Just stayed at the Poiano for a week and we’ve given it a Trip Advisor 5*. From our perspective it’s a 4.5 but 4* feels mean given how good the place is. So why a 4.5*. Minor things really. The food whilst good could have been a little fresher on occasion, there could be more for vegetarians, although staff were helpful and accommodating and as I don’t drink alcohol, a couple of non alcoholic beers rather than poor old Becks Blue would have been appreciated. Small stuff really but helps make the difference. They did have decaf coffee which was appreciated 👍 So on to the good stuff. - Lovely clean rooms. Cleaned and made up daily. - Helpful staff - Reasonable prices - Massive pool - Good food and plenty of it. You won’t starve. The resort is on a hill and there are steps. We read the reviews and took small cases as inevitably I’m the one lugging the big case. Fortunately we were in the main building with a lift but be prepared and pack accordingly. Being on a hill you do get a lovely view of the lake and the restaurant and bar overlook the view of the lake and you can watch the sun go down over a drink and each night a singer or musician. It’s fairly gentle entertainment, so expect more Radio 2 than your local nightclub. Good for a relaxed evening. We were half board. Food arrangements are a buffet breakfast with the usual fayre but it’s Italian so don’t expect ‘English’ bacon and Yorkshire tea. There are plenty of breads, fruit, ham, cheese, bacon, eggs, cake, pastries etc. Evenings, aside from one day is served to your table from a menu with a choice of 5 items, 3 of which change daily. Some were a little strange to my ‘English’ tastes however it’s a good chance to give something a go as there are 2 served courses plus a buffet desert and a salad bar to choose from. As I said, you won’t starve! Drinks get put on your room and signed for so you don’t need to carry cash. The resort hosts a lot of sports and also serves the local area so there is a swimming team that train daily in the pool meaning that half the pool is allocated to them from about 4pm. Some people seem to moan about this but it’s no issue really. Also no inflatables. Good in my opinion. You can play ball games and some are hosted by the hotel but lilos need to stay out of the pool. We didn’t see any signs to not take your own drinks we we did on a couple of days. Garda is just under 2 miles away. A nice walk at the right time of day but it is a gentle slope uphill on the way back so plan appropriately. The best route I found is in my pictures. Look out for a vineyard and a park. Google maps is your friend. The free shuttle bus runs every 30 mins, holds 8 and at peak times there are 2 buses. You may have to wait for the next one (or for them to go and come back) but we never waited more than 20 mins. There is shade to wait and a cafe at the bus station where you get dropped off/picked up. Garda itself is lovely with many places to eat right by the water and not too expensive either given the location. Pizza €10, Beer €5. So UK prices, perhaps a little cheaper and with that lovely view. If you want to swim the lake you can walk south towards Bardolino or just north of where the ferry port is in Garda there is a small Lida (beach) and a cafe. This is a useful location to bathe and have a drink afterwards. The toilets here are public and a little grim but I’ve been in worse! We did some trips and realised that Garda is a decent location to get places either by boat or coach due to being central. Would I recommend this. Yes, just consider the location as it’s not in the centre of Garda.

This was the second year coming back to the Poiano. Yes, the hotel is a little dated but the view and the pool area more than make up for this. Breakfast was a bit of a battle at times this year, but understandable given the Covid situation. Go for the early breakfast to avoid queues for coffees. We didn't eat here in the evenings but made use of the lovely restaurants and the free shuttle into Garda. Reserving of sunbeds by some of our European friends is nowhere near as bad we've experienced elsewhere, but does happen. It would help if the hotel removed towels from any sunbeds not used after 30mins. Problem solved. Don't let this put you off this resort however. Bar prices had increased since last year and 6 Euros for a beer from the pool bar seemed a little excessive. However, still a great hotel and would definitely recommend.

Firstly the positives of the resort - the location is stunning, set part way up a hill with a gorgeous view down over the lake. It's about 25 minutes walk into Garda which is easy enough and there is a shuttle bus available at various points through the day (although it only seats 8 people so there were regularly people being left behind). My wife absolutely loved the outdoor pool and the staff manning it were very pleasant and helpful. Our apartment was spacious and comfortable, very quiet and it was lovely to be able to sit outside and eat looking over the lake. On the negative side, whilst I appreciate it's self catering, I was a bit surprised by just how little you are provided. I can deal with not being provided tea and coffee, I can deal with not being given basic toiletries (although even the most budget places usually at least have some shower gel and hand soap) but it felt particularly stingy to threaten a 80 Euro fine for not washing the dishes and then not provide anything to wash up with - no flannels, towels, liquid, anything. On a minor point too, our apartment was situated right at the highest point of the resort, up either a steep hill or a lot of steps. This was fine for us as we appreciated the seclusion but it wasn't mentioned in the booking so if we had had any sort of mobility issues we'd have been in trouble.