Cà Toresele Relais Osteria Garden

The staff made our stay: they watched our dog while we went to the opera, tracked down our daughter's lost plush toy, and were cheerful throughout. The rooms are new, nicely decorated, and feel homey. From the restaurant there’s a lovely view over Verona, and the food was superb, especially the fish, raw fish, and tempura. There’s also a pizzeria next door serving meat. Set up in the mountains, the hotel is away from the busy city but about a 10 minute drive from the center. Great place for a night, a meal, or even just a drink with that view.

We decided to stay at a different hotel for our second night in Verona. Our room was very spacious, but there was nowhere practical to hang clothes or towels. The hangers were so high that I struggled to reach them at 170 cm. The mattress, pillows, and blankets were much too hard for me, and because the room faced the street we heard every car go by. I could also hear people talking clearly, though I couldn't tell where the voices were coming from. If I spoke Italian, I’m sure I’d have understood the conversation. Maybe we just got an unlucky room.

From the restaurant, the views are sublime. The place is a bit outside the city center, which suited me because it’s quiet, and you can choose when to head into the bustle. The rooms are a good size with decent amenities, though the open studio layout won’t suit everyone. For the space and peace, I thought it was worth the money. There’s an easy bus ride to the center, about 17 minutes, and it’s €4 a day. Taxis cost more, around €30 to the center and €60 to the airport.

We went twice, and the experience felt completely different each time. On our first visit, we were with someone who spoke Italian. The waitress was warm and kind, and we had really good tapas and aperitifs. The view over Verona is beautiful. Yesterday we returned without our Italian-speaking companion, and the waitress was cold and rushed us. Then we noticed the English menu charged €1 more for every tapa than the Italian one. It felt like they were trying to profit from foreign customers. When we raised it, they said nothing, acted as if it was a mistake, and charged us the correct price, but the waitress seemed annoyed that she couldn’t charge the higher amount. Good food and a great panorama, but that left a bad impression.