just one chair, and no hangers for drying clothes or towels. There was no fridge, but there was air conditioning. The hotel also has a well-equipped gym, a small playground where kids can run around, and water sports through a school right there. You can relax by the lake or hike on a nearby mountain trail. The coffee was delicious, and they gave us some as a gift when we checked out.

There’s not much for non-surfers to do, or on a day without wind. For sailors and windsurfers, including fin and foil, the facilities are excellent, with a grassy lawn, parking, reception, breakfast, and sailing infrastructure. Probably the best value for money around Lake Garda.

The organizer even sent us some pictures afterward, and communication throughout was great. Our three-hour guided sailing trip was a great experience, with a friendly, knowledgeable skipper. The area was clean and relaxed, and drinks afterward were included. I’d definitely recommend it.

The setting is stunning, the accommodations were great, the staff were fabulous, and the food at the Univela restaurant was outstanding. It’s a brilliant sailing facility and a perfect place to build your skills. I stayed at Univela for three nights in May and did the 4-hr Waszp lesson package. I’d sailed a Waszp off and on for several years, but still couldn’t foil through a gybe consistently. Time on the Waszp at Garda with Giulio following and coaching was invaluable. His pointers helped me understand what I was doing wrong.