Even after five years nothing has changed. The brothers are still as charming, the staff just as friendly and helpful, the hotel (inside and outside) remains in pristine condition - overall rating - a very BIG 10. Don't be disappointed - book early.
Stayed here for 1 week in June starting at the end of the Rose wine festival. Hotel is outside of Bardolino, 10-15 mins walk. Never a problem unless your unlucky with the weather! Two nights got very wet on the walk home from very heavy rainfall. Rooms are good, bathroom is tight but both are extremely well serviced daily, Hotel is spotless throughout including around the pool area but it is the friendliness of its owners and staff that make this place stand out. I have stayed in better locations in Bardolino, I have stayed in more luxurious bedrooms in Bardolino, but I would return in a flash to the Hotel Gardinia. From the welcome glass of Prosecco on arrival to the desire of its staff to always be on hand to help in any way is just superb. It was no surprise that when departing, i asked for availability for the wine festival during early October only to be told that it was already full for the duration. We will return to Bardolino as we believe it to be the perfect base for Lake Garda and we will return to the Gardinia.
I had booked a superior room with balcony and made a foolish assumption I would have a view of the lake, not so...but Riccardo changed us to an Executive room with a fabulous view as soon as he could. The first room was very nice but the 2nd room had a fabulous view. This is a charming hotel and the staff are welcoming, warm, friendly and always happy to help with local information. It is small enough to feel that the staff are interested. Its a very nice 10 minute walk into the centre of Bardolino, but the hotel itself is in a nice quiet area. Buses stop within just a 4min walk also. We opted to have breakfast, which was definitely worth it, with plenty of choice and lots of it. We would definitely recommend the hotel, it was our first visit to the Lake and the hotel helped make it most enjoyable. Well done to Riccardo, his brothers and the whole team, who make it a hotel worth recommending.
Just returned from a lovely relaxing holiday spent in Bardolino . The hotel Gardenia and Villa Charme contributed to the enjoyment of our stay enourmously. We have friends who stay there regularly and have nothing but good to say. However we thought the hotel wasn't as good as they had said "IT WAS BETTER " . The mangement the staff and everyone working at the hotel were very helpful very happy and couldn't do enough. From arrival to departure they made you feel very welcome. It was one of those stays that the first thing you want to when arriving home is book again. This is what we have done and we are taking friends and family next time to enjoy it with us Thank you Riccardo you run a very professional hotel that rightly gets all the credit it deserves PERFECT.
It is interesting that this hotel is so highly rated; it is not particularly well situated. It is not on the lake (it's a couple of hundred metres back) and it's a 10-15 minute walk outside of Bardolino (along the very pleasant lakeside path).
But from our arrival (warm welcome, glass of prosecco, suggestions on restaurants, things to do) to departure (left our bags with them all day after booking-out) the staff are friendly (in several languages), efficient and very likeable.
There are hotels better situated (Du Lac for instance, right on the lake, edge of town) but I doubt they are as friendly, clean and efficient. The almost boutiquey family-run personality of the place is a nice change from the corporate blandness of many hotels.
Breakfast was very good (exceptional by Italian standards) and taken in a very pleasant outdoor/indoor area.
Book a room with a balcony and a front-facing view of the lake.
If arriving by bus, the stop is the one just south (1km) of the Bardolino stop.
We stayed at Hotel Gardenia back in August on our honeymoon and it was a really wonderful hotel. When we arrived we were greeted with a glass of Prosecco and then shown to our rooms, despite having arrived early.
We were given a very thorough map with restaurant recommendations and sights to see listed. The hotel is a short walk into the lovely Bardolino town centre (10 minutes, though we walk pretty quickly) along the Beautiful lakefront. The town has lots of lovely restaurants to choose from and some great shops. From the hotel we also walked to the Zeni Vineyard (maybe better by car), walked to Garda (again a long walk but lovely to do). The hotel provided us with helpful directions for these trips.
Hotel Gardenia has two beautiful swimming pools with plenty of sun beds. They offer poolside service which was great. There seemed to be families, couples and friends alike. The hotel caters for all.
Hotel Gardenia was spotless and the staff were excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and hope the return one day!
