Well Hello Treefire, it must be destiny, because I have not been on this Forum for quite a while.

Hotel Limonaia is absolutely fine IMO, but we all have different expectations don't we. We booked a holiday there, very cheap, and very last-minute, so were not expecting much. HOWEVER we were amazed by what we found. The site is VERY steep though, so if you have any walking difficulties, beware!

I LOVED the fact that parts of the Hotel are built within the old Lemon Grove buildings. That is the area we stayed, and because they are terraced up the hill, all rooms there have great views out over the lake.

The newer buildings seem to me more like small bungalows, built hither & thither over the land behind the main Reception building.

Our 'Lemon Grove' room was a bit dated, but surprisingly spacious, with the beds up on a kind of mezzanine, leaving a large sitting room area below. It looked like this was used as a self-catering apartment in high season, but apart from the fridge, all the other S/C stuff was locked away in cupboards, so we couldnt acces that. However, we were warned to expect only a tiny room by our 'rep' on the coach to the Hotel, as space is a premium in most Lake Hotels, so were thrilled by the space we had and the VIEW! (I have no Idea what other rooms are like though, sorry)

The balcony at the front ran along the whole of the terrace, and was not sub-divided from room to room, so yes, it was 'communal'. I never take anything especially valuable on Holiday, but there was a little safe in the room which we used for the most essential things (the kind where you make-up your own 'code'), and we did not have any problems. Just like any Hotel room, if you leave your important 'stuff' lying around, it is a temptation, eh?? Anyway, oddly, the balcony was GREAT for.... THE VIEW!!!!!!!!

I can't remember the number of the room we were in, but it was at the very top of the Lemon Grove Terraces, if that helps.

The Outdoor pool is great, but watch-out for sunbed 'baggers' it was not too bad for us, but even off-season there were plenty of Germans......

We didn't go into the Spa area, but that looks nice on their website, and the Restaurant down there is great for Pizza, beers and..... A VIEW!!

Food at the Hotel gets mixed reviews. It was OK, not great cuisine, not HORRIBLE, edible and tasty enough. Limone has plenty of quaint restaurants if you feel you are not getting enough. BUT the upstairs dining room has a fabulous....wait for it.... VIEW!!!!

Here is the only website for them that I have ever found:

chincherini.com/htmlen/…la_limonaia.html

And here is my Limone Go List, in case that is of interest for you:

tripadvisor.co.uk/GoListDetail-i2632-Lazy_Li…

And here is my 'official' Hotel Review:

tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g227887-d2…

I hope you will go with an open mind, and enjoy your stay - and enjoy - erm - can you guess what it is yet - erm - yup - THE MAGNIFICENT VIEW!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Essex Wanderer. Thanks very much for getting back to me so quickly. It all sounds rather lovely and the view sounds great. Thanks as well for the links, hubby and I will browse them to help us make up our mind.

I hope that you have a nice trip planned somewhere soon. Have a good summer.

Treefire.