I last visited Lake Garda as part of a school trip in 1997, and fell in love with the place.

Last year I returned with my family, happy to see that it still retained its charm and character. We stayed up at the northern end of the lake in the lakeside resort of Gargnano in an excellent 4 Star hotel. I advise paying extra and getting a room with a lake view as it is such a stunning sight to wake up to every morning especially will the glorious mountains as a backdrop.

The northern half of the lake has more resorts that the south and whilst the southern part is closes to Verona, the north is my preference. You may be reading this thinking "whats the big deal - I can travel between the two areas"? It actually takes 4 hours to travel between the two areas on ferry which is why it's important to do your homework first.

The hotel facilities included a restaurant terrace that overlooked the lake which was just perfect for breakfast and dinner and it also had a private pool offering similar views - a lot of the luxury hotels had these benefits.