Hotel Caesius Thermae & SPA Resort

I stayed at this hotel over the Christmas holidays travelling on a Shearings holiday. The hotel far exceeded my expectations. The staff were all very lovely. My room was incredibly comfortable with everything I could wish for in the way of toiletries. The food was excellent and although not what I am used to it was presented beautifully and tasted fresh and nutricious. Sadly I was so busy I did not have time to enjoy the spa treatments. I would definitely stay again.

The hotel arranges free transport to and from the airport on bookings of 4 days or over. This is a real bonus because the cost is normally 50 euros each way. (The taxis in this area are over-priced but luckily there is a reasonable bus service to Verona). The hotel is set in beautiful gardens, across the road from the lake. (A well-made path allows walks as far as Lazise in one direction and Garda in the other. The pretty town of Bardolino, with many shops, restaurants and a Christmas market, is a twenty-minute stroll away. The hotel also hires normal and e-bikes for cycling these paths which we did on Christmas Day to Garda). We were greeted with courtesy by Reception on arrival and quickly shown to our room. This was in the main building, with a balcony and mountain view. It and the bathroom were spacious, well-furnished, quiet and clean. The beds were comfortable. There is free tea and coffee, and a charged mini bar. We are vegetarian and the hotel provides a fantastic breakfast with many different options, including wholemeal croissants, organic cereals, and rice, soya and almond milk. (There is also salmon, ham from the bone and a bucket of sparkling rose wine for those inclined!). In the evening we had access to the mainly vegan Ayurvedic menu which had some imaginative dishes. The spa facilities were superb and included a well-equipped and spacious gym, an indoor pool, 6 thermal hydro-massage pools and three saunas. Lifts from the rooms provide direct access to the facilities and dressing gowns and slippers are provided. There are also many changing rooms and lockers. There was music in the bar almost every evening and the standard was surprisingly high. It included jazz, soul, funk, and pop and rock covers. Musicians included the excellent De Cousins, and Andrea Pimazzoli and Riccardo Dolci. Unfortunately, the entertainment was rather spoiled one night by children being allowed to run around wildly in front of the musicians. This was both distracting and disrespectful to the musicians, and annoying for the adult audience. The children in the hotel were otherwise supervised and well-behaved. The staff generally were very welcoming and helpful, particularly Natalie (Reception), Rosalina (Maitre D???) and Roberto (waiter). Rosalina and Roberto ensured our alternative menus were present on the table every night. Natalie researched and printed bus timetables for us; and when I lost my bag she arranged for the hotel shuttle to drive us to the police station and back. The driver went in and explained the situation for us! (My bag was not there but on further investigation we found it had been handed in intact at a nearby restaurant!). So impressive! The hotel is generally very good value for money, although we did find the drinks expensive. Overall, we had a fantastic Christmas holiday and I would highly recommend it.