We stayed at Poiano Resort Apartments for a week at the beginning of October and, unfortunately, were extremely disappointed with both the accommodation and the customer service. Lake Garda itself is beautiful, but we certainly wouldn't choose to stay at this resort again. Firstly, a serious warning for anyone with mobility difficulties. My mum struggles with walking and uses sticks, and we had made her mobility issues clear when booking our holiday. However, we were not prepared for just how inaccessible the apartments would be. From reception, there were approximately 30 steps or a very steep slope just to reach the road, followed by another steep slope and a further 57 steps to reach our apartment. As far as we could establish, all the apartment blocks were accessed via steps and/or steep slopes, with only the hotel rooms located within the main reception building. Although some photographs of the resort show steps, the extent of these is not made clear in the accommodation information. My mum struggled considerably, and I genuinely don't know how someone with more severe mobility difficulties would manage. This really needs to be highlighted much more clearly before people book. The apartments themselves were also very disappointing. They are extremely dated, tired and in desperate need of refurbishment. The living room furniture was particularly worn and uncomfortable, making it difficult to relax in the evenings. The hob didn't work, which is particularly frustrating when you've booked self-catering accommodation. We reported this to reception, but nothing was done. There was no kettle when we arrived, although one was eventually brought after we requested it, and the kitchen was poorly equipped with basic utensils. We also found that several electrical sockets couldn't be used even with our adapters, leaving us with very limited places to charge our devices. There seemed to only be 1 socket per room which actually worked. Another concerning issue was that my mum repeatedly woke up with fresh insect bites throughout the holiday. We were worried there could be bedbugs or another insect problem, although we cannot confirm the cause. When we reported this to reception on our second day, the response was extremely dismissive, and we were made to feel as though we weren't being believed. Eventually, someone checked the room, and we were told a mosquito had been found and removed. However, my mum continued to wake up with new bites on subsequent mornings. Unfortunately, the reception staff were consistently rude and unhelpful. Whenever we approached them with questions or requests, we felt as though we were inconveniencing them. Even simple enquiries seemed to be too much trouble. On one occasion, I politely asked a receptionist to confirm the contents of an important-looking train email written in Italian, having already tried translating it myself. She rolled her eyes and told me to use an app before reluctantly agreeing to look at it.
