AQVA Boutique Hotel

AQVA Boutique Hotel is on the Sirmione peninsula, a couple of steps from the castello Scaligero and about seven minutes on foot from the old town, in a position that manages to be central and secluded at the same time. It is a summer villa: the property opens from spring to autumn and closes in the cold months, a choice in keeping with a hotel that lives off the lake and its light.

There are eighteen rooms, designed with clean lines, quiet colours and natural fabrics, all meant for two people at most. The house is family run and the age rule leaves no room for doubt: it is a refuge for adults, there are no family rooms and no connecting rooms, and the management openly invites those travelling with small children to choose another address. Animals are not allowed, because of allergies.

Pool, garden and jetty

Time is spent outdoors. There is the open-air pool in the garden sloping down to the water, with loungers, sofas and a private jetty on Lake Garda; the pool service is free and the towel is changed every day. Bar, restaurant, pool and jetty stay reserved for the guests of the house. Bicycles available at no extra charge, two SUPs for hire, a picnic basket for outings by boat or by bicycle.

An honest clarification, because the name can be misleading: AQVA has no spa of its own. No sauna, no Turkish bath, no indoor wet area. The management states as much and directs guests to the Sirmione thermal baths, ten minutes away on foot. So it is the right address for anyone looking for design, quiet and open water, less so for anyone who wants the wellness circuit inside the hotel.