Our last day of the holiday I was hoping to tick off Torri del Benaco so I could check out the castle walls. But my teens had other ideas. However, I didn’t really mind adding some flexibility to the holiday. Everyone in the family needs to be happy after all. So, we had a day in Garda instead.

Hotel Breakfast

My youngest and I started the day with breakfast at RTA Doria. I took a couple of pictures this time to give you an idea of the spread of food available. I tended to stick to the croissants as they were lovely and fresh then I filled them with Nutella, washed down with a nice cup of tea and followed by some fruit. But my youngest son did a better job of making the most of everything available. So, he definitely got value for his 9 euros cost.

Pool Time

The main reason the boys wanted a day in Garda was so they could have longer in the lovely pool. I did appreciate those views from the rooftop pool, so it wasn’t a hardship.

Market

Friday is market day in Garda. Market days are particularly busy in each of the villages in Garda. So, for our other days out in Bardolino, Sirmione and Lazise I avoided them. But seeing as Torri del Benaco was off the table, I thought I might as well see what the market was about. There were lots of stalls, but it was mainly just clothes, belts and shoes. Not particularly exciting or authentic and so many more people to navigate round.

Lunch

Then we headed out for food. We went to Bistro du Lac for a second visit. The first time it was a recommendation with another couple staying in our hotel. I liked it so much I wanted a return visit.

Plus, I knew by picking that venue for lunch we had a bit of a walk to enjoy first. I love the flowers they have on that stretch of the promenade. I took a photo the evening before so thought I might as well add it here for this post as its just about Garda.

At Bistro du Lac I had the club sandwich which was amazing. I really like their chips too.

Ice Cream

We then returned to mu in Garda which was a firm favourite of ours for ice cream. You pick different flavours and toppings, add sauces and squirty cream and basically design your perfect ice cream. This was our third visit from our week in Lake Garda. So, I felt I had refined my ideal combination. I really liked the Nutella ice cream, with the cookie chocolate sauce, squirty cream and more chocolate and a strawberry on top!

Hotel Bar

Then it was back to our hotel to camp out in the bar. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine and some games they had in RTA Doria. The weather was a bit hit and miss today, still very warm but with the odd shower. The boys were just pleased to be sat somewhere with good WI-FI for a stretch.

Pegaso

We ended the day with dinner out, returning to Pegaso for a second meal. We had attentive service yet again and another lovely summer tiramisu dessert. It was a lovely relaxing day. We really had the most amazing week.

Mosquitoes

The other thing to add is to watch out for when visiting Lake Garda is the mosquitoes. I had been expecting a problem with them because of being located by a lake. But I made the mistake of not using my bug spray on the first day and boy did I know about it the following morning. My skin was an itchy mess. Unfortunately that day the pharmacy was also closed. So make sure if your prone to getting bit or even if not as a precaution pack some allergy tablets just in case. They are cheaper to bring with you from the UK than buying here. Once I had those tablets the bites seemed more manageable, before those the itch was unbearable. I was also given a cream which helped with the swelling and healing.

Also when we were in Verona later that day I went to a second pharmacy and got some more cream to help too. They suggested DAPIS gel which eased the itch. I had tried an alcohol based gel called Zig Zag from a shop when the pharmacy was closed, but unfortunately that didn’t provide any relief. Possibly because I had such a reaction to the mosquito bites. My poor foot was a little swollen. But the treatment went to work quite quickly and I was soon on the mend.