Yes, the Dolomites are as amazing as you’ve heard. The skiing is extensive (745 miles of slopes), the food is outstanding (not the typical Italian cuisine), the language and the styles are as German as they are Italian (before WWI, much of this area was Austria), the landscape is universally gorgeous (deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its beauty), and the towns are ripped-outta-Heidi cute.
Where should you stay when you visit in the winter? Here are five excellent options with prime access to the slopes.
Forestis — The Luxe Experience
The vibe: An elegant, minimalist, adults-only mountain hideaway near the Gitschberg Jochtal – Brixen ski resort.
The highlight: It will be a long time before I find a more beautiful hotel than Forestis, located so high in the mountains and so immersed in nature that you won’t see another trace of humanity anywhere around you, just the peaks of the Dolomites spread out before you. The dining room, set up like a theater to capitalize on the views, was staffed by an army of caring and ridiculously good-looking people. Nature infuses everything inside the hotel, too — the warm woods on the walls, floors, and furnishings; the indoor-outdoor pool and the saunas at the Celt-inspired spa. Ski-in/ski-out access to the slopes and hiking trails means you don’t ever have to leave the mountaintop.
While you’re here: But I’m glad we did go downhill to spent a night in the charming town of Brixen (or Bressanone, if you prefer the Italian name, though German dominate around here). We spent a night at Adler Historic Guesthouse and had two great dinners at historic Finsterwirt and eco-friendly Fink. The riverside town founded in 901 A.D. (it’s the oldest in the Tyrol) was historically the preferred stop for royalty and rulers traveling to Rome. As a result, Brixen is disproportionately rich with art, churches, porticos, and painted buildings. My favorite terrifically quirky sights included the medieval nativities at Hofburg Museum and the tools and potions at Pharmacy Museum.
Icaro — The Slopeside Experience
The vibe: An architectural stunner right on the piste in the Val Gardena / Seiser Alm ski resort.
The highlight: We never left Icaro Hotel except to ski — and we didn’t have to go far to do that, as the piste passes directly right in front of the hotel. Born as a rifugio in 1936 and family-run since the 1950s, the boutique hotel is currently under the careful and kind stewardship of Angelika Sattler, who worked with architectural darlings Snøhetta on its most recent redesign. Colorful, art-filled, and fun, with only 29 rooms and big public areas for playing cards, sun lounging, and spa-ing, this one is great for families, friends, and aesthetes who will fill their camera with photos of the building. The slopes are great for novice skiers, just the right degree of challenging.
While you’re here: Because we were at the end of a trip and were flying home from Verona, we spent a day exploring Bolzano’s lovely old town. We stayed at Stadt Hotel Città, roamed the arcaded streets and shops during the day (it feels more Switzerland than Italy) and had our best meal at Zur Kaiserkron.
Ciasa Salares — The Foodie Experience
The vibe: Cheese, chocolate, wine. Rewind, repeat near Alta Badia ski resort.
The highlight: I met Jan Clemens Weiser, the third-generation owner of the sweet mountain house Ciasa Salares in San Cassiano, at a travel conference a decade ago. His story about his hotel, along with his clear passion for wine and food, planted a seed. It took me a few years to get here, but it was worth the wait for the meal in his wine-bottle-lined Cocun Cellar Restaurant, followed by a visit to his Nida Cheese Room (skiing is tiring, and if there’s a better way to refuel than a big plate of cheese, I don’t want to know about it), topped off with a stop at the Nodla Chocolate Room. Is the culinary experience over the top? You betcha. And totally unpretentious and fun, too.
While you’re here: Sara Delmonego, sales and marketing manager at Ciasa Salares and Jan’s partner, took me to Dolomites Farm where we spent a few hours hanging out with alpacas and llamas in the snow. And, yes, it is the single most adorable thing I have ever done.
Hotel De Len — The Glam Experience
The vibe: Cortina d’Ampezzo is the definition of Italian winter chic .
The highlight: Even if you’ve never heard of the Dolomites, you’ve probably heard of Cortina. The self-professed “Queen of the Dolomites” ranks up there with Aspen and Gstaad among the world’s fanciest ski towns. And though Cortina isn’t as sceney as the others, it’s as sceney as it gets in the Dolomites. You’ll be hearing about Cortina more in the next few years when the Olympics come to town and Mandarin Oriental renovates the old Cristallo Resort and Spa. I loved newcomer Hotel De Len for its modern, natural design (“de len” is the local Ladin term for “of wood”), warm and helpful staff, proximity to the shops and bars in town, and the killer views from the spa on the top floor.
While you’re here: No matter where you ski, you’ll want to ride the engineering marvel that is the Cortina Skyline gondola. It launched in 2021, connecting Tofane (Son dei Prade) with 5 Torri (Bai de Dones), a span of five kilometers covered in fifteen minutes.
Fuciade — The Charming Experience
The vibe: A mountain hut as movie set near Alpe Lusia San Pellegrino ski resort.
The highlight: It’s nearly a miracle that we made it here. We were on a ski safari organized by Dolomite Mountains, and at the end of a day of an uncomfortable snowfall, we found ourselves in the back of a snowcat, making our way through zero visibility uphill to a town with no cars, no shops, no nothing except a tiny church, even tinier family ski huts, and Fuciade, a small mountain hut with an exceptionally world-class restaurant. Everything was either charming — like the delightful collections of vintage cooking implements, wooden molds, and pearly accordions that filled every nook and cranny — or delicious — like the cheese and salami aging in the wine cellar, a preview of the abundant charcuterie plate. Dinner was exceptional, as was the peaceful and remote setting. It was painful to leave in the morning to get back out onto the slopes, even though it was a bluebird perfect day. (My smarter husband spent the day at the inn.) When I close my eyes and dream about the Dolomites, this is the place I see.
While you’re here: Don’t do anything except go for a walk to marvel at your surroundings. Hopefully after a ridiculous snow covers everything in a thick meter of powder.