Richard & Ann - Leeds
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We booked through Inghams and at the Augusta as we knew people who'd stayed there through the same operator, and it came highly recommended.
Malcesine is the best resort on Lake Garda - we found the resorts to the south of the lake too touristy and anyway the scenery is much better at the northern end. Malcesine also has it's own mountain (Monte Baldo) and the cable car journey is well worth taking (a lovely walk to viewpoint over the northern end of the lake to Torbole).
We'd agree with other reviewers on this page that in the rivalry between Malcesine and Sirmione, Malcesine wins hands down!
We took trips to both Venice and the Dolomites. Venice by night was wonderful and very different to Venice by day (when it was very crowded and a bit hot and smelly). The Dolomites were a completely different experience, with snow still on the passes in May.
All in all we would definitely return to the same resort and hotel - maybe next time we will get chance to see Verona (which we'd heard so much about, but we were too chilled out to make the jouney!)
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Gill Luker - Wallington
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Hotel Augusta is a lovely hotel, our superior double rooms had a fantastic view of the castle in Malcesine but my father's single room was quite small and did not have the lovely view (having said that, it was not expensive). Also they had no lifts so we had to lug the suitcases upstairs. However, they were extremely helpful and welcoming when we arrived at 10 pm.
We booked everything ourselves by e-mail and saved at least £200 each on brochure prices. The hotel arranged a free airport transfer, which was excellent both ways. They only do bed and breakfast but that left us free to enjoy the many good places to eat in Malcesine. It is definitely more scenic than the wider part of the lake and we were surprised at how 'buzzing' the resort was. If you want a quieter resort on the same part of the lake, Limone was also lovely.
We had no complaints about the hotel and all the staff were very friendly but, if booking again, we would try to get a hotel right on the lakeside, of which there are quite a few. Hotel Augusta is only 10 minutes walk from the town centre and lake but even that can seem a lot in 34 degree heat! We had air-conditioning in our rooms for 5 Euro per day, which was a boon. There was a busy road running alongside the hotel, but this seems very common with a lot of the hotels we saw.
We did the day trip to Venice and enjoyed the Gondola rides but it was a long day and very rushed. If you go on the hour long Lagoon trip, get there early so you can sit outside on the boat - sitting inside was extremely hot and tedious.
The beaches in Malcesine and Limone are all pebbles so you need jelly shoes or similar to swim in the lake, but it is well worth it to be swimming with mountains surrounding you.
All in all, we had an excellent holiday and would definitely visit Lake Garda again.
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