If ever there was a holiday that epitomised the phrase ‘best of both worlds’, it’s hotel hopping in the glorious Italian South Tyrol.
Italy’s northernmost province, situated on the southern side of the Alps, combines varying climates, cultures, cuisines and landscapes. It’s where Alpine and Mediterranean meet, resulting in clear, crisp air that can reach temperatures of 33 degrees in the summer.
Yet unlike a typical sunshine beach break, the region has 350 peaks of over 3,000m, which means you’re surrounded by dramatic mountains and lush greenery as you laze round one of the swimming pools at the many spa hotels in the region.
If you choose to laze by the pool, that is. Because the area is ideal for active holidays too, criss-crossed with hiking and mountain biking trails.
What’s particularly noteworthy about the area is that rather than restricting yourself to just one spectacular view from the pool or even from huge windows in scenic saunas, you can try hotel hopping at a collection of four family-run wellness retreats in the area that have joined together under the umbrella of Dolce Vita Hotels.
Book into one of the four and five star inclusive hotels, and you can enjoy the facilities of all four, free of any further charge. One of the hotels, Alpiana, is set in the gorgeous mountain setting of Foiana, above the village of Lana. The other three properties in the collection – Lindenhof, Feldhof, and the adults-only Preidlhof – are about 20 minutes’ drive away and within easy walking distance of each other in the thermal Alpine village of Naturno.
Hotel hopping means you can use any one of the hotels’ combined 38 pools, 32 saunas, and five Sky Spas whenever you want. As breakfast, a huge buffet lunch and a gourmet evening meal (as well as yummy afternoon cakes) are included in the price, you can eat and drink at whichever hotel you fancy as well, just by using your room number.
For a week, we eat and drink at all four hotels and use all their spas without paying a penny more.
To counter all the indulgence, fortunately there is a choice of activities available: hiking tours, mountain biking and, for the less energetic, guided e-bike tours.
We decide to go it alone for the hiking, using directions supplied by the charming Alpiana owner Johannes Margesin. We walked for a little over an hour from the hotel around the gently sloping paths of the Chestnut Walk, which is very well signposted (South Tyrol has more than 16,000km of signposted hiking trails).
Unfortunately for my monolingual husband and I, the signs are in German, because although the South Tyrol is in northern Italy, the area where we are staying is predominantly German-speaking. Historically, the region was once part of the Austro-Hungarian County of Tyrol, but it was annexed to Italy in 1919 and is now an interesting mix of German, Italian and Ladin (an ancient minority language) cultures.
Despite not understanding the signs, we manage not to get lost and relish walking in the perfect (warm with a breeze) temperature past vast apple orchards which produce, among other things, a wonderful apple prosecco.
After our hike, we decide it might be a good idea to relax our muscles in the sauna. We pump for the Alpiana Sky Spa, which has wonderful views of the mountains and gardens – definitely a far more rewarding experience than staring at standard wooden spa walls as you sweat.
Taking advantage of the hotel-hopping concept, next up is the Lindenhof. a family-friendly hotel. Unashamedly maintaining the prudish Brits stereotype, we steer of the adults-only nude pool on the hotel’s roof terrace and we happily stick to the saunas where we can keep our swimming gear on and our modesty intact.
Taking advantage of late night openings (the saunas and pools at the Priedlhof are open until 11pm), after-dinner visits quickly become a habit. We particularly enjoy listening to the underwater music played in several heated pools.
Although both our hotels are about 70% full, it’s rare to see any other guests in a pool or sauna. Johannes Margesin, whose family have owned the Alpiana for three generations, tells us they designed their hotel to make sure guests never felt crowded. It’s the same story at the Priedlhof, where we are nearly always the only ones in the pools and saunas, despite the hotel being three-quarters full.
It’s a real treat to feel like we have the extensive spa facilities at the hotels almost to ourselves – but although it’s tempting to simply enjoy the relaxation, we really want to explore the surrounding area too. And what better way to do it than by taking the Dolce Vita’s Porsche Boxster convertible (available to rent for €149/£125) out for a spin around the Dolomites?
Steep, winding roads offer impressive views of the mountains and valleys. We park in Merano, a pretty spa town with palm-lined promenades basking somewhat incongruously in the shadow of 3,000m peaks. We explore a medieval old town, vintage shopping arcades and the impressive Trauttmansdorff Castle, which has 80 natural and cultivated landscapes in it’s famous gardens.
Back in the Porsche, the glorious mountain wind ruffles through our hair as we roar back to the hotel for more sun and relaxation.
With so much to do and magnificent views to enjoy, I’d choose a (slightly) cooler mountain break over a boiling hot Med resort every time.
How to plan your trip
Dolce Vita Hotels (dolcevitahotels.com) offers doubles at Alpiana from £162 (€189) per person per night and Preidlhof from £186 (€216) per person per night, both including breakfast, afternoon buffet and dinner.
The nearest airports to the South Tyrol are Bolzano and Verona, with return prices starting from around £128.
