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Hi,

We're thinking of heading to Lake Garda this year for our summer holiday. It will be in August and with our 2 kids (6&8). We usually go to the South of France and do enjoy spending time on the beach. I've shortlisted Spiaggia d'Oro and Bella Italia. Has anyone been to either of these sites and could offer some guidance?

I like the look of Spiaggia d'Oro as the pool and beach look great but worried that as an English family we'll be seriously in the minority. The kids are at the age where they like to make friends and it would be good if there was a chance that they met someone they could communicate with!

Bella Italia seems to attract more English families, but it doesn't look like there is much of a beach to the lake that we could spend time on. It also seems pretty huge...

Any advice would be appreciated.

Jennie

We stayed at Bella Italia in 2009, I quite liked it but Margaret found it very busy. The day we arrived we had to wait fo a pitch to become available. We had not booked. The pitches are a decent size. With regard to the beach, its not very wide and of course stoney. Picture below of the beach on the lake at Bella Italia.

David

Hi we were in Bella Italia last August, it is a busy site but it didn't feel crowded considering the time we were there - once you are on your 'street' (row of pitches its pretty peaceful).  The Lake beach is stony but fine as long as you have your beach shoes on, it gently shelves into the lake so great for kids, plenty of space to bathe.  Pool complex was busy  - same as most sites in August, you need to be there by 10am to get a lounger, but I did see the lifeguards remove a few towels from unused loungers.  If you pointed out loungers with towels on and told the guard that they had been vacant for ages he would just go and remove them (we didn't do this but we saw it happening) and saw a few disgruntled people return to have to retrieve their towels from the lifeguard!!

We were one pitch back from the Lake which turned out to be a good thing as the storms coming in from the lake were pretty rough in the night - if you are in a tent I'd definitely not go lake front.  We were pretty specific about what we wanted from our pitch and everything we asked for was there!  Complex is great, restaurants are fine, small town of Peschiera just a walk away which has a few shops and restaurants.  Garda Land not far away but our kids were a bit young.  It has a mini disco each night and kids clubs during the day which is where the children tended to meet other Brits.

Toilet blocks spotless but no loo roll or handwash so you need your own.

We'd definitely return