Nothing lake it

Milan - If it's good enough for superstar couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to splash the cash on a $40 million mansion, then I was pretty sure Lake Garda would be good enough for this lowly reporter to spend a week.

But even with such high expectations, the northern Italy resort was more than my boyfriend and I could ever have hoped for.

As Italy's largest lake, Lake Garda is surrounded by mountains, offering up breathtaking scenery and charming towns and villages dotted along its shore, all with their own unique appeal - it truly possesses the wow factor.

Travelling courtesy of Topflight in June, we flew from Dublin and had reached Verona a comfortable two and a half hours later.

A short bus journey later and we were in Riva del Garda, the first stop on our whirlwind Italian adventure and Lake Garda's biggest resort.

As one of the most active resorts on the lake, Riva del Garda is the perfect base if you want to take advantage of the many activities on offer while Verona and Venice are in easy driving distance for a sightseeing tour.

There are plenty of mountain walking tours and every type of watersport, while most holiday makers get around by bike.

We stayed at the very modern four star Hotel Mirage, ideally located right beside the lake and across the road from the pretty San Nicolo marina.

A 15 to 20 minute walk takes you right in to the heart of Riva del Garda with many excellent restaurants and bars to choose from.

If you're anything like me, you'll discover the delights of an Aperol Spritz (Aperol aperitif mixed with Prosecco) and relax while you people watch on the cobbled streets. If however you're more an up and at them type on holiday, you'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to activities.

Busatte Park Adventure in Torbole is an excellent spot for families offering bikes, motor bikes and use of the adventure park starting at just €16 (about R200) for under 12s and €20 for over 12s for a two hour admission.

The Surf Segnana Centre in Torbole is also a great facility where you can windsurf, kitesurf, rent a boat or catamaran for a competitive price.

And if food is your thing, you won't be disappointed in Lake Garda. We had the pleasure of dining at Al Forte Alto in Nago for lunch where head chef Marcello Franceschi had laid on the spread of a lifetime for us.

As the name suggests, the restaurant is an old fort which offers panoramic views of Lake Garda.

Marcello sources only the finest, freshest ingredients from the mountainous Trentino region of Lake Garda, while fish is fresh from the lake.

We had been warned to expect to pay through the nose for food and drinks in the Lake Garda region but this wasn't our experience.

The entire region is bursting with top quality cafes and restaurants and even a classy joint like Al Forte Alto offers a fine dining tasting menu for just €30.

The next stop on our Lake Garda tour was Malcesine - home of the famous Monte Baldo cable car with stunning views of Lake Garda if you have the head for heights.

The shopping in Malcesine is fantastic, and if you find that you may have overindulged in retail therapy, you can always kick back with an espresso and take in the sights of Malcesine castle - popular for weddings with UK couples because of its stunning backdrop.

We also visited Limone, a smaller but picturesque resort famous for its lemon groves.

Travelling there by boat is the only way to do it as the best way to see Lake Garda is from the water.

Perhaps our favourite spot was Sirmione where the ice-cream shops are the stuff of legend.

For my other half, who believes ice-cream is a food group, it was gellato heaven.

In my opinion the prettiest of the Lake Garda resorts we visited, Sirmione is smaller but still bustling.

As if the ice-cream wasn't enough to whisk us back to childhood, we got to act like big kids again with a visit to Gardaland, Italy's biggest themepark where you'll find enough rollercoasters and scary rides to churn your stomach. To relax, we visited Sirmione's famous thermal spa, where the sulphur water is used to improve skin tone, asthma and high blood pressure.

If you want to get off the beaten track, San Zeno di Montagna in the mountains is a glorious spot, named the balcony of Lake Garda because of the amazing views.

If you make it there, a visit to rustic restaurant Taverna Kus is a must.

Peschiera del Garda is another picturesque gem and home to the Bella Italia complex which offers a hotel and camping facilities specifically for families.

Because all the resorts in Lake Garda are so close, we were able to sample the very best it had to offer in just a jam packed few days.

And while we didn't get to see Brad and Angelina's pad in the famous wine region of Valpolicella we didn't mind too much - because the true star of our trip was Lake Garda itself. - The Independent

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