Hotel La Perla - Bike Hotel — Hotel in Garda

This was to be a special holiday with 10 family members, including elderly, middle-aged and teenagers. Previously (pre-Covid) this group holidayed in large self-catering cottages or lodges. We chose half-board for this trip, which covers breakfast and dinner; allowing us freedom at lunchtime.

La Perla did not disappoint. Far from it. All the staff were fantastic: friendly, and down-to-earth. My parents had been there years before, and felt that much had changed: certainly (they said) the dining area was much larger; perhaps the lovely, secluded seating area at the front had been developed; and a pedestrian underpass to the pool may also be new. The TUI flight and connecting bus allowed us to check in and attend the first dinner. A 10-seat table arrangement was in place as we then walked in to eat; and this would remain in place for the rest of our 7-day stay. Food is served as a buffet, and Mauricio and many of the other wonderful waiting staff would chat warmly, and promptly took our drinks orders as we all/each arrived (wine is also included). Food options were plentiful, with freshly sliced meat, roast potatoes, and vegetables available each evening (and much, much more). A different soup was also provided each evening, as was a selection of bread, and vegetarian options. A good selection of desserts were also available, and fans of custard will be delighted. (Breakfast was 07:00-10:00 and dinner was 19:00-20:30.)

On two of the evenings, live music was provided in the secluded outside seating area at the front of the hotel. On the first night it was a male guitarist (Paulo Casini), and on the other night a female keyboard player (alas I missed her name). Both had electronic accompaniment, and played beautifully; many hit songs from across the decades. We enjoyed this more than we expected (especially our parents). Even though the town of Garda had much to offer, this was a relaxing social option after some lengthy day trips. Here is a picture (it looks like Paulo) https://www.hotelperlagarda.com/images/photos/services/intrattenimento-serale.jpg)

The pool was great too. Big enough to do lengths, and not too busy on the two times I went there. A couple of fun faucets with buttons were at one side, near a pair of circluar spa/jacuzzi pools. A shallow and paddling pool are also there. Pool menus included drinks and simple hot food, but I was often still bloated from the breakfast.

The location is a short walk (5 mins.) from the waterfront, and the bus station is even closer. The bus station is where we were dropped off by TUI from the airport, and a friendly TUI rep (Thomas) was available, and ran a helpful welcome session on the first morning. The bus station is also where the day trips would pick us up.

I finish by mentioning the staff again. Reception, cleaning, waiting and serving staff were all charming. Someone is running this place...

On arrival our coach dropped us off at the bus station. We had a very short walk across the road & around the corner to the hotel. Our room wasn't ready when we arrived, so we put our cases in the left luggage room & went exploring around the lake area, for an hour or two, which is right on the doorstep.|Our room was on the 1st floor which overlooked a small mountain & greenery. We paid 8 euros extra per night for this view or we would've been overlooking the car park!|You could pay 12 euros extra per night for the same view on a higher floor which also overlooked the pool area. We couldn't see the pool from our floor.|The hotel is spotlessly clean & hotel staff are very pleasant & helpful, all of the time.|Our room was lovely, it was on a corner, so we had dual view. Bathroom was modern as was the room. I took extra coat hangers as had read a review saying there wasn't enough in the wardrobe, but we didn't have a problem & probably didn't need to pack them. Some people say the rooms are small, but we didn't think so.|The meals are half board, every night there was show cooking, there was something for everyone. Food was tasty, hot & plenty of choice. Desserts were lovely & all tasted different. You could have a half carafe of red or white wine with your meal in the evening, or soft drinks, Fanta or Cola.|We opted for the red wine as it was light & fruity.|Pool area is accessed via a door, with your pass key for your room, along a corridor - underpass & up a flight of stairs, or there's a lift. It's actually across the road at the back of the hotel. It's huge with plenty of sunbeds around it. There's a pool bar serving drinks & snacks.|There was entertainment on a couple of nights a week when we were there in the form of a pianist singing outside.|The lake is a very short walk from the hotel & it's beautiful. Plenty of restaurants along the lakeside. Live music almost every night. We saw a firework display when we were there. There's a lovely promenade which takes you to Bardolino & is about a 30 - 40 minute walk. again this has bars/restaurants lining the lake.|We used the ferries to get around to different places & they're very reasonable. All the tickets are return tickets & you can get any ferry back.|We also did a lake tour with Tui, which was brilliant as it takes you further up the lake to places like Limone Sul Garda & Malcesine.|If you go to Sirmione, make sure you go in the morning as it gets extremely busy later on!|A very beautiful place which I'm sure we'll come back to in the near future.|Would I stay at this hotel again,...

Firstly, the wonderful staff at La Perla are absolutely incredible and exceptional in all they do.

We would like to say a huge thank yau to all the staff, as we’ve had an incredible time while staying here. During this holiday, we have experienced so many new things and unbelievable trips/experience’s, but the lovely welcome we received at this hotel truly made this feel like a home away from home. The service we have received while staying has been beyond amazing - in every area of the hotel, everyone has been very professional, helpful and attentive. While we had our morning and evening meals, the waiters and waitresses treated us with great respect, and always greeted us with bright smiles all whilst being quick, efficient, and professional, we have been so impressed with what wonderful people they were. Following on from the restaurant, the food that we have had each day has been prepared to an exceptional standard, the high quality of which has remained consistant. We are so very impressed with the chefs, who never failed to deliver a fantastic meal. Whenever we have needed some advice or assistance while we've been here, the staff at reception have gone above and beyond to help us, which has made our stay much more relaxing.

Finally, the cleaning staff have done a brilliant job of maintaining the high standard here. They've always been friendly and happy when we’ve spoken with them. However, as a collective, all of the staff have been a part of one phenomenal team, which has truly made our stay very special. In particular, we would like to say a massive thanks to Nancy, Alberto, Giorgio, Emmanuele, Mateo, Mauro, Elisa, Sami and Karl in the restaurant; Isha in the kitchen; Nicole, Anna and Saverio at reception; Michela, Maria and Jasmine at the bar; and everyone who worked at the pool bar.

To the general manager, we want to congrangulate you for managing this truly amazing hotel and staff. Every aspect has been near perfect, and we could not be more grateful and impressed, Thank you very much for making our holiday an experience to be remembered!

Hotel La Perla is ideally situated for everything you could imagine whilst staying in Garda. Verona is 45 minutes away, Malcesine is 30 minutes away, Limone is 30 minutes away from Malcesine via a ferry, Riva del Garda is an hour away, there’s SUP board hire in Bardolino which is only a 10 minute bus ride and every destination is accessible via the Garda bus station which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

We simply cannot recommend this hotel and venue more highly, we will...