Truly something for everyone

I think the biggest thing is that Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda feels like a resort that has actually sat down and properly considered the needs of every family member individually, rather than a luxury hotel where children have been retrospectively squeezed in around the edges

What I mean? Taking babies as an example, there’s not just cots, (very good) high chairs, and childcare from newborn, but also a 24/7 Baby Kitchen. In here we found almond, soy and diary milk in the fridge to grab whenever we needed it, plus fresh fruit, pasta and baby rice, a hob and pans, kettle, microwave, bottle steriliser & warmers, food processor, baby crockery, cups… they aren’t messing around!

Then, there are suite options with proper separate bedrooms, and the design of the entire resort is pram-friendly. No detail is overlooked, from fridges in the room for milk, to blackout curtains in the bedrooms, and huge showers with space for them to sit and splash around next to you. My favourite touches? Rounded furniture with minimal sharp corners, and dinner that starts at 6:30pm, served on grippy plates that can’t be easily swiped off tables by podgy flailing arms. And this approach doesn’t just apply to babies, but toddlers, bigger kids and parents as well

The result? A resort that works brilliantly for families with children at the whole spectrum of different ages. You can have a baby happily being looked after in the Kids’ Club infant room, a five-year-old cooking up a storm in the Masterchef mini kitchen before making a beeline for the waterslides (the Kids’ Club staff even accompany children to the pool), an older sibling heading off to the climbing wall or games console area, while the grown-ups delightedly skip away to the panoramic spa

Unbeatable location

And then there’s the location, which for me is a huge part of the family appeal. You’re three minutes from the Lake Garda promenade and can stroll all the way along the water into Salò, to live out your romantic Italian daydreams. It’s a ‘wow-are-we-really-here’ kind of walk, with lots of natural pitstops for little legs. There’s pebbly bays where you can paddle at the lakes’ edge, those sleek James Bond wooden speedboats to spot, and cafés animated with Italian chatter where you can grab ice creams & coffees. In short – you can fill up your culture cup in a way that’s so accessible with the kids, it’s thoroughly enjoyable

• Complimentary supervised childcare from newborn in the Kids’ Club, open seven days a week from 9:30am until 7pm
• Stay-and-play option for the parents of children who are a little unsure about being left alone
• An action packed agenda of Kids’ Club activities (from face painting and fresh pasta making to hands-on science experiments and glitter-strewn crafts) as well as tonnes of free play choices 
• Humungous Games floor with multi-storey soft play, towering climbing wall, two lane bowling alley, twin pool tables, ping pong, table football, Console room, touchscreen tabletop games, and multisensory space (with a cool floor-to-ceiling interactive projection, music and disco lights, and colouring in on tablets)
• Four indoor waterslides plus an underground splash pad and family sauna
• 5 heated family-friendly swimming pools including a very warm shallow baby pool with another little slide and some fountains
• 24 hour baby kitchen with steriliser, bottle warmers, microwave, hob, food processor, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, milk, fresh fruit, and other baby friendly supplies
• Daily evening mini disco and Falky mascot meet-and-greet at the end of dinner
• Out-of-hours babysitting available when booked in advance, at an additional charge

Let’s be clear: Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda does not feel like a children’s resort with a spa bolted on. Despite the genuine, dizzying *abundance* of kid’s facilities, a not-insignificant chunk of the hotel is actually Adults-Only

The huge rooftop spa area is take-your-breath-away stuff. There are two glittering pools from which steam drifts up into the sky, a very sleek, futuristic big mirrored box that upon closer inspection is actually a huge panoramic sauna overlooking Lake Garda, a plunge pool, uber sleek hammam, opulent dimly-lit relaxation lounges filled with plush daybeds, and a glorious sun deck sprinkled with loungers and huge parasols 

There’s also a brand-new, state-of-the-art gym with plenty of weights and box-fresh equipment, open from 7am daily, plus adult fitness classes including yoga, pilates, aqua gym, total-body workouts and stretching throughout the day – free to join in with

And then, there’s the rooftop bar – my destination of choice. House of Negroni is a global lifestyle brand built around the iconic Italian cocktail, with a handful of signature venues around the world – and this is its first outpost in Italy. Inside, think deep crimson velvet booths, amber-hued chandeliers and a bar lined with leather stools that ooze old-school glamour with none of the stuffiness. Out on the rooftop it’s all scalloped parasols and waiters in sharp white blazers who pour your drink in front of you, with an impeccably-judged sense of theatre. It’s indulgent, stylish and a little bit retro in perfect measure – the sort of place you could happily spend an hour or two forgetting the kids are in the vicinity  

Though I also don’t want to detract from the overall ambience throughout the resort – because despite all the brilliant family-friendly facilities, there’s never any sense that the aesthetic has been compromised for the sake of kids. From the reception and restaurants through to the bedrooms, everything feels (and looks) beautifully designed – so the sense of indulgence is far from reserved for the Adults-Only areas

The main restaurant at Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda is Artigiani – and honestly, it makes an amazing case for putting all buffets up on the rooftop because wow, what an ambience. Rather than sitting in an unloved space akin to a school canteen, you’re out under the sun (or stars) overlooking the lake. This is where you’ll first have breakfast, and later dinner, as the sun sets. Service starts at 6:30pm, which is a very welcome time when you’ve got small children, and the ‘buffet’ changes daily – though I am pretty reluctant to call it that

Why? The live cooking stations serve up an incredible selection of freshly-made pasta dishes and pizzas, alongside daily-changing seafood spreads, vegetable platters and slow-cooked meats, At breakfast there were masses of fresh fruits, cereals and seeds, yogurts, cheeses, cold meats and cooked bits (sausages, hash browns, scrambled egg etc., as you’d expect). Though our personal favourites? The cooked-to-order omelette and pancake stations, with any-and-every filling your heart desired

Then there’s also HOKU Restaurant & Lounge, the à la carte option overlooking the outdoor pool, which serves dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. The menu combines Italian cooking with Japanese influences, while earlier on, it functions as your daily lunch spot. Open as a bar from 10am, it starts serving rainbow salads, poke bowls and burgers alongside a kids menu at midday, to be enjoyed between swimming and sunbathing, with light bites available right through until early evening. In other words, no one need go hungry

Lastly, the House of Negroni rooftop cocktail bar (adults-only) serves light bites as well, throughout the day

The hotel offers both Bed & Breakfast and Half Board options, and you’ll have no issue finding plenty of gorgeous local restaurants to try within a 20 minute walk

The location might actually be one of my favourite things about the resort. On the southern tip of Lake Garda, it is just three minutes from the waterfront promenade. From there, you can walk along the water for around 40 minutes into charming Salò – and if you’re reading that thinking ‘40 minutes with kids, who are you kidding?!’ I promise, it’s a much more enjoyable (and thoroughly doable) family walk than that description makes it sound

It’s a lovely little boardwalk with plenty of people watching opportunities (dogs, other kids, old suntanned Italian men on mobility scooters), plus there’s little pebbly bays enroute where the children can paddle in the lake. There are piers to explore and fancy boats to watch, lots of cafe stops (for an ice cream, or an Aperol), not to mention glorious views out over the water everywhere you look. We honestly did it effortlessly with kids – twice, in three days

And Salò itself is gorgeous, straight from a retro Italian romance film. It’s exactly the sort of charming spot you picture when someone says ‘Lake Garda’, with waterfront restaurants, bars, cafés and gelaterias in pastel colours with pretty balconies. Plus there’s a ferry stop in town as well, meaning you can dot-to-dot your way across the lake exploring further afield if you’d like 

So, while Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda has enough on-site to keep you occupied for an entire holiday, you’re also within easy walking distance of somewhere that feels properly Italian. And if the kids are real adrenaline junkies? Gardaland, Italy’s biggest and most popular theme park, is just under an hour away as well

While peak summer is the obvious answer, I think Falkensteiner Resort Lake Garda is a particularly interesting option for a shoulder season getaway (I’m talking April/May & September/October) for three main reasons

The first is that all of its pools are heated. The second, that there is so much to do indoors (from the Kids’ Club and Games Floor to the indoor pool and spa). Lastly, the third, there’s plenty to explore on your doorstep, so you needn’t plan a whole holiday around swimming and sunbathing 

The resort is actually open year round, bar a couple of weeks in January, and hand on heart, there’s no time I would write off entirely

For reference, we were here towards the end of September, when temperatures were around 22°C every day. It was still more than warm enough for us to use the pools all day long, and I don’t usually part from my towel too easily

Lake Garda average daytime highs:

January: 7°C
February: 9°C
March: 13°C
April: 18°C
May: 22°C
June: 26°C
July: 29°C
August: 29°C
September: 25°C
October: 20°C
November: 12°C
December: 8°C