Grand Hotel Terme

My wife and I spent four nights in Sirmione at the Grand Hotel Terme. This was our first experience enjoying sulphuric thermal baths in Italy, and it was truly delightful. Being outdoors in the cool, crisp air while immersed in the warm thermal waters was an exceptional and relaxing experience. But the stay offered much more than the spa itself. The hotel is located in a beautiful historic setting, surrounded by a charming old town featuring a 14th-century castle, a church, and the ruins of a Roman villa dating back to the 1st century. The nearby towns are equally picturesque, and Lake Garda is simply magnificent, with stunning views of the Alps. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and are already planning to return.

Smatterings of excellence fringed with touches of penny-pinching defined our 5 day stay here. The hotel is situated a few steps (literally) outside the castle gate of the ancient historic town of Sirmione. Sirmione, however is incredibly touristy so be prepared for that (see my review of the town).|If it’s stinking hot while you’re here then you need to be prepared to swim in the lake. Have no fear, however - it’s clear water is refreshing and still (mostly) and the hotel has an excellent jetty from which to swim. What about that fabulous pool in the pictures? you ask…. Well that pool is a thermal spa pool fed by the natural hot springs under the lake. Other reviews here mention the smell of sulphur - which is true; however the pool is superb. Hot, with loads of jacuzzi style options for bubble massages and relaxation. My personal favourite is a swim in the lake followed by a time in the hot pool. It leaves you feeling refreshed and soothed - don’t ask it just does. Since Roman times people have come here to take the thermal waters and bathe in them - whatever it is, works.|The hotel is a little old - can’t remember, for example, the last time I was in a hotel room with an actual key (as opposed to a pass card) but for all that it’s clean and in good repair. There’s quite a lot of black mould around the spa pool but not enough to spoil the experience and we visited towards the end of the season. You’re going to get mould forming in that hot water. I expect they drain and pressure spray / clean over the winter and start fresh and clean each spring.|The penny-pinching touches: four pods of coffee for the Lavazza machine in our room - not renewed each day as most hotels do - additional pods cost €2 each - a massive mark-up on the retail cost of a tiny item. If I came again I’d bring a supply of Lavazza pods with me. It took 30 minutes of waiting for a hotel - summoned taxi to not show up before, under pressure, the receptionist directed us to the €2 per person shuttle bus in to Columbare which left from a stop just a stone’s throw away. The receptionist had already offered us a €35 private car for the less-than-ten-minute journey.|I wouldn’t say these elements spoiled our stay but if you’re aiming for real customer satisfaction / excellence the hotel will need to eliminate the little things that just P you off.|Breakfast and dining crew 5*|Housekeeping - 5*|Reception - variable but I’m going to say 4* only - some individuals were excellent.

The Hotel is located just in the heart of Sirmione, Lake Garda. It is surrounded by the lake due to its exceptional location. The old city walls are just steps aways but the property is isolated by a garden so beautiful that you don’t notice the crowed city. The building is absolutely stunning! The decor (mixed of art deco and old money castle) is perfect. The rooms are spacious and details such as fine linen sheets and linen hand towels are just other level. The restaurant is fantastic!! To have breakfast overlooking the lake and then go to an old wooden boat lake cruise, have a thermal water swimming in the hotel pool, or an Aperol sunset on the hotel deck is what I call a perfect day end. The hotel personnel is highly trained to make you stay at home. Sirmione is a high end village perfect for a romantic stay or to enjoy with the family.

We had a superb four night stay in the beautiful hotel. All the staff were exceedingly helpful, the breakfasts were excellent too.|We enjoyed the Spa and treatments which were professional and with every facility available. |The hotel's lakeside position was brilliant and with sunbeds on the front, the views throughout the day were stunning. We felt very relaxed after spending time in the thermal pool.

his hotel is one of those establishments resting on its past reputation, showing no interest in improving or updating. It is obsolete. We arrived at 3 PM (15:00) and had to wait half an hour to access our room. The room was supposed to have a lake view, as requested by my fiancé, but instead, it had a balcony overlooking the hotel's thermal baths. When we complained, they told us there were no other rooms available The only positives are the natural thermal baths within the structure and the location, which allows immediate access to the historical center of Sirmione. Otherwise, it is extremely outdated and nothing exceptional from any point of view

This is not a 5-star hotel, full stop. I am so disappointed by my stay here. ||The hotel is dirty including the spa and pool, which is absolutely filthy. It does not look like the photos whatsoever. We borrowed bikes for an afternoon, which were covered in cobwebs and barely functioning. 2 examples that can be extrapolated to your whole experience here. Dirty and dysfunctional. ||The Spa is a sulfur spa, which means it smells like sulfur. That is fine and part of the appeal, for some, based on the healing properties. Unfortunately, they have failed to figure out how to contain the smell to the spa area. Instead it infiltrates the entirety of the hotel. Why they don’t shut the door to the spa and have an air purifying system is beyond comprehension. This is what other sulfur spas do. This is a solvable problem they have opted out of solving. I don’t know how every single person doesn’t complain about this. ||If the filthy hotel and rotting egg smell wasn’t enough, the service is also terrible. And yet is what is supposed to make a property 5 stars. There is 0 service by the lake and it’s very hard to get anyone to do their job without pushback. At breakfast, for example they offered a buffet and to make coffee and eggs on demand. I ordered scrambled eggs because the food on the buffet was completely inedible, if not because of its original state which was bad enough then because of the flies all around. I think the pastries are several days old. They told me to get them from the buffet instead. I told them I didn’t want them from the buffet for the above reasons and after some back forth, they finally agreed. Same with water. Which by the way, they charged €8 per bottle. They nickel and dime you for absolutely everything here. I don’t mind paying for great hotel experiences (4 seasons, Aman, etc.) but this was totally insulting given what we received and the fact that it’s a 5 star experience. ||I will never be back and couldn’t have run out the door faster if I tried. Do yourself a favor and AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE. I have stayed at nicer Holiday Inns… seriously.

We stayed 6 nights on a half board basis. I should have paid more attention when booking but our Superior lake facing bedroom was 20 sq meters which must be the smallest bedroom I have ever had in a 5 star hotel. The bathroom was small and the shower cubicle awkwardly tiny.|The table d'hote menu was a choice of 2 items for each of the 4 courses. It is described as a wellness menu and on 5 of the 6 nights we were there the main course choices were either fish or beef/veal prepared in varying ways. We found the lack of other meats detracted from the enjoyment. It was only on the last night that lamb chops were introduced which we ordered with delight. When we looked at the menu we were not drawn in and often struggled to decide what to order. Having said that, everything we ate was beautifully cooked. We took to having lunch away from the hotel and only two courses in the evening. |On the plus side, we were always able to find a sun bed at any time of the day and the pool lifeguard was very attentive with towels, moving umbrellas for shade and keeping the mattresses clean. |Unfortunately that is essential. The outside area is plagued by sparrows and their droppings get onto the sun beds and onto the table cloths at the outside tables for the bar and restaurant. We wanted to sit at outside tables but the sparrows drove us and many other guests inside.|The really good thing about the hotel are the staff who are very professional whilst being friendly and helpful.

Prime Location, But Not Quite 5-Star Service Our three-night stay in Sirmione this June was a mixed experience. I'll share the highlights first, then some challenges, and finally the more significant issues we encountered. The Good -The location is truly unbeatable! Being right in the center of Sirmione with those gorgeous lake views is absolutely worth mentioning. The property offers onsite parking, bike rental, and the spa facilities are decent. The real standout was the restaurant team, the waitresses and waiters - every single staff member provided A+ service with genuine warmth and professionalism. They deserve special recognition for maintaining such high standards! The Not-So-Good A few things fell short of our expectations, especially considering our $850+ nightly rate. The Aqua Termale's sulfur smell greets you upon entering, which isn't the most welcoming first impression. Perhaps some aromatic solutions in the lobby would help? The bug situation was particularly disappointing. While I understand lakefront properties attract insects, the pool area needed much better maintenance. Finding dead bugs on chairs, umbrellas, windows and shaded areas day after day made relaxing outdoors less appealing. Daily cleaning of these areas seems like a reasonable expectation. Some sections of the pool had visible mold - something I wouldn't expect at this price point. Oh, and a friendly suggestion to the chef: the paccheri dish might need some reconsideration! The Challenging Part We booked a lake view suite (though it was really just a room with a sofa) with modern furnishings and a balcony. Unfortunately, the bug situation prevented us from enjoying the balcony at all, despite paying extra for this feature. There was even a notice on the sliding door warning against opening it due to bugs. On our final night, after returning from dinner, we discovered over 30 bugs on our ceiling despite never having opened the balcony door. When we went to reception (after unanswered calls), the front desk attendant immediately accused us of opening the door before we could even explain our situation. After a rather unpleasant conversation, we were moved to a significantly lower-quality room without lake views or updated furnishings - yet still at our original premium rate. The next day, the manager was unavailable, and we received only a spa gift as compensation. No rate adjustment was offered for the downgrade and the bad experience. Final Thoughts If you're considering this hotel, the location truly is spectacular and the restaurant team provides excellent service. Just adjust your expectations - while you'll pay 5-star prices, the overall experience doesn't quite match traditional 5-star standards. The restaurant staff deserve a raise as they're carrying much of the positive experience on their shoulders!