Relaxing retreat | Lake Garda

We stayed in Limone, towards the north end of the lake. Our hotel was beautiful and we were given an upgrade when we arrived, so we had a terrace rather than a balcony. It was a total suntrap in the mornings, so perfect for sunbathing, rather than going poolside. The views from our room and the hotel in general, were beautiful. We were totally spoilt with the weather too.

The town was really lively, with a port, a number of shops, bars and restaurants and even a lemon museum. Even though we were all-inclusive, we went out to eat a fair bit. From Limone, there was the option to take a boat trip across the lake and we did go to a town called Malcesine for lunch one day. The views from both sides of the river were amazing.

This one’s from our walk to the town from the hotel – we had dinner booked at a mountain-side restaurant. The town was a 20 minute walk away, but the roads weren’t really pedestrian friendly. They’re so narrow, with loads of tunnels built into the cliff faces – it’s hard enough for larger vehicles to get through, let alone cyclists and pedestrians. That said, the area is famous for hikers and bikers.

 The view of Malcesine from our boat trip. It was a really pretty, relaxing place. Although we only went for lunch and stopped for gelato, there’s plenty to do. There’s even a castle, which I wish I had seen up close. While we were eating at a restaurant near the port, we even saw a wedding – our waiter said a lot of English couples get married there, because they can use the castle. How amazing would that be?

The lake at night was beautiful, especially when illuminated by lights from the neighbouring towns. Because the weather is so hot and humid during the day, the evenings are stormy – and we got caught in a storm on the way back from dinner one night. It was crazy because the thunder and lightning was so far away and one second it would rain, another and it would stop. The rain was really refreshing.