AFTER visiting the south-eastern shores of Lake Garda a couple of times in the past, my wife Rachel and I know all about the area's beauty and tranquility. But with our two growing daughters, Isla, 11 and Evelyn, seven, wanting more than sitting by a pool or chomping pizza, we headed back to Italy's largest lake in search of family holiday equilibrium.

Our hotel for the week was the luxurious Hotel Caesius Thermae & Spa Resort, set within lush landscaped gardens on the border of Bardolino and Cisano. Within its gated garden complex, there were five swimming pools for the kids to explore, while inside the main building, more mature guests can immerse themselves in the renowned spa centre's thermal and Turkish baths and saunas.

Food-wise, the buffet breakfasts were spectacular, while next to the main swimming pool, we enjoyed light lunches, and snacks in the shade at the Gazebo Bar. One evening, we also ate in the hotel's main Benacus Restaurant which served up some of the best and most imaginative food I've tasted across Italy.

A few yards from Caesius is the promenade linking the beautiful resorts dotted around Lake Garda, and with its world-famous wine and high-class shopping, Bardolino centre was a scenic 20-minute stroll away. There are countless restaurants and pizzerias to try out in the popular Piazza Matteotti, many with sumptuous views of the serene lake.

Soon after, we plunged into water of a different kind. At Caneva Aquapark in Lazise, there are relaxing lagunas, a lazy river, and slides and flumes at Pirates Lagoon for younger children like Evelyn, while daredevil Isla joined me on a leap into the unknown on the intrepid Water Jump before climbing up and sliding down the terrifying Twin Peaks.

Next door to Caneva is Movieland. The Hollywood-inspired theme park has more than 20 rides and shows, the best being the 600-horsepower Kitt Super Jet boat, and Pangea, a new self-driven expedition back in time into the world of dinosaurs.

However, Italy's biggest and best theme park remains Gardaland in Castelnuovo del Garda. We spent a night at the resort's Adventure Hotel, the girls in the Arctic Explorer suite, complete with props of snowshoes, skis, Arctic crates and life-size pictures of polar bears and sea eagles.

After checking in, we caught the shuttle bus to Gardaland itself. During summer, the park is open until 11pm every evening, so Isla twisted my arm and got me to join her on high-octane rides Blue Thunder and Shaman. However, we also got to see plenty of attractions as a family, with the new Peppa Pig Land and the Jungle Rapids the most memorable.

After a hot day at the park, we settled down for dinner at the Ancient Egypt-themed Tutankhamon Restaurant, where there was a nightly visit from a mummy and his desert explorer friend. Next morning, we used our two-park ticket and made our way over to Gardaland Sea Life Aquarium, where we marvelled at its new arrival, the unusual Napoleon Fish.

The best part of our previous Lake Garda trips has always been the long days spent by the lake itself, and this summer was no exception. We boarded one of Navigazione Laghi's ferries from the Bardolino jetty and headed south past Simione to the historic town of Desenzano, where we hired a pedalo for a couple of hours.

After making our way out into the lake, we stopped about 100 metres from the shore and floated on the tranquil blue waters. However, this peaceful bliss didn't last, as the kids soon wanted to hurl themselves into the lake from the boat slide.

Kids will be kids, I guess. As they say back home in Yorkshire, every child loves 'laking out' – and this amazing part of Italy remains the Jones family's ‘numero uno’ place to do that.

FACTBOX

TUI Lakes & Mountains (www.tui.co.uk; 020 8610 3139) offers a week's half board at the four-star Hotel Caesius Thermae & Spa in Bardolino on Lake Garda from £1,020 per person, including flights and transfers.

Gardaland Adventure Hotel offers a summer package starting from €314 for a family including a themed room for one night, a combined ticket for Gardaland Park and SEA LIFE Aquarium, and breakfast at Tutankhamon Restaurant. Seewww.gardalandholidays.it

For Navigazione Laghi ferry times and prices, go to www.navigazionelaghi.it