Sole Hotel

We booked a late deal with VJV. We have travelled with them before and have always have had excellent standards but not this time. We had checked the Italy brochure for Lake Garda and decided that anywhere shown was OK. We did not expect to be allocated a hotel not used before. We tried to upgrade to one in brochure but this was not allowed. Other guests tried to do the same but had the same response. The Hotel Sole is basic and not very Italian. It is far too far from the town. Our room had no A/con or a TV with an English station. It was clean but the towels and sheets were not changed during our weeks stay. The food was possibly the worst I have ever had in Italy, I dont think they used any herbs or garlic and the rolls at b/fast were from the night before. The wine was charged at 13 euro a bottle a complete rip off. We went down the road to the bar at the campsite and it was £3.50 for 1/1/2 litre. The pool area is Ok but not what you would expect for the price paid. It has a pleasant outlook to the lake and mountains. The tour to Venice and Verona is too far both about 2 hrs each way. Stick to the Lake using the local buses and boats. The transfer from Bergamo is also about 2 hrs. The staff in the hotel try very hard and the tour rep THOMAS is fantastic one of the best I have ever met. We were very disappointed with the overall product and felt that we could have done much better on our own or with a different operator. I didnot mention that we had to travel from Stansted instead of Gatwick and our overall journey time home to hotel was 12hrs for 1/1/2 flight and 1 hr to LGW. We will not be using VJV again which is sad as we have always had a high opinion of them. We will go to the Italian Lakes again but be much more careful. Malcesine is Fantastic but make sure you are staying in the town.

I totally agree with what manjb has written. His words have saved me the trouble of writing except he was either lucky or he forgot to say that in the whole week we never saw the public areas mopped or even swept, tablecloths were the same when we left as when we arrived, bread rolls were more suitable for use as hand grenades as the ones in the bottom of the basket stayed there forever and eventually got covered by new ones and the eggs for breakfast lasted until all 12 had gone. The outdoor jacuzzi was more often than not full of moths. The main problem seems to be that there just isn't enough staff and the waiters seem to do everything all day and most of the night. we asked one of them what time he finished and he replied November. We loved Lake Garda and will go back but not to this hotel.

Although this hotel was a bit isolated it meant that the beach was not too crowded and nights quiet. It is right opposite the beach where plenty of watersports can be found. It also has a pool which tends not to get too busy at all (and we were there in high season). Rooms now have aircon and decor was fine, neutral and not too outdated. Views from most rooms are lovely and the staff very friendly. Getting around during the day is not too bad as there is a bus stop outside of the hotel (buses are often late though) and the hotel provides a minibus service. The evenings are a bit more problematic if you don't have a car but there are a couple of bars and a restaurant 10 minutes walk away or the hotel provides transport at 8.30pm into town and pick up at 11pm at a cost much cheaper than taxi fares. Food is not great so would not recommend half board. Would recommend this hotel to people requiring a cheap room only that want a bit of peace and quiet, have own transport and who are into water sports. Overall, my boyfriend and I enjoyed our stay.

My wife and I booked an allocated on arrival deal with First Choice on the Thursday to go on the Saturday with the hope of avoiding a wet week at home. At Manchester airport the bus took some of the passengers to the plane wrong plane which delayed our flight. We arrived in Verona and were allocated the Sole Navene and were directed to a waiting bus, after some time a driver and a rep arrived to say that due to some other flight delays we would be consolidating transfers with some of the hotel guests form other flights to speed up our trip, we were moved to a bus at the far end of the car park, however, some people who were late getting their bags did not get the message and were waiting at the original bus for some time, so much for speeding up the transfers. We passed through some beautiful villages and were in high hopes of a nice hotel. When we arrived at the hotel we were very disappointed that it was so far from the town of Malcesnie, which looked very nice, we were allocated a room which I have to say was probably the best in the hotel, right up in the roof but the sun terrace is below roof level and very basic. Air Conditioners are being installed in the rooms and the quality of installation of the pipework is appalling. We were looking forward to a drink after our fight and transfer, when I ordered a beer I was informed there was no draught, (Saturday afternoon 3* Hotel). We met another couple who had just arrived from Dublin and in the hope of finding some more civilisation we walked further along the lake shore, but found only a few more isolated private houses. Breakfast was the same every day cereal, rolls, ham, cheese and boiled eggs adequate but not inspiring Most evenings the set meal consisted of meagre portions of salad starter, pasta, a meat or fish course and a dessert in a cereal bowl, several evenings there was no choice and if it were not for the two waiters who tried to be friendly and ran around trying to keep up to 110 people happy it would have been even more disastrous. The absence of an alternative restaurant close by and the problem of transport meant we were virtual prisoners who had to make do with what was on offer and to ensure we had something tasty and substantial while we were out during the day. These two waiters were the ones who covered reception, drove the mini bus, served in the bar and generally worked long hours (the Working Time Directive must not apply in Italy). The mini bus has to be booked in advance and costs 1.5 Euro each way to Malcesnie and only goes at 9.30 and 10.30 in the morning and picks up at 16.30 and 17.30 if the receptionist has booked it on the sheet and remembers to tell the waiters. There were numerous days when they did not. How it can be overlooked that they had taken 20 or 30 guests out in the morning and not return to collect them is a mystery. The reception was not manned all the time and the room keys and passports for the guests were on clear view and could have been taken by anyone, I collected our passports while there was no one there and was not asked by the staff if it was me who had them. This is a serious lapse in security. There are also no room safes, if you want to keep your valuables secure you have to wrap them in a plastic bag, write your room number on it and it is put in the hotel safe. Public transport is the only other way of getting about and despite there being a timetable, the busses are erratic and unreliable, tickets are available at a tabbaci a 10 minute walk from the hotel or you can try to pay more on the bus and incur the wrath of the driver. Our rep, Mark Teti, told us that it was the first time First Choice had used the hotel and he would want our impressions of the hotel, apart from the welcome meeting on the Sunday we never saw him till the pick up to come home. We booked trips to the Dolomites and Verona which were very good and the guides were excellent, however some other guests who went to Venice were dropped off at the Hotel Sole in Riva and did not get back to our hotel until 9.30pm. The hotel has a very large but basic cabaret area which we did not know about until the Tuesday when we had our only entertainment, a middle aged man singing to backing tracks, this is a real waste of a facility that could make all the difference to the hotel. For the rest of the week they opened it and put a CD on at full volume. We were very fortunate that we met several couples from all parts of the UK and Ireland who we spent most evenings with and between us we made the most of it and we feel that we have made some good friends and had a good time. Lake Garda is a beautiful place and despite the fact that we had more rain than sunshine and even a storm that knocked the power off for three hours we will probably go back at some time, making sure we do not go to the Sole Navene (there are hotels of this name all around the lake).

I read some of the comments here before going and was a little put off. However, although the hotel is not the best in Italy, it is far better than some of the comments on this site would have you believe. The location is a bit of a problem in that it is in Navene and not Malcesine and it is a good long walk to get there. The other option will need you to show a little patience when waiting for a bus, but as the hotel stands on the lake side and the views of the lake are excellent, you can take all of this in whilst waiting. All of the staff that we met are extremely friendly and helpful, including the manager and it was not a problem for him to come into Malcesine in the hotel mini-bus to pick up my wife and I on the Sunday afternoon when we had problems with the local public bus not showing up. Better still, take your driving licence and hire a car from Riva Car Rentals for a couple of days and do a complete circuit to see the whole of the lake. The hotel will help you make the booking and the gentleman from the rental company will deliver the car to the hotel for you. Overall, a great place to fall in love with Lake Garda, maybe not go back to this hotel, but will definitely go back next year......probably Sirmione.

A basic budget hotel: previous reviews cover most grumbles and problems. In our group we had a choice of take it , or leave evening meal intially, then after the 3rd or 4th evening we were given a menu choice of 2 for the next 2 nights only. One of Menu's for the evening meals were, in our case: starters: basic buffet salad, 2nd course: Pasta dish (spaghetti ) 3rd course; Chicken portion plus 6 to 8 chips (no greens at all with all meals we had except 1 meal) Desert: ice cream or small italian sweet, we had to guess what it was in taste or name! This hotel is not for people without a sense of humour!

This hotel is fairly basic both for its accommodation and included breakfast and dinner. However it was adequate and value for money. The views were excellent and the situation wonderful - if you have a car. We had to rely on the local bus service to get to the nearest town (Riva) and village (Malcesine). The buses were invariably late and sometimes not running at all. On the Friday there was also a partial bus strike which indeed isolated the hotel even though it was situated on the main road. It was good for exercise since a walk to Malcesine was a distance of 5 kms and took one hour along an attractive coast path. The first part of this path however is fairly precarious and not recommended at night. The buses finished by 7.00PM both ways and the nearest "civilization" was at least half a mile away along the said precarious path. The hotel provided minimal entertainment in October. The hotel possesses a mini-bus but the manager did not offer to provide a service to the town/village. The manager was indeed humorous in a "Basil Fawlty" way which was OK provided you were not on his wrong side. I would strongly recommend that if you want to be able to take a stroll in the evening after dinner or enjoy some night life, this is not the hotel for you without your own transport.

Room very basic, food o.k.if on a diet, ( first time we have lost weight on holiday), snacks at lunchtime, forget it! Manager and receptionist very rude, holiday rescued by polite waiters and meeting a lovely group of holidaymakers in the same hotel.(Faulty Towers). Transport a joke, buses finished at 8pm so no way of going out for the evening, blue rinse entertainment so ended up creating our own. Not for the under 60s.

We were sent here because the lovely Hotel Rosa was overbooked.. It is 5kms from town on a busy noisy road and does not have a/c. The room was very basic, TV did not work, the shower was mouldy and the lift seemed unsafe. We refused to stay there for more than one night and were moved. We did not even unpack our bags. Lovely view of lake and very nice manageress who sympathised with us and helped us get another hotel!

Good, basic hotel in beautiful location. Need to get the bus to go to nearest town, Malcesine so not for someone looking for lively night life. Was not expensive, so good value for money.