Relaxation is a luxury that a lake will provide almost immediately. Budgettravel.com   has compiled a great list of “Best Lakes of the World” Lake Garda is their choice in Italy and we tend to agree.  Check out our 4 star hotels from $165/day in Lake Garda at our Italy Brochure, p.39.  Here is their take on the lake:

ITALY
Lake Garda by Beth Collins of budgettravel.com
If the shape of Italy is a couture boot, think of the imprint of Lake Garda as a design from the funky sister line—long and skinny at the top, opening up toward the bottom. Garda is the country’s largest lake and one of the most popular vacation spots among Italians. The southern shore is home to hot springs, resort towns with pastel villas and terra-cotta-roofed hotels, and most of Garda’s 28 miles of serene, pebbly beaches. To the north are the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, a magnet for hikers and bicyclists who want to test their endurance. In Malcesine, an adorable speck of a town with cobblestoned streets and a medieval castle, you can board a cable car up to MountBaldo for one of the best aerial views of the lake.

Nearby: Lake Garda is about halfway between Milan (89 miles away) and Venice (109 miles away), but to get the full, relaxing effect, stay in one of the south shore’s many small towns.

Read more: http://www.budgettravel.com/feature/12-most-beautiful-lakes-in-the-world,6009/#ixzz1nDVCM5AX