First off, I will say that this hotel does not sell itself very well, so we were very pleasantly surprised by everything along the way. Staff would do well to show you around when you check in, so little things are not missed (e.g. we didn't realise there was a terrace until the last day!!), and you are initially acquainted with everything the hotel has to offer.
The hotel is gorgeous, feels like a little slice of the past, but not in a cringeworthy outdated way. It still retains an opulent feel, despite the fact it is not particularly modern. We made the (what we thought was) mistake of booking a room without a lake view, but when we went to change, we decided to stick where we were, as the 'lake view' was from a tiny window on the second floor, and not worth an extra 30 euros per night. If you're desperate for a lake view, I'd say book a room with a balcony in advance from the fifth floor, if that's important to you. But we found our balcony had a pretty, lush green view, and we didn't really spend much time in the room anyway. The road noise is a little loud, but you do get used to it, and it's not so bad at night with the door closed.
Our room was nice and had a bath with shower over the bath (which isn't ideal, but not the end of the world). Be warned that the bed is very firm. Thankfully, I do not mind a firm bed at all, but this may be concerning for some travellers. There are shutters to block the light so you can get a good night's sleep. The air conditioning feels good in the day, very cold; but at night, even if you have it as low as ten degrees, the room still feels quite warm. I don't mind sleeping in a warmer room, but it did feel like the air con wasn't as good at night, not sure why.
The absolute highlight of this hotel (if you go half board) is the dinner. Good grief, it was a culinary delight every single night. You can choose from a set menu, which CHANGES DAILY, and it gives you an opportunity to try new things every evening. It was absolutely phenomenal. Didn't have a bad course, and there were five of them each night. The portions are incredibly generous, and you will not leave feeling even slightly hungry. Staff are nice and attentive. However, one thing I will say, is that the outdoor seating, which most people use to dine on in the evening, is NOT adequate. They are patio chairs with a thin cushion, and I just could not imagine wanting to spend hours and hours sitting on those while I enjoyed a fine dining experience. I'd really recommend the hotel investing in some decent seating options outside, because it would've made the experience even more lovely. If I saw a restaurant with these seats in my home country, I would actively avoid it, and most people would too, so it would be good to see this changed.
I have seen people say that the drinks are extortionate here. The prosecco we had almost nightly was about 24.50 euros, which we thought was reasonable. However, an Aperol spritz will set you back 11 euros by the pool. Literally across the way there is a bar selling them for half the price. I'd recommend you go there for lunch as well. You can get a panini for 8 euro, compared to a club sandwich at the hotel for 25. We sampled the club sandwich one day, and it was predominantly egg-filled and bland.
The pool area is nice, very chilled for the most part. The pool itself does look like it needs a good scrub though. I'd recommend reserving a seat by the pool when you go down for breakfast, as it can get extremely busy, and saw some people having to place sun beds on the grassy areas on some days because there wasn't enough poolside seats.
Breakfast had good options, but it was pretty much the same every day. But there is an omelette and pancakes station where you can get things cooked fresh for you, which is a great idea. There are pastries, meat and cheeses, scrambled eggs, sausage, plenty of juices to choose from, a reasonably decent coffee machine. You won't really want for anything, but there was no variety from day to day.
Be aware that you will get charged tourist tax as part of your final bill. This wasn't mentioned to us on arrival, but we were obviously aware it was going to happen. It was two euros per person per night. If you are getting things charged to the room, make a note of the date and what you had so there are no surprises when you come to pay the bill at the end.
Overall, this hotel is charming, in the most beautiful setting, and there's something about it that's so lovely. I'd definitely recommend people visit, even though there are things that can be improved, we had a thoroughly lovely time, and we think Lake Garda is amazing.
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