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Original poster

Help. Epic hotel choice failure

498 replies

BoffinMum · 31/07/2017 20:43

So here we are in a family hotel in Italy on holiday, near Lake Garda. We are supposed to be here for two weeks and it's costing 5800 euros full board for four of us including DS2 (16) and DS3 (8). We have had a terrible year and this was supposed to be a special holiday to recover.

We all hate it. I hate it so much I could cry.

The hotel itself is really small and the things we thought we would use - spa and so on - are only open 4-7.30 daily (it said nothing about this on the website). We've just had a meal and it's reminiscent of school dinners - I could have cooked it better myself. You can only have dinner from 7-8pm. Nothing like the lovingly garnished offerings on the website, basically stodge. Even the teenager gave up ploughing through it. Our wine eventually came after we had fiinished the meal. There are no soft drinks for kids apart from Fanta, Sprite or Coke. The kids bedroom smells of smoke (as does ours) and has restricted ceiling height so DS2 is going to be banging his head the whole time. The decor reminds me of my grandmother's house about 30 years ago. There is nowhere to get away from the din because it's so small and i currently have a kids' disco under my window (it's 930 pm here) and DS3 is tired from travelling all day but it's too noisy to go to sleep.

I have been down the the manager to explain the problems but he just shrugged and said 'other people like it'. He said we have to stay at least a week otherwise they will have an empty room.

So we are trapped in this glorified youth hostel listening to a kids disco booming away under the window eating stodge and will have to spend 2900 euros for the privilege. And there may be nowhere else to go,

Help, what do I do?

OP posts:
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gabsdot · 31/07/2017 21:44

We went to Lake Garda recently. It's really lovely. Try and get out and about. There is loads to do.
Gardaland
Movieland
Verona
Water sports on the lake
Hire a car and drive around the lake, (we did this and it was a real highlight.)
Visit Sirmione, it's beautiful.
We stayed in Peshiera, they have a market on Monday's
Salo, (like the south of France without Yachts)
Hope you can salvage something from your holiday. you are in a beautiful part of the world anyway

AlpacaLypse · 31/07/2017 21:50

@BoffinMum it's actually sounding like it's worth going to whatever the Italian version is of Go Outdoors (Decathlon?) picking up a cheap tent and some sleeping bags and buggering off? While sending lots of stroppy emails at travel agents and credit card company? While you and family waltz down to the Lakes?

KERALA1 · 31/07/2017 21:50

You have got to channel your inner optimist. You are in Italy! Treat the hotel as a base only and be out all day.

Original poster
BoffinMum · 31/07/2017 21:52

I think I am a bit tired and disorientated and ever so slightly overwhelmed at everyone's kindness (I was half expecting to be told off a bit for not appreciating a holiday properly) but it is certainly looking like there is a lot of scope for day trips. Perhaps we can cancel the food package and maybe leave on Friday after four nights if tourist information can help us find something more suitable. Feeling a bit more hopeful.

OP posts:
ninnando · 31/07/2017 21:53

You could have a day in Venice by train.

turtlecreek · 31/07/2017 21:53

Hard to do tho Kerala when it's costing you the best part of 6k!

Original poster
BoffinMum · 31/07/2017 21:55

Sorry, can't camp due to a hip problem plus tbh still recovering from a tent experience with a pushy lesbian pen friend in 1984 in a Bavarian wood. Wartime tent, no ground sheet and a cross pit. Plus same gender sexual harassment. That makes this holiday seem fantastic actually Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
BoffinMum · 31/07/2017 21:55

Cess pit

OP posts:
Original poster
BoffinMum · 31/07/2017 21:57

'You vill vont to be kissing me gutnight, Boffin, ya? I am comink over to see you in your luffley nightclothes, ya?'

OP posts:
LockedOutOfMN · 31/07/2017 22:00

This website could be useful for finding fun things to do in and around Ledro such as the Lago di Ledro, walks, etc.

If you have a car, drive down to Lake Garda at Pregasina (or wherever is closest / recommended by the hotel), you could also visit the busier town of Riva at the northern point of the Lake Garda (personally I'm not a big fan of Riva).

Slimthistime · 31/07/2017 22:00

Oh Boffin, I feel for you but if nothing else you could find a cafe to write the screenplay for that 1984(!) camping trip.

dontcallmelen · 31/07/2017 22:00

Oh Boffin hope you get sorted yy Malcesine & Limone are really lovely also Verona is quite doable for a day trip & the markets are fun.
The boats criss crossing the lake are great as well.

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 31/07/2017 22:00

Shit Boffinmum, I'm going to Lake Garda in the morning and now panicking slightly it's going to be crap.

We are going to eurocamp, hope it's better than your experience. I also desperately hope you can get a move asap. Hopefully you'll get some joy out of head office.

How hot is it really? Ds1 is worried he will bake!

We are doing a day in Venice, 2 hours by train, would that be n option for you? Also, Verona is meant to be worth a trip.

Fingers crossed things improve for you very soon

rosenylund · 31/07/2017 22:06

airbnb? You could get lucky with somewhere that hasn't been rented as a last minute job. Lake Garda is fab, so sorry this is dampening your hols.

allegretto · 31/07/2017 22:11

I would see if you could get a refund on the food and eat out. I have always found hotel food on Lake Garda to be bad. I think it's because there are a lot of German tourists and they do a sort of German version of Italian food! There is no escaping the "baby dance" disco, however. They are everywhere. You just have to embrace it! Grin

Therealslimshady1 · 31/07/2017 22:12

Just use it as a base to sleep, and be out all day?

RandomMess · 31/07/2017 22:12

I hope things improve, it's that kind of experience that makes me too terrified to go away!

Flowers
TempsPerdu · 31/07/2017 22:13

I feel for you Boffin, that sounds horrific. Such a shame as the area you're in is so lovely - we stayed in Ledro a couple of years back (although thankfully in a different hotel!) and really enjoyed it. I think escaping for the day and minimising time in a the hotel is definitely the way to go. Agree with pp's suggestions of Malcesine and Verona, also Bergamo is lovely for a day trip and there are loads of boat trips from Riva del Garda - we did one to Limone which was good fun. There's also kayaking and cycling on lake Ledro itself if your DC are outdoorsy types, and some lovely (and not too taxing) walks around the lake.

Really hope things start looking up for you soon. And if all else fails the camping idea might work - plenty of nice campsites around Garda town/Bardolino.

SnickersWasAHorse · 31/07/2017 22:15

Have you paid up front in total?

Can you find somewhere else and move on?

I would be inclined to find somewhere else and get booked in then go to the front desk and tell them that I will be paying for the nights I have stayed and nothing more. But then I am a nightmare in hotels, I get it from my mother. She never takes the first room she is shown and nearly always gets a free upgrade. She isn't a nice person.

whereismyparachute · 31/07/2017 22:15

Twitter has consistently got things resolved for me when all else failed. So sorry for you, very disappointing.

TempsPerdu · 31/07/2017 22:17

And yy to what allegretto said about hotel food on Lake Garda - we stayed in a very German-centric hotel there a few years back and there was very little on offer beyind Wiener Schnitzel and Kartoffelnsalat! We ended up cutting our losses and eating out.

Questionsmorequestions · 31/07/2017 22:20

If you booked a non smoking room but have one that has been previously smoking you may have a reason to cancel... Good luck,

TempsPerdu · 31/07/2017 22:22

Sorry, missed the bit about camping not being an option - but honestly with a hire car there is so much to do where you are that the hotel needn't be more than an (admittedly slightly pricey) crash pad.

muddlefuck · 31/07/2017 22:24

Sounds awful! Hope you get sthing sorted

Melassa · 31/07/2017 22:25

Ugh! Had a bad experience at a Kinderhotel when skiing in the Dolomites once. It was modern and had a swimming pool but it was perennially shut/operated odd opening hours. And the food was appalling! It does seem to cater for a German clientele so they probably thought that as long as there is pizza and overcooked pasta they'd be fine. Luckily we didn't have full board but it still cost us loads, so wasn't even good value for money. It looks like you've ended up at their unsuspecting twin.

Firstly complain loudly about the room, drop the full board as where you are is heaving with good, reasonably priced restaurants so why pay to eat in? For the soft drinks, demand water. My DD doesn't like fizzy drinks or even juice so we demand water and she gets it. It's cheaper for the hotelier so beats me why they wouldn't serve it. Milk is less frequently available but if you ask they'll probably give it to you. I frequently order off menu in Italy and have never had a problem.

If you do decide to move don't necessarily follow fellow Brits, most Italians wouldn't put up with a shitty hotel and would never put up with crap food (yes, there are always exceptions, like my SIL). Also, Italian caterers tend to assume British, American and German holidaymakers will eat crap as long as it's plentiful, so if you want decent catering follow the Italians and, to some extent the French. Totally cliched but alas true.