3.5 Stars
The Leon D'Oro is a beautiful hotel. It doesn't look too enticing on the drive in, but once you reach the inner courtyard, it becomes an lovely oasis.
Flanking the river, you get a grassy sitting and smoking area. Hanging, egg-shaped chairs allow individuals to nestle cozily, while high tables and stools are provided for groups of two or three. If you smoke, there are ashtrays or ash-stands located accessibly. At night, a water display comes on.
The inside lobby is very elegant. Marble surfaces, high ceilings, and various sitting areas, as well as a bar, make it a beauitful and comfortable rendezvous point. There's only one elevator though and the wait time can be quite excessive if there's a line; so I recommend taking the stairs (they're a little hidden, but they're on the other side of the wall/mirror next to the elevator). A neat decorative feature throughout the hotel is that each floor is dedicated to a specific opera or just opera in general.
The rooms are a little cramped, and a lot of the features (like the side tables with the room-relevant buttons) are a little dated. But otherwise, it was a nice space to retire to at the end of the day. It also had A/C, a huge plus! The bathroom followed the same design as the lobby -- marble and spacious. My only concern was the water pressure and shower head. The pressure was very strong (which usually I love), but the head malfunctioned a lot and this, combined with the pressure, caused extreme leaking in the bathroom. It would drench the floor (took two to three towels to clean) and even went under the door to soak the carpet. After the first day, we talked to the receptionist and blocked the door with a towel, but it still got wet. I hope they remedy these issues -- if only to save them money in the long run.
Wifi is free, but you need cell service or a Facebook account to access it. You can also go down to the lobby to get a temporary access code if you have neither of the others. It was also pretty shoddy and would die out (especially at night and in the morning, when I needed it most). The breakfast spread was nice -- you had to go down to the lower levels to get to the breakfast room; it's beneath the lobby. There were several tables of food and drinks, all laden with typical European-hotel breakfast foods (breads, cold cuts, eggs, cereal, fruit, etc.). Be timely about it, especially if you're in a group and want a table to yourself.
Location-wise, they're a fifteen-minute walk from the city center of Verona and the local colloseum/arena. So definitely convenient. Yay!
Tip: if you're driving, inquire beforehand -- there doesn't seem to be a lot of parking available. read more