The inside of the Crowne Plaza Verona Fiera has the feel of a spaceship.

After check-in, I stepped into the box that launches you up into the clouds. They call it an elevator.

The “elevator” spits you out into the spaceship. Disoriented, I followed the signs to my room at the end of the hall.

It took a few seconds, but I figured out how to open my door. You scan your key, then pretty much just, giving it a slight jolt, shove your door inward.

Inside my room, things were much more normal. It’s a very clean, comfy, european-style hotel room, with a view of the industrial side of Verona, Italy.

I will say, the shower, separate from the bath, didn’t have a complete door.

You just kind of let the water splash out.

Maybe there was an invisible door that I didn’t know how to close.

As I mentioned, I fell into the rooftop pool.

I good-naturedly blame the hotel for two reasons:

1. They gave me a voucher for a complimentary alcoholic beverage.
2. The lights in the pool room don’t turn on automatically.

After a drink or two, the friendly hotel bartender told us that the view of Verona from the hotel rooftop was gorgeous and had to be seen.

So, we returned to the clouds and pressed the button for the top floor, where we found a gym and another bar.

I went up a small flight of stairs and into a pitch black room.

I figured it was a sauna or another part of the gym, so I stepped inside and felt along the wall for a light switch.

No light switch. Huh.

I took a step, and suddenly, miraculously, I was engulfed in moisture. Was it a spaceship portal into a strange black hole of space?

I quickly realized I had fallen into water. Aha, must be a pool. Ah, makes sense. I fell into the hotel pool. How silly of me.

I immediately felt my way to the edge of the pool and hopped out.

I took my iPhone out of my pocket and took off the case. It would act funny for a few days, but ultimately return to its normal self. Another miracle.

Soaked, I walked outside to the rooftop deck area.

The bar was closed, and not a soul but ours stirred on the rooftop.

I shivered and took in the view of quiet Verona.

Here’s a photo of the pool from the hotel’s site:

Why visit Verona?

It’s beautiful, historic, not swarmed by tourists, and has some of the best cappuccinos in the world.

Here are some photos from my visit.

How’s the hotel location?

About a 7-minute drive from historic city-center Verona, the hotel also offers a shuttle into town, though I couldn’t figure out how to use it (the front desk had a bunch of check-ins when I wanted to ask).

Verona has quite a few reasonably priced parking garages, so parking isn’t bad. I think I only paid ~$10 to park all day.

Hotel amenities?

Free parking, free wi-fi, pool, gym, restaurant, bar, another bar on the roof.

You liked it?

Yeah, I liked it. I’ll definitely stay here again if I have the chance.

How much?

Around 120 Euros or 20K IHG points per night.

I need more convincing. Whatchu got?

Uh, I had my first Italian pizza in Verona. It was like 5 bucks.