Golfers of a certain age still call it Palazzo Arzaga: a fifteenth-century villa in the Valtènesi hills behind the south-western shore of Lake Garda, wrapped by a 27-hole golf club. Since the QC Terme group took over, it has become something different: a big, design-led spa that welcomes day visitors, with a five-star hotel and the golf course attached. That mix is its strength and its catch. My one-line verdict: a very good golf and spa base for a few nights, as long as you book a room with spa access and accept that you will share the pools with the public.
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Quick facts: QC Termegarda
- Name: launched as QC Termegarda Spa & Golf Resort; the hotel is now also marketed as QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga Garda, and the spa as QC Villa Arzaga Garda. Same address, Via Arzaga 1.
- Location: Calvagese della Riviera, in the hills about 14 km from Desenzano and roughly 5 km from the lake at Padenghe.
- Rooms and suites: about 78 rooms (some booking sites list 76) across the main villa and its residences, from classic doubles to frescoed suites.
- Price level: upper mid to high for the region; rooms with spa access cost more than those without.
- Season: the spa opens every day of the year and the golf club plays year round. If you are travelling in midwinter, ask the hotel about any closure dates.
- Nearest airport: Verona Villafranca, about 47 km, roughly 45 minutes by car.
- Best for: golfers who want 27 holes at the door, and couples who want a spa weekend with a round thrown in.
Check prices and availability
Prices swing with the room category, because some include spa access and some do not. Weekends sell first, so compare a midweek stay before you commit.
Location and getting there
The estate lies in open countryside in the Valtènesi, the rolling wine district between Lonato, Desenzano and Salò. It is a country house, not a lakefront hotel: you see fairways and cypresses from the windows, not water.
Approximate drive times, without traffic:
- Verona Villafranca: about 47 km, around 45 minutes via the A4. This is the practical choice for most international flights.
- Brescia Montichiari: roughly 25 km and about 30 minutes, but it has very few scheduled passenger flights, so check before you plan around it.
- Bergamo Orio al Serio: about 80 km, roughly an hour, and well served by low-cost carriers.
- Milan Linate or Malpensa: allow 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
The nearest station is Lonato, about 9 km away, and Desenzano has fast trains on the Milan to Venice line. You will want a car here, both for the other golf courses and for dinners by the lake. Our Italy travel planner covers car hire and transfers.
Rooms and suites
The rooms are spread across the historic villa and the residences around it, which the group counts as three buildings. Expect stone floors, beamed ceilings and, in the best rooms, original frescoes; bathrooms were redone in a woodland theme with sensory showers. Categories you will see when booking include the Classic double (about 26 square metres), Superior and Deluxe doubles with spa access (roughly 28 to 32 square metres) and suites such as the Suite Affresco, which runs to around 70 square metres.
The key thing to understand is that spa access depends on your room category. Most categories include entry from check-in at 15:00 until check-out at 11:00, but the entry-level Classic room may not, and several guests have been surprised to discover this on arrival. Read the rate description carefully or ask the hotel before you pay.
Reviews of the rooms are mixed: the frescoed rooms draw praise, while some standard rooms are described as dark, with small windows. If light matters, request a course-view room in the main villa.
Dining
Do not come here for a gastronomic weekend. The QC model is built around the spa day, so food is organised around it rather than around a chef:
- Breakfast: a buffet served from 07:30, reserved for hotel guests. On some rates it is charged separately, so check.
- Wellness Lunch: a set menu served in the spa, eaten in your bathrobe.
- Aperiterme: QC’s signature early-evening aperitif, with sparkling wine and snacks, also in robes.
- Arzaga Café: finger food in the evening, from 17:00 until late.
- Hotel restaurant: an à la carte restaurant for resort guests, which added an outdoor terrace in 2025. It serves Italian dishes with Garda and Franciacorta wines.
I could not verify a current name or chef for the hotel restaurant, and it holds no Michelin star in the 2026 guide as far as I can find. Guest reviews of dinner are uneven, mainly about slow service. My advice: eat here on the night you arrive, then drive 15 to 20 minutes to the lake for the rest.
The spa: how the QC concept works
QC Terme runs some of Italy’s best-known day spas, from Bormio and Pré-Saint-Didier to Milan, and this one follows the same formula: a single ticket for a long circuit of pools, saunas and relaxation rooms, open every day from 09:00 to 23:00 according to QC’s website; check the hours for your date. The spa opened at the turn of 2023 and recorded around 126,000 visits in 2024, which tells you how popular it is.
The circuit is split into two themed areas. La Tenuta plays on the old farm estate, with a steam bath in the hayloft, a barrel room and a biosauna among the vines. La Riva is built around water, with pools named after local legends such as the Vasca delle Sirene. In all, QC says the spa offers more than thirty wellness practices across its pools, saunas and relaxation rooms, plus a panoramic pool added in 2024, an outdoor pool in 2025, a forest gym and a golf simulator. Outdoor pools look straight over the fairways, which is the view you will remember.
Two honest caveats. First, despite the “terme” branding, guest reports describe the water as heated rather than drawn from a natural hot spring; if mineral spring water is the point of your trip, ask the hotel or book a session at Sirmione’s thermal baths instead. Second, because the spa sells day tickets, it gets busy. Reviews from 2025 and 2026 repeatedly mention crowded pools, noise and sold-out sauna slippers on weekends and holidays. Children under 14 are not admitted, which helps.
The hotel guest’s advantage is time: you can use the spa in the quiet hours after check-in, late in the evening and on the morning of departure, when day visitors are thin.
Golf and other activities
Golf is why most of our readers will look at this hotel, and it is the part that has not changed. Arzaga Golf Club sits right next to the villa and has 27 holes:
- Jack Nicklaus II course: 18 holes, par 72, around 6,410 metres from the white tees. It opened in 1998 and has hosted the Italian Seniors Open. Expect American-style strategic bunkering, water in play and generous but well-guarded greens.
- Gary Player course: 9 holes, par 36, about 3,030 metres from the back tees, with round, crater-like bunkers around the greens.
- Practice: a driving range with 30 bays (10 covered), putting, chipping and pitching greens, a practice bunker and three pitch-and-putt holes.
The club is open every day year round, with lower green fees roughly from mid November to mid March. Guest reviews consistently praise the condition of the course. Tee times must be booked in advance; whether hotel guests get preferential times or reduced green fees in 2026 is not published, so ask the hotel when you book.
Arzaga also sits at the heart of the southern Garda golf cluster: Gardagolf at Soiano and Garda Hotel San Vigilio Golf at Pozzolengo are both within easy reach. Our guide to golf on Lake Garda covers each course, and the golf hotels on Lake Garda guide compares every base. There is no tennis court at the hotel; players should look at our tennis hotels on Lake Garda instead.
What’s nearby
The surrounding Valtènesi produces Chiaretto, the pale Garda rosé, and small wineries are a few minutes away. Desenzano’s harbour and Sirmione’s castle and thermal baths are each under half an hour by car; our Lake Garda guide covers boat trips, wine and spas around the lake. Franciacorta, Italy’s best-known sparkling wine region, is under an hour west; see our Franciacorta wine tours guide. Verona is an easy day out, and our Verona, Valpolicella and Lake Garda guide links the city to the lake.
QC Termegarda vs other Lake Garda golf and spa hotels
| Hotel | Location | Standout | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| QC Termegarda | Calvagese della Riviera, Valtènesi hills | 27 holes next door, large QC spa with 7 pools | Golf plus spa, short stays |
| Quellenhof Luxury Resort Lazise | Lazise, eastern shore | Five-star resort with partner green fee rates, spa for hotel guests | Longer stays on the Veronese side |
| Garda Hotel San Vigilio Golf | Pozzolengo, south of Sirmione | 36 holes around a 12th-century abbey | Golf-first weeks |
| Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda | Gargnano, western shore | About 3,800 square metres of spa, lake views | Spa-led trips with a few rounds |
In short: Lefay and Quellenhof keep their spas for hotel guests and feel calmer; San Vigilio gives you more holes; QC Termegarda is the one where the championship course and a big spa sit side by side. For the national picture, see our best golf resorts in Italy hub, where it features as the pick for a big golf week.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits:
- Golfers who want a Nicklaus-family championship course and a spare nine within walking distance.
- Couples where one plays and the other wants a long spa day.
- Short breaks, including winter golf weekends.
It does not suit:
- Travellers who want a lakefront room and a waterside promenade.
- Anyone who expects a quiet, guests-only spa on a Saturday.
- Food lovers looking for a destination restaurant on site.
- Families with younger children: the spa is closed to under-14s.
Charlotte’s tip: play the morning, spa the evening
Book Sunday to Thursday, tee off early on the Nicklaus course and save the spa for after 19:00, when most day visitors have gone home and the outdoor pools over the fairways are at their prettiest. Two or three nights is ideal.
Practical tips
- Booking: choose a room category that includes spa access, and check whether breakfast is in the rate. Book tee times and spa treatments when you book the room.
- Best rooms to request: frescoed suites or upgraded doubles in the main villa facing the course.
- Season: April to June and September to October are best for golf. Winter is cheaper and the spa is at its most atmospheric, but weekends are crowded.
- What to pack: your own flip-flops for the spa (guests find the supplied ones uncomfortable), plus golf shoes; a smart casual outfit covers dinner.
- Kids and pets: children are welcome in the hotel but not in the spa under 14. Pets are accepted in some room categories for a fee; ask the hotel.
Check prices and availability
Compare room categories with spa access for your dates, and look at midweek stays for the quietest pools and the easiest tee times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is QC Termegarda the same as Palazzo Arzaga?
Yes. The former Palazzo Arzaga was renovated and relaunched by the QC Terme group as QC Termegarda Spa & Golf Resort, and the hotel is now also marketed as QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga Garda. The Arzaga golf club next door keeps its name.
Can non-guests use the spa?
Yes. Day tickets are sold to the public, and the spa is open daily from 09:00 to 23:00 according to QC’s website. Hotel guests with spa access can use it from check-in to check-out, which lets them enjoy the quieter evening and morning hours.
How many golf holes are there?
27: an 18-hole, par 72 course by Jack Nicklaus II, opened in 1998, and a 9-hole, par 36 course by Gary Player. Both are open year round.
Which airport is closest to QC Termegarda?
Verona Villafranca is the most practical, about 45 minutes by car. Bergamo is about an hour away; Brescia Montichiari is closer but has very few scheduled flights.
