The Place
Larger than our preferred size, Gardenia al Lago maintains a personalized feel about it. The common areas are intimate, and with only three floors, it’s small enough to walk to the top.
The main focus of the owners is on creating a family atmosphere – each of the three floors represents something about the lives of the Arosios, who have owned and run the hotel for nearly a century.
The original owners regularly came to Gargnano for holidays but decided to stay in 1943. After the war, they started to rent out rooms and the house was later extended to a pensione in 1957. It was expanded into a hotel in 1965.
We recommend taking a tour of the family’s lemon houses – the only place in Northern Italy to successfully grow the fruit. Guided by the lovely Francesca, you can try their homemade lemonade, limoncello and lemon marmalade, also sold at the hotel.
We dined on the restaurant terrace and enjoyed freshly caught seafood and homemade wine. The menu is reasonably priced and the wait staff are attentive but not intrusive.
Our bedroom, the Panorama, had a balcony with fabulous views of the garden and Lake Garda. The bathrooms are stylish and clean. Overall, a lovely place to stay – definitely worth the journey.
The Rivalago Restaurant is closed on Wednesdays.
Limoni dei Limoni Beach & Bar
There is a beach bar, Lido dei Limoni, located near the hotel.
For customers of Gardenia Lago, sun loungers and deckchairs are available with an exclusive agreement, subject to availability on a daily basis.
At the Lido dei Limoni, you find our Lakefront Beach & Bar where you can enjoy delicious dishes with our light restaurant service and at sunset you can enjoy a fantastic Lakefront cocktail in a very charming and romantic place.
At the beach you can hire kayaks and SUPs.
Among the activities that the hotel offers, there is an exclusive walk outdoors, once a week, through the country’s oldest streets. A guided visit of our Limonaia Fondo Crocefisso (an old lemon house) is included.