Hotel Ocelle Thermae & Spa

Catullus came home to Sirmione from Bithynia, scarcely believing he had got away, and hailed it as the ocelle of all peninsulas and islands: the little eye, the darling. The hotel near its old town has taken the word for its name and added what the poet did without, which is hot water. La Bojola is a sulphurous spring that starts in the Monte Baldo basin, runs down to about 2,000 metres underground and comes up at 69°C; the outdoor pool keeps it at 34 to 36. The building is a plain white block of balconies, which leaves the showing off to the lake. Below, a lawn of loungers runs down to a short beach, and a timber pier goes out into the water under a line of white umbrellas. The rooms are warm wood and sliding glass. A Classic, at 14 square metres, looks over a quiet side street; the lake, head-on, is for the suites.

Recommended for couples who want a lake holiday that runs on hot water, with Sirmione near enough to walk to dinner; nobody under 18 stays. The hotel's advice for the outdoor pool is twenty minutes at a time with cool showers in between, which turns lying in warm water into a regime. Book one of the three suites with a place reserved on the pier: the Junior Suite Wellness has a freestanding bath in the bedroom, the Executive SPA Suite a Turkish bath in its shower. Dinner is RistOcelle, on the beach, or a table in town that the staff will book. Catullus asked what could be better than cares put down and the bed you have been longing for. He had not tried the pool, which stays open until eight.