Paradiso - Lake Garda/Veneto Countryside

We were dubious when the charming owner of the property we’ve called Paradiso initially phoned us. For one thing, rental properties around Lake Garda are generally a pretty sorry lot, poorly and barely functionally furnished to house the hordes from Europe’s north. For another thing, did we really want to add another multiple-unit “complex” to our list?

But we visited in early December 2007, and we liked what we found, for all sorts of reasons.

For one thing, location: Paradiso is NOT, you should know right off, a property ON Lake Garda, nor with a view of the lake. It is A SHORT DRIVE directly south from the southern end of the lake. The specific location is one kilometer south of the town of Peschiera. One kilometer. What does this mean? It means virtually immediate access to both autostrada and train station for getting around the region easily. It means that you’re moments from all shops and services. More to the point, it means no lakeside gridlock: If you want the lake, you can choose YOUR time to visit it, hopefully those times of the day when there’s less traffic and when you can find a place to park!

Places to visit other than Lake Garda include art cities like Verona, Brescia, Bergamo, Mantova, Padova, Vicenza, Ferrara, Bologna, and dozens of smaller cities, towns, and villages with interesting things to see and do, and restaurants for trying out the many local cuisines.

Immediately next door to the Paradiso estate, developed on a parcel of land originally owned by the proprietors of Paradiso, is a brand-new spa and wellness center built around an impressive 18-hole golf course, golf academy, three clay tennis courts, soccer fields, restaurant, pizzeria, and a dozen swimming pools (besides Paradiso’s own pool)! Guests of Paradiso can use the spa’s facilities at advantageous rates.

The Paradise estate consists in the first place of a gorgeous stately home dating from the early 18th century. The descendants of the original family still live here, and it is they who are your hosts. Immediately contiguous to their villa is a courtyard surrounded on all four sides by structures—sorts of 18th-century “townhouses”—originally designed as residences for estate staff. It is these "townhouses" which the current owners have just restructured to host travellers like you, from North America and indeed from all over Europe and elsewhere.

Turning, finally, to the accommodations themselves: We’re talking about a series of two 1-bedroom, eleven 2-bedroom, and two 3-bedroom flats, all fully independent, though some of them are adjacent and indeed unifiable to form larger accommodations for more numerous groups. This is ideal for families traveling together who want to maintain some level of autonomy (or indeed for one extended family wanting to maintain some level of intrafamily harmony!).

In fact, for a larger group, Paradiso offers a separate house called La Colombara, formerly the estate’s dovecote, with 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, and its own private garden.

What we liked about Paradiso in particular, as opposed to so many other “similar” properties we’ve seen and rejected, were the tasteful, comfortable furnishings; the sheer space of the rooms—nothing feels cramped or crowded; the virtual equality of all bedrooms and the fact that each has its own adjacent or en-suite bathroom, making the place ideal for couples traveling together; and, finally, the services offered: good common laundry room, including the almost unheard-of dryer; telephone; safe; wi-fi; satellite TV; independent air-conditioning and heating.

So there you have it. All the flats are different; none is cookie-cutter. The owners are enthusiastic and have real taste. If you’re just 2 persons, you won’t feel cramped in a 1-bedroom. If you’re a larger group, you can really spread out.

We’re happy we found the Paradiso, and we urge you to consider it.