Notes from the host
2/2 Apartment with Swimming Pool Near Al Corno Beach
Unit 228 is a double bedroom apartment located on the first floor of the complex. It has a modern, well-equipped kitchen, two bathrooms, air conditioning and central heating, a double bed in the main room, two single beds in the smaller bedroom (additional single beds are available on request), a comfortable armchair, LCD TV, DVD/DivX Player and multimedia Hard Disk and two console systems. From its large windows overlooking the gorgeous park, through the trees, you can see the lake in the background. There's no balcony in this apartment.
These self-catering quality apartments are in a gated complex surrounded by a luscious park. A private under passage will lead you directly to the lake front, on the stony beach. The condominium boasts a magnificent swimming pool overlooking the lake with a smaller one for kids, tennis courts and a pizzeria/snack bar. Garda really has something for everyone: from sun to affordable shopping, beautiful mountain scenery, warm water, from skiing in winter to wakeboarding, kite-surfing, windsurfing and rock-climbing in summer, children's amusement parks Gardaland and Canevaworld.Thanks to a steamer service you can reach all the towns around the lake.Served by three airports (Verona Brescia and Bergamo), daily low cost flights can be found from every part of the UK. When you stay on Lake of Garda public transport and road links make a day trip to Milan, Venice, Verona, Bologna or even Florence an easily achieved reality.
San Vigilio 1, Euroresidence, Garda
General Information, 2024 -
Help
There is a Reception desk in the foyer of your condominium (San Vigilio 1), which is where you may find Signora Carla Campagnolo, the governante (manager), in case of need. Carla is the person to turn to with any problems.. She works here every day 8:30 – 12:30 except Tuesdays (her day off). Her internal telephone number is 111; her office number from outside is 045-6277111 (045 needed even locally); For all these numbers, listed at the end of these notes, 0039 is needed if using a foreign mobile phone and you leave in the zero of the STD code.
Please inform me if anything is not working properly in the apartment. I would also like to know if there is anything missing or in short supply which you think visitors would expect to find. I cannot possibly know if nobody tells me!
The Apartment
We hope everything is self-evident. If you have any questions about the apartment, please contact me. The blinds have electric motors, and therefore switches somewhere close by, which you hold down.
Walking into town (or along the beach)
As you go down towards the main entrance gates there is, on your left, an underpass signed Centro Città/al Lago for which you will have a key. It is not the most beautiful of things but it does prevent having to cross the road. Alternatively, go out of the main gate and cross by the crossing (TAKE CARE as not all drivers respect marked crossings). Once across the road turn left and walk along the side of the road for about 50m until you come to a small entrance to a cobbled path (before you reach the Hotel du Parc). This joins the underpass and leads to the lakeside where there is a small café with chairs and tables by the water’s edge. If you turn left you are heading into town, and you will pass another lakeside café in about 250m, while a right turn takes you immediately to a beach and to a really lovely walk to Punta San Vigilio.
There is a very good supermarket in Costermano on the right (FAMILA) and beyond that at Grand’Affi an enormous complex of hypermarkets (food, furniture, electrical goods etc.). All these take cards. To reach FAMILA supermarket you drive back into town, turn left at the roundabout and continue straight up the road, round a few sharp bends and you will see it on the right, part of a modern shopping complex with plenty of parking.
There are countless eating places! Our most memorable meals have been at Trattoria Enoteca al Graspo which is easy to find (near the roundabout at the Costermano junction). You are just asked if you want fish (the speciality) and, having said yes, you just sit back while dish after dish arrives (no choice!) with a wide variety of shell fish, sea and lake fish. There is also a meat menu. Local wine and bread comes in good quantities and the whole experience was 35 euros per head - although you won’t see any prices marked.
Telephone and Internet
This unit has fiber optics internet connection. Passwords can be found on the table.
To use the telephone in the apartment, dial 0 for an outside line, then the international or national code. To phone another apartment, just dial its three-digit apartment number. There are four computers in the library (biblioteca) adjoining the Tourist Office (opening times at the end of these notes).
Full of information and very helpful staff, the tourist office can be easily found by driving (walking) to Garda until you reach the small roundabout (where the Ristorante Al Graspo is) ,turn left and drive/walk for approximately 100 yards and on your left you should see a red building. This is where the tourist office is located.
Intercom
To call someone in the building from the orange intercom at the barrier gate, press the button with the picture of a phone (), then press your apartment number, eg 428 or 426. The phone will ring in the apartment. The barrier gate can be opened from the apartment by dialling 491. To open the small gate by the road from the inside, press the button in the green post near the gate. Use this button (and, if driving, the barrier key I sent you) to get out when you leave.
Heating/Air Conditioning
This apartment has a modern air conditioning system controlled via a remote hanging on the wall.
Rubbish disposal
There are doors marked ‘OFFICE’ on every floor, near the centre, where there are labelled shelves for recyclables, paper, glass, plastic bottles and cans. Between the car park and the main exit gate are bins for compostible waste (“UMIDO”) and all other rubbish (“SECCO”). At the hardware shop or in some supermarkets, you can buy special biodegradable bags for compostible waste.
Swimming Pool
You will be given a pass which entitles you to use the swimming-pool, or you may find them in the apartment. To reach the pool, you turn left out of the building and follow the signs. It is a bit of a climb but well worth it as the pool is lovely and the view stupendous.. To access the swimming pool you will use the pass you will be provided with ,swipe it on the reader next tot he turnstile. When you leave the swimming pool ,you'll have to swipe again. There is a café/restaurant by the pool (excellent, with a fabulous view) and a small supermarket among the bungalows above it. We share the pool with the Marco Polo Hotel, and you are entitled to use their smaller one too. See the plan of “Parco Del Garda”. If you cannot manage the steps, you can reach the pool by car if you turn right out of the grounds, take first right where the Hotel Gabbiano is signposted, then right again at a sort of T-junction, follow the road which takes you through a gate to a parking area, through the car park then continue left then right on the narrow road till you see “Pizzeria” indicated to the right. Park there. The pool is fed by a spring, so never gets very warm. Swimming in the lake is a wonderful experience, but more comfortable if you have “jellies” or light canvas shoes, as the bottom is stony!
Tennis Courts
There are tennis courts for hire in the vicinity of the swimming pool. Booking is obligatory and this can be done at the Reception of Hotel Marco Polo; go out of the pool area by the top gate (past the Snack Bar), turn sharp left and follow signs to BURO or Reception.
Car and Scooter Hire
Cars can be hired from near the church. Scooters (Vespa type) are also available from Due Ruote, which is to the right of the petrol station next to the bus station.
Bike Hire
There are several places where bikes can be hired, including Il Velocifero. I also have three bikes to lend to my guests. There is a lovely flat ride by the lake past Bardolino to Lazise. For the more adventurous, the tourist office has information about mountain bike buses which take you into the mountains.
Electricity
If the supply should ‘trip’ (too many appliances working at the same time), turn something off, go to the electricity meter cupboard in the corridor and return the ‘Forza’ switch to the up position. All switches should be up.
Flat Roof (Solarium)
If you go up to the very top floor, one staircase beyond the top lift stop, you can go out onto the magnificent terrace and enjoy the sun and the spectacular view.
Bus, Ferry and Tour Tickets
Public transport bus tickets should be bought in advance at the bus station, although you can buy them on the bus with a penalty surcharge. There are bus stops right outside our gate for the route Verona – Riva del Garda (at the top of the lake).. The bus station is staffed from 07:45 – 14:15. In the “Leaflets” box, there should be a timetable for the service from Verona up the side of the lake to Riva del Garda at the top. There are two travel agents that sell tour tickets e.g.to Venice, Monte Baldo on the waterfront and Lagotourist near the church. There are both public bus and Lagotourist arrangements to take you to the opera and collect you afterwards. Ferry tickets are bought on the quay. Study the bus and ferry timetables carefully. The ferry one changes towards the end of May (more ferries) and in early October (fewer ferries). On both, the symbols denote important changes during the year, and Sunday times (bus).
Warning: There is a longish slope and 35 steps up to the pool, but it can be reached by car as well.