Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda — Hotel in Comunità Montana Parco Alto Garda bresciano

No water, No AC & NOT good for families ||||Lefay Lago di Garda sadly, let us down on EVERY level. From the moment we arrived, we had a frustrating, disappointing experience on every level. ||||This property should be for Adults only. Instead, they pretend they’re family friendly, but they’re absolutely not. If you’re traveling with a child: do NOT come here!||||From the moment we arrived, it was clear my 2 year old granddaughter was NOT welcome. She wasn’t even acknowledged & reception seemed visibly annoyed by her presence.||||Children aren’t allowed in the primary pool & we were continously seated in an interior far away dining area. No one told us about the very few things available at||the property for children.||||The property itself was often dirty, w/cigarette butts all over, dirty ashtrays,||dirty towels, dead plants & dead grass. ||||The couple of times we tried to sit by the main pool, there were no seats for us. There was also NO natural WATER for us even on full board- instead people are charged 8€ for a small bottle. When we asked for a glass of water at the pool bar, we were told they don’t provide water, except in the spa. So much for health!? ||||No one told us about the gardens, walking paths, e-bikes, or the shuttle to town. It wasn’t until our last day that we learned there was a kids club on the property. No one mentioned any of this during our “tour” of the property. ||||Our “family suite” was oddly shaped — like room 2||wasn’t meant to be a bedroom. It had no air vents,||or ventilation, and only a small window. And worst of all: there was no working air conditioning (during a 40 degree heat wave!) We tried to leave the sliding door open- to get some air, but there were so many flies & mosquitoes & no screen. ||||We called repeatedly about the unbearable temperature.||They brought a cheap plastic fan — which quickly broke. And then ran out of fans night 2. I had to sleep with a cool washcloth on the back of my neck.||||Spa: ||||The Spa treatments were just fair. 5 out of 10 for massages & Mani/Pedi was HORRIBLE! I asked them to please just remove the polish- but they couldn’t even do that. And then acted like i should be grateful they didn’t charge me for wasting my time. They did charge me||for pedicure & it only lasted 6 days. ||||The saunas & cold plunges were wonderful! i only wish we had know about them on day 1 or 2.m||||Dining Experience: ||||Breakfast was great! But||Full board includes only one restaurant w/very limited hours & selections. Service was painfully slow. One night we were seated at 7 PM, ordered by 7:15, and didn’t leave until after 9- not easy with a 2 year old.||||Management Response:||||I spent over an hour explaining our issues with the resident manager, Stefania Matteo. ||||It felt like pulling teeth to get any understanding or resolution. there was a major language barrier, which made things worse. Eventually, Stephanie offered to refund 1 of our 3 nights (the night I slept w/washcloth on my neck). She insisted the refund could be in the form of a credit to be used at a future date at Lefay Garda only- considering I was clear that we were never coming back, this was even more frustrating & insulting. ||||A few emails later & thankfully management gave me a proper credit for the 1 night, although I believe our whole stay should’ve been refunded - as staying there was a complete waste of our precious time.||||Bottom Line: ||||Lefay Lago di Garda failed us — as a hotel, a spa, a restaurant, and a resort. The property is beautiful, but the service, policies, & overall attitude fell shockingly short.||||They clearly don’t care about their guests & they definitely don’t like...

I’ll start with the positive. The place is gorgeous, the view breathtaking and the design completely relaxing. The staff are very nice and seem eager to give good service. So why three stars for a five-star hotel? Sometimes things go wrong and that’s when you see the real worth of the 5-stars. I reached Lefay through a search for yoga retreats. I had lapsed and was looking to kickstart my practice. I was told on the first day that they believe in Chinese medicine and therefore there is no yoga. This is fine, but be advised. Also no meditation classes, or mindful walks. For this I could pay over 100 euros for a private lesson. However, If you read the brochure, a lot of emphasis is placed on these experiences - so go figure. I had a Chinese medical massage and was told to relax that day as “my body has experienced something”. That night I was very sick and wiped out the next day. I suggested that the massage guy come to see me in case it was a reaction? Nothing. I saw him the next day as he was dashing out and that was it. Way to go Chinese medicine practitioner. A western doctor did come to see me. I asked for paracetamol as I was experiencing a lot of aches. Later a gift bag arrived. ‘How lovey’ I thought. It was a packet of paracetamol for 8.5 (7£) euros. I needed one pill. Thank you. In Covid times we expect changes. My airline moved my flight time meaning I would have to get up before 6am to make the flight. I decided that it made more sense to sleep in Milan and asked to check out one night earlier. I had paid in advance a non-flexible rate which I assumed to mean I could not cancel In Advance. I never thought it would mean that I had paid for them to be entirely inflexible. Not only did I not receive the money back for the night, not a discount, or an attempt to meet me halfway. No consideration. This follows the letter of the law but I find the best hotels are about the service not the regulations. The day after I went on the ground walk. It was very pretty but it was all steps up and down In The woods. This was also the ‘running path’. So I had expected flats with some inclines. Perhaps I should have started with this… I arrived after months of stress looking for recuperation. I asked to speak to an advisor and requested he build me a track for me. I was happy to have beauty treatments, massages, state of the art, anything. In 3.5 days I was Ill one day, had the tuina, 20 minutes stretching, and a ‘relaxing’ rub. And I paid for night I didn’t use.

I imagine that had I been well then My experience would have been better. The staff were kind. On a case by case basis, maybe all of these things are acceptable but I left feeling it was a...

My wife discovered Lefey after trawling through various travel articles. First and foremost, it is one of the most amazing places we have stayed in on our world travels. I have never been one to sit still for more than 5 minutes. This all changed at Lefey. I won't go into the facilities they are all there on the website. The rooms are very well laid out. As far as I ascertained all have a view of the Lake and what a view. The hotel was refurbished over the last 4 years and our room (502) felt like it could have been decorated yesterday. Housekeeping was top notch. |All the staff from the cleaners to the managers were so professional and friendly. A shout out to the restaurant manager (who loved tennis and spent considerable time discussing it with my wife) and Julia who served us on numerous occasions. ||The hotel has three dining options. A casual lounge bar for light bites (although there is a burger on the menu), La Limonaia is the main restaurant which is also utilised for breakfast and there is a fine dining option Gramen. My wife and I felt that there was a bit of a disconnect on the menus. Gramen is fish, seafood and veggie / vegan. There aren’t any meat options. Having said that, we dined there twice and enjoyed both experiences. The tasting menu was awesome. La Limonaia has a wider ranging menu. Generally the portions are quite small. The exception is the chicken dish which is huge. It is made to share between two people. We would suggest it is suitable for three or even four. There are only two other meat dishes on offer. A rump steak and sous vide pork neck. Breakfast offers a wide range of options with a DIY juicing bar and a live egg station. The omelettes were the best we have ever eaten. However, the bread was very poor. We discovered it was bought in and only Gramen had in house produce (and what a difference). ||There are no pizzas on any of the menus which we found quite strange in Italy. If you need a fix there is a small restaurant called The Running Club (no idea why) within walking distance at Navazzo. It is safe for pedestrians unlike the the route up to the resort ||The negatives? Sometimes the service was lacking. An hour and two calls to housekeeping for an ice bucket. The same for a corkscrew. One evening in Gramen we had to chase our cocktails, ask for cutlery and request our wine three times. Non are a deal breaker but they are frustrating at the time. ||We are already planning a return visit in 12 months. Lefey deserves all the awards it...