I really want to give a nice review to a wonderful hotel I stayed at in Lake Garda.  this hotel is in the area of Sirmione and is called the Hotel Olivi Thermae and Natural Spa.  The views from the rooms were spectacular of the lake and I could see the Scaliger Castle  as well. 

Some of the best things about this hotel where the people who worked.  The employee who worked at the reception desk helped me book my trip to Isola del Garda.  The employees went out of their way to make sure I  was having a good time and was comfortable.  They brought me champagne on my first day as a welcoming gift.  I regret that I didn't take a photo of their presentation on a silver platter.  I decided to not accept as I rarely drink and wanted someone else to enjoy the nice gift. 

The breakfast buffet was spectacular and on Sunday morning they had a piano player who played so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes.  I would recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Lake Garda.  I will share some photos of this beautiful hotel.  As you can tell from the name there is a spa which I did not use but many other customers said it was spectacular. 

Thank you Hotel Olivi Thermae and Natural Spa for a wonderful stay and vacation!

Here is a view from my balcony at dusk:

There were many beautiful and healthy looking fruit trees growing on the hotel grounds
There were mature grapes all over the premises!

There was a gorgeous outdoor dining area:

The view of the sunsets over the lake were spectacular:

Here are a couple of photos of yours truly.  I'm standing on my personal balcony.  As you can see the pool area is very spacious and attractive.  There is a restaurant that serves a full menu and drinks all day.
You could easily see Scaliger Castle from my balcony:

Here area few photos of the lovely town of Sirmione which is a just a few minutes walk from the hotel:

The spectacular Scaliger Castle was only a 10 minute walk away as well:

One night when I was eating at this hotel's restaurant I told the waiter I was thinking about ordering dessert.  I didn't have to order anything as they surprised me with this lovely array of delicious confections!

I will leave you with my personal favorite view from my balcony.  It is a photo of the ferry (that runs throughout the day) returning to Sirmione at sunset.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please feel free to leave any comments or questions.  Have a great week everyone!

~Michelle

I visited Italy for the second time in September 2015 I loved it the second time as much as I did the first time.  It really just made me want to visit a third time!  My first trip was to Florence, Venice, and Cinque Terre.  This last visit was to Lake Garda.  

To get to Lake Garda I flew into Verona and then went to my hotel in Sirmione.  I loved this little medieval town. I thought it was so charming and colorful with the flowers everywhere.  This was one of very few places that I have visited on my own that I felt safe going out at night alone. 

Lake Garda is very large and the only thing I would do differently visiting again, which I might do, is to spend time in other areas around the lake.  I will say that I am very happy to have stayed in Sirmione.  Everyone was very friendly and the food was excellent as always. I am also very happy to say that I didn't see any stray cats or dogs during my stay!

I was a little worried that visiting in September might be a little chilly, but it was actually quite warm during the day it was usually in the 80's (Fahrenheit).  At night it would get cool but not until very late.  There is a ferry that runs all around the lake which stops running at some point in October.  Otherwise I think October would be a fine time to visit Lake Garda as well.  

Wherever you walked in town the castle was usually in view:

I loved the colorful flowers and architecture:

 I found this pink villa when I walked off the beaten path that I thought was lovely!

There were grapes, lemons and lime growing all over as soon as you got out of the town:

 A garden I found not too far from the beach which is just a short walk from the town

 Here is the pathway beside the beach which makes for a nice walk:

I had heard that glass washes up on the shore of Lake Garda and I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself!

As with most areas of Italy there are gelato and pastry shops on every corner:

There were also many beautiful churches:
There were many fun shops and restaurants around town.  The prices were very reasonable!
The sunsets and sunrises were nice every night I was there as it only rained for a few hours during the ten days I was there:

Thank you so much for visiting.   Please feel free to leave any comments or questions as I value all of them.  Have a great week everyone.

~Michelle

 When I arrived in Bora-Bora, French Polynesia, I was given a welcome drink.   There is no alcohol in this drink.   There is a photo of me drinking the drink which makes it look like it has alcohol in it, but I was just very jet lagged after being on a plane for 20 hours!  When you land at Bora-Bora airport you must take a water taxi as you can see below to your hotel.  

I was struck by the beauty of the turquoise water.  The photo above was taken from my airplane window so it's not great, but the water truly is that blue!

The "water taxis":

Born-Bora's little airport:

My non-alcoholic Mai-Tai:
Not so great photo of me after traveling for what felt like FOREVER!
Walking to my neighborhood of bungalows:

As you can see my bungalow had quite a view including a glass bottom floor :!

It was nice once I could finally relax on my deck or dock!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

~Michelle

 Watching the sunrises and sunsets was definitely the highlight of my trip to Bora-Bora.  They never disappointed me and were especially incredible in the over water bungalow I decided to stay in.  The sky actually did a lot of incredible things throughout the day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.  Take care my friends

~Michelle