Park Hotel Desenzano del Garda

Peaceful lakeside setting is ideal Lake Garda base

Park Hotel Desenzano

For romantic views over Lake Garda, consider a stay at the Park Hotel in Desenzano del Garda.

This immaculate hotel, furnished in traditional style with antique pieces, is set in pretty gardens on the Lungolago Cesare Battisti facing the lake.

The four star Park Hotel has 50 rooms and 12 junior suites equipped with satellite television, mini bar and wi fi. The hotel also provides car parking, room service, and a swimming pool with snack bar.

The hotel restaurant, Due Colombe, looking out over the lake, serves a rich buffet breakfast and offers lunch and dinner menus that include Lombardian specialities and local produce, such as fish caught from the lake.

The Park Hotel dates back to the 1900s and has welcomed writers such as Gabriele D’Annunzio and Franz Kafka among its guests. It has been owned and managed by the same family since 1968.

Editor’s note: ‘I stayed at the Park Hotel for a special birthday in a room with a double aspect that had views over the gardens and the lake. It was a relaxing and peaceful holiday, even though the hotel was just a five minute walk from the centre of Desenzano and all the bars, restaurants and shops.’

For more information, to check prices and to book a room at the Park Hotel, go to our hotel booking partners Hotels.com or Expedia UK. 

Why stay in Desenzano?

Desenzano del Garda is the largest resort on Lake Garda, situated on the south western shore of the lake.
Desenzano is a lively town with plenty to see and has some upmarket fashion shops. It is also well off for good restaurants, bars and hotels.
You can enjoy views of the lake if you walk along Lungolago Cesare Battisti or you can climb the steep streets away from the lake to explore the historic buildings in the town.
A Servizio di Navigazione (boat service) operates from Desenzano to other resorts on Lake Garda such as Sirmione, Bardolino, Peschiera and Moniga del Garda.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants around the port as well as at the nearby Porto Vecchio (old harbour), where Desenzano’s Tourist Information Office is located.

What to see in Desenzano

Desenzano's pleasant waterfront

The Romans must have enjoyed holidays in Desenzano del Garda because in 1921 the remains of a fourth century Roman villa were unearthed close to the lake. The ruins are now open to the public and can be accessed from Via Antonio Gramsci.
There is also a medieval castle within walking distance of the lake in Via Castello.
Desenzano's Duomo (cathedral), which is dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena, in Piazza Duomo, off Via Mazzini, is full of art treasures, including an 18th century version of The Last Supper by Giambattista Tiepolo.  
  

Directions: To reach the Park Hotel leave the A4 at the Desenzano del Garda exit and follow the signs to the centre of the town. When you reach the Lungolago Cesare Battisti the Park Hotel is at number 17 near Piazza Malvezzi.

Restaurant recommendation

Ristorante Pizzeria Garda is next door to the Park Hotel and also looks out over the lake. The menu features sea food antipasti, pasta with local porcini mushrooms, spinach or gorgonzola, and dishes featuring fresh fish from the lake. The restaurant also offer about 40 different types of pizza that are cooked in a wood fired oven.

Local specialities: Try fish caught from the lake, such as carpione (carp), luccio (pike), persico (perch), tinca (tench), trota (trout) or coregone (white fish). Look out for coregone in crosta (oven baked in coarse salt), tinca ripiena (tench stuffed with cheese and herbs) and Lake Garda speciality pasta and risotto dishes made with local fish.

Local wines:  White: Lugana is a straw yellow colour and is very delicate with a slight hint of fruit. It is made from Trebbiano di Lugana grapes by several vineyards in the hills around the southern shores of the lake.

Lugana can be enjoyed as an aperitivo, to accompany antipasto and risotto dishes made with fish, and with fish dishes such as carpione del Garda. Check the date on the bottle because Lugana is at its best when drunk young. It should be served chilled, preferably between eight and ten degrees. Respected producers of Lugana include Ca’ dei Frati, Visconti and Zenato.

Ruby red Bardolino

Red: The best vibrant, ruby red Bardolino wine is produced in the classico region, the area immediately round the nearby resort of Bardolino, and will have DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status on its label.

One of the best producers is Guerrieri Rizzardi, who make their version from Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Sangiovese, Merlot and Molinara grapes grown in their vineyards along the shores of the lake. Guerrieri Rizzardi recommend serving Bardolino slightly chilled to accompany white meats and cheeses. Wines labelled Bardolino Superiore will have been aged for at least one year. Editor’s note: ‘In my opinion, Bardolino is a wine best drunk young in order to appreciate its characteristic scent of berries and almonds.’

Rose: Bardolino Chiaretto can be distinguished by its delicate, coral pink tone. It has all the delicate fruitiness of a classic Bardolino combined with a subtle spice of its own. There is also a delicious sparkling version, Chiaretto Spumante.

Book a room at the Park Hotel with Hotels.com or try Expedia UK.

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