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Lake Garda came highly recommended from a number of people. It seemed that there was something there for everybody. We weren't disappointed! I'd also been told that it was an expensive place to visit but I think it depends on your tastes and where you stay. We had some really nice food and wine for a lot less than you'd pay in the UK.
We arrived at Verona Airport at about 11am with the temperature already in the low 90s. The transfer to the hotel took about 90 minutes even with several drop-off points along the way. The tour rep did his thing en-route to the hotel which I thought was a good idea - saves time having to turn up to an orientation meeting the following day. However, I'm not sure everyone appreciated it so soon after the flight.
The family-run hotel was really comfortable. The room didn't have air-conditioning but it was still quite cool with the wooden blinds kept shut. The en-suite bathroom was tiny and a bit cramped but it served it's purpose well. I thought that being next to the main road around the lake was going to be a problem. The road can get very busy during the day but I can't say I really noticed any traffic noise from the room. The restaurant had some really nice food albeit very simple. Overall, it gets a thumbs-up!
The cable car from Malcesine is the easiest way to get to the top of Monte Baldo. At over 2,200 meters, there is a path you can walk up/down but I wouldn't recommend it; the heat would zap the energy from all but the toughest walkers. From the top of the cable car, it's an easy walk to a platform where the views are spectacular. From there, you can see for miles and miles in every direction. Not far from the platform, there's a cafe where you can sit and take in the view. Even in full sunshine, it can still be cold if the wind picks up.
We decided to be a little more energetic and do some hill walking along the ridge. We'd bought a walkers map of the mountain range which showed a path further along the top that leads back down to Malcesine. We walked for about 3 hours, covered 2 peaks and still didn't find it. We didn't want to get caught out on the mountain in the dark so we turned back in the end and got a cable-car back down instead.
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