Hotel Continental

Location: The Hotel is situated about a 10 minute walk from the town centre. It is in a quiet position, directly on the lakeside. There are some average slopes to and from the Hotel , it has parking directly alongside the entrance. Atmosphere: Generally a quiet & reserved atmosphere, convivial atmosphere in the restaurant (which has an canopied outside terrace on two sides of the building). Rooms: We had a Superior Side View room, looking out upon the main Pool and Lake. A good sized bedroom with small balcony set at an angle (most balconies were 'square-on' to the building line). Air-conditioned (on/off only, temperature controlled by the Hotel). A noticeably small en-suite bathroom , with a very small bath/shower arrangement. Front side of bath/shower was a FIXED glass screen extending over 50% of the bath side. This combined with a very close sink made entry to the shower a considered manoeuvre , the usable access being as narrow as about 35cm. Entirely unsuitable for anyone with reduced mobility. The main room was essentially shades of beige & brown with a strong floral-patterned 'feature' wall and natural wood. A good sized bed. Limited shelving in the wardrobe but good space and plenty of hangers for hanging clothes. Limited power points (only one readily accessible on the desk/table. No USB sockets. Mini-Bar, Hairdryer, Kettle. Bottled drinking water not included in room fee. Cleanliness: Rooms and common areas kept very clean, no issues at all. Towels & Pool Towels replaced as required. Rooms serviced every morning and tidied in the evening with a a turn-down service. Outside facilities: Two pools , main pool with staircase-style entry/exit points, comfortable temperature. Plenty of poolside beds and umbrellas (Sept). More beds & umbrellas along the lake side 'patio'. An attractive arrangement. Service / Hospitality: All staff very presentable , polite and helpful . Restaurant Manager (Luciano) was excellent, he was very good with personal attention and clearly made the front-of-house restaurant team effective. perhaps not quite so efficient in his (days-off) absence. Room maid / cleaning staff cheerful and welcoming as was the Reception team who always had your key ready and offered a warm greeting. We arrived quite on our first evening , a light meal and glass of wine was provide for us on the Terrace. The lounge bar was well presented and had comfortable individual and settee seating. The Barman/Manager had the air of a formal butler . Food: Breakfast was in the main part a buffet-style affair. The orange juice tasted fresh and recently squeezed, other juices were available. The buffet consisted of fruits, yoghurt, cereals , optional extras to the yoghurt/cereals, cheeses. bread / rolls, small sweet pastries and croissant . There was a very limited cooked offering in the buffet (always and only Scrambled / Boiled egg, streaky bacon, frankfurter sausage). An a la carte breakfast option at additional cost is available (cooked options from €8 to €20). Dinners. Two menus presented each evening (see photos). During our seven night visit the options only had marginal changes, as a result we ordered several duplicate dishes over the stay. All dishes were attractively presented. I would have preferred to have seen more non-fish options. No menu for desserts , a limited selection was available. One King Prawn dish returned as sand/grit was evident. Two soups (Pea, Fennel) were in my view lacking in flavour. Surprisingly disappointing Tiramisu, very lack lustre for an Italian dish. Overall (food). A 60%/40% balance between enjoyable and average respectively. Mosquitos: Being adjacent to a freshwater lake it's not surprising for mosquitos to find you . And find you they did! Small and black in colour these insects took their toll on many. High Risk area - the patio / decking at Sunset , if you enjoy a sundowner you will not be alone , the mosquitos enjoy a sundowner too. I had in excess of twenty bites, quite itchy. Some people experienced noticeable swelling. With open doors into the lounger area and restaurant , do not under estimate the mosquitos appetite! Sermione (Town): The 'Things to do' are well advertised and reasonably limited . The town is the victim of tourism (says the tourist!) . Walking the streets is akin to being on a London Underground Station at peak time , yes , THAT busy! Peak tourist time is from 11am to 4pm, largely generated by tour groups arriving by land or ferry. We travelled to several lakeside towns by ferry , we found this an essential variety and break from Sermione. An enjoyable visit but I think two full days in Sermione would be my recommendation and spend any more time you have visiting other lakeside towns or go further afield.

What a truly fabulous hotel! Our stay here was just perfect. The location is ideal, just a few minutes stroll into the old town. The rooms were clean and very comfortable. We stayed in a half term basis, the food was fantastic. Breakfast was fresh and the plentiful. Dinner was wonderful, and fantastic choice. The staff couldn’t do enough to help. All so friendly. We will definitely be returning!

The hotel is a bit old-fashioned when you arrive; the rooms have been modernized, but the bathrooms are still a bit dated in style (bathtub, no shower). On the other hand, the location is fantastic and the spa facilities + the 2 pools are really great!