Castello Belvedere Green Vacations - Family Vacations - Lakeside Lodgings - Romantic Lodgings

Character: Lakeside resort combining history, beauty, convenience and excellent accommodations. Advantages: Great location, bright modern apartments, super-friendly hosts. Location: On the edge of Desenzano, a charming resort town on Lake Garda. Lake boats, shops and restaurants are within a 20-minute walk, but the property is in the country away from the hustle and bustle. Being on the extreme southern tip of the lake, it can be used as a base for touring the Veneto. Click here to see a map. Size: Apartments for 2 to 6 people. Studios have a living room with double sleep sofa, kitchenette and bathroom with shower. All others have a living room, kitchenette, one or two modern bathrooms with shower, and one or two double bedrooms. Some have large terraces with views of the lake and the Alps. Features: Good-quality furniture, air conditioning, satellite TV, direct-dial telephone with modem hook-up, safe. Kitchens are equipped with a fridge, cooktop, microwave oven and both American and Italian coffeemakers. Big tiled bathrooms feature modern tubs or walk-in showers, good lighting, magnifying mirrors and toiletry sets (some of the two-bedroom apartments have two bathrooms). Gorgeous swimming pool. Farmstyle restaurant right next door. Minimum stay: Three nights. Disadvantages: Extremely popular, so book very far in advance! No check-in allowed after 7 p.m. Car needed: No, but we strongly recommend it or you will be likely to end up taking a lot of taxis back and forth from the train station.

Here's a little Italian lesson that will come in very handy when you're choosing places to stay: "Castello" means "castle. "Belvedere" means "beautiful view." See how easy? With only a two-word vocabulary, you know this is a place you'd like to call home for a few days. Set high above the southern shores of Lake Garda, a mere hour from Venice and much closer to Verona, it was the genteel home of an old aristocratic family whose last member lived here until her death 20 years ago. After the mandatory period of neglect, the entire estate, which includes acres and acres of prized olive trees, was purchased and beautifully restored. Today it comprises 27 spacious apartments laid out around a central garden facing the vast silvery lake, the promontory of ancient Sirmione, and the snowy Alps to the north.

Although it is cloaked in soothing silence provided by the 50,000 square-yard natural park of which it is a part, the 18th-century castle is a mere 20-minute walk from Desenzano, a lively lakeside resort town which has plenty of elegant boutiques, fine restaurants and trendy pizzerias. In warmer months, water sports such as windsurfing, swimming and sailing abound, and the nights (which can be deadly dull in some bucolic rural retreats) are enlivened by friendly dance clubs and bars. If you want to indulge in the laziest of excursions, you can take a ferry around the lake stopping in the tiny villages whose makeup differs considerably if they are on the Veneto or Lombardy shore. Equally carefree is the brief train or bus ride to Venice, Verona or Bergamo. Drivers are advised to spend a day visiting the local Soave and Valpolicella wineries, and the many picture-perfect hilltowns where their makers have their homes. Or do a bit of shopping at some of the nearby designer outlets. And on the day that none of this appeals, grab a good novel and lounge by the spectacular swimming pool, which seems to be suspended above the lake itself. Treat yourself to a nap, then stroll to the friendly farm only 50 yards away and end a perfect day with a delicious home-cooked dinner.

You'll find the accommodations offer everything you require at Castello Belvedere, thanks to the ever-watchful care of manager Mauro Bernardi. It was he who brought the buildings back to life, so it's no wonder he is fanatically devoted to their constant improvement. The large sunny living rooms offer a double sleep sofa, dining table and chairs, arm chairs, direct-dial telephone and satellite TV. One- and two-bedroom apartments have a kitchenette or separate kitchen with fridge, cooktop, microwave oven and both American and Italian coffeemakers.

OPEN YEAR-ROUND!

For this property:
Prices include: taxes, services, electricity, water, gas, heating and air conditioning.
Bed and bath linens are extra after the first seven days and cost 13 Euro/person, paid to the castle. Cleaning is also available for 80 Euro (one-bedroom apartment) or 110 Euro (two-bedroom apartment).
There are no elevators in the castle so kindly tell us if you need to be on the ground floor.
All bathrooms have showers except a few in the old villa, in apartments without balconies. Please specify if you want a tub.
Front desk service is available 9 a.m.-noon and during the hours listed below. We regret it is not possible to check-in after the hours listed below.

Check-in April 1-October 31: 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Check-in November 1- March 31: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.

It is possible to stay here without a car, if you don't mind walking about 25 minutes from the station or taking a 5-minute cab ride. A bus now goes several times daily to Desenzano from Bergamo (Orio al Serio) Airport.

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