The 26 Best Luxury Hotels in South Tyrol

In 24 of the 26 houses in this selection you swim in your hotel’s own pool. What matters in the mountains is the water temperature – and whether the pool stays open outdoors in winter.Alpenroyal Grand Hotel · PoolWarm in the open air all year round: at Miramonti Boutique Hotel Merano in Avelengo, the saltwater infinity pool measures 16 by 5 metres, is kept at no less than 32 degrees and seems to float above the Merano basin. At Alpenroyal Grand Hotel in Selva, the outdoor pool is at 33 degrees, open all year and reaches out towards the Grand Parc with a current channel and underwater music; the indoor pool next to it is kept at 30 degrees. Hotel Saltus Jenesien has a 17-metre Infinity Sky Pool at around 30 degrees, and Hotel Schwarzschmied Lana a 20-metre outdoor pool that is heated all year round.Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort Naturno · PoolSeveral water worlds await at Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort Naturno: the Sky Infinity sports pool is 20 metres long and 29 degrees warm all year, the infinity brine pool is at 36 degrees, the indoor thermal-water pool at 33 degrees, and from March to November a summer pool with a sandy beach opens. At Forestis, the indoor and outdoor pools are connected and fed with spring water from the Plose; the two penthouse suites have their own rooftop pool. Each of the six villas at Arua Villas Tyrol above Merano has a mini pool with whirlpool function on its terrace, and guests share an infinity brine pool kept at a mild temperature all year.

For swimming lengths, choose the 25-metre pool at Falkensteiner Hotel Kronplatz by the Kronplatz valley station, which also has a rooftop pool facing the mountain, or the 22-metre indoor pool at COMO Alpina Dolomites, complemented by a 7-metre outdoor pool with a panoramic view. The indoor pool at Hotel Gardena Groednerhof in Ortisei measures 17 by 7 metres, and the pool at Hotel Schgaguler is 14 metres long with a counter-current system.

In the gardens lie the pools of the castles and villas: at Castel Fragsburg, a heated pool of 13 by 8 metres between rose arches, wisteria and fruit trees; at Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus, a heated outdoor pool in the Karthauser Bad with a view down the valley; and in the park of Villa Eden The Leading Park Retreat Merano, an outdoor pool for the warmer months plus an indoor pool. Indoor pools are also found at Vigilius Mountain Resort Lana (14 by 4 metres, 29 degrees, with a whirlpool), at Alpin Royal Wellness Refugium with 32 degrees and a pool bar, and in Corvara at Hotel La Perla and Hotel Sassongher Corvara in Badia. Only Terra - The Magic Place, with its whirlpool facing the Dolomites, and 1477 Reichhalter Lana, whose guests swim at the nearby Schwarzschmied, do without a pool of their own.

Many South Tyrolean spas work with what grows outside the door. At Castel Badia San Lorenzo di Sebato, the herbs for the treatments come from the old convent garden; at Castel Fragsburg, the alchemical healing spa mixes its cosmetics fresh from South Tyrolean herbs; and at Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus in Val Senales, the house’s own glacier cosmetics GLACISSE are used. At Forestis, the signature treatments follow four trees of the mountain forest: mountain pine, spruce, larch and Swiss stone pine.Castel Badia San Lorenzo di Sebato · SpaPlenty of space is what the big wellness hotels offer. The spa at Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort Naturno covers 5,500 m² with its own thermal water; its centrepiece is the Sauna Tower with 18 steam, relaxation and sweating stations on six floors, open daily from 11 am to 11 pm, with infusions led by a certified sauna master. At Alpenroyal Grand Hotel, the spa area of 5,000 m² is reserved for hotel guests, with five water areas, six saunas and steam baths and a family sauna in the park cottage. The spa at Forestis measures almost 2,000 m², with four private spas for couples and a room for Celtic yoga. At Falkensteiner Hotel Kronplatz, the Acquapura Summit SPA covers around 1,400 m² with a Summit Hammam and a private spa suite with a fireplace lounge, and at Vigilius Mountain Resort Lana the Aquiléia Spa covers 1,200 m² with the Silencium relaxation room and forest bathing.Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus · SpaSaunas with a view are found in several houses. In the Karthauser Bad at Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus, you sit in a Finnish sauna at treetop height or in a wood-fired earth sauna and then warm up by the open fire in the Gloriette glass pavilion. Miramonti Boutique Hotel Merano has a forest sauna of black hemlock 20 metres above the ground and an onsen pool made of South Tyrolean porphyry. At Alpin Royal Wellness Refugium in Valle Aurina, the spa garden lies between mountain streams, with a panoramic whirlpool at 38 degrees, and at Hotel Schgaguler you reach the whirlpool on the terrace straight from the spa and the bar.

Medicine and longevity are at the heart of Villa Eden The Leading Park Retreat Merano: the Villa Eden Longevity Institute works with a medical team under Dr Emanuele De Nobili, offering preventive and aesthetic medicine and programmes such as The Eden Discovery. The house has only 25 suites and takes no more than 40 adult guests. Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort Naturno also adds a medical spa with check-ups and therapies, and at Hotel Gardena Groednerhof there is a separate women-only area with sauna and steam bath next to the large spa.

From 158 € you stay at Parkhotel Mondschein Bolzano; a night at Forestis costs up to 750 €. The table follows the regions, from the area around Merano via Bolzano to Val Pusteria, so you can compare the houses of one valley directly.

You will find Aparthotel Pergola Residence South Tyrol in Lagundo and Hotel Gardena Groednerhof in Ortisei, like all further houses, in the hotel list below; our travel advisors will give you the rate for your dates.

What is included almost everywhere: an upgrade on arrival, subject to availability, in all 26 houses and daily breakfast for two in 24. The two apartment houses in Lagundo offer a bread-roll service instead, plus a credit of 50 € for the Bottega farm shop and the wine cellar. Early check-in and late check-out are possible in 23 houses, subject to availability. At Falkensteiner Hotel Kronplatz, half board for two is also included every day.

Hotel credit amounts to 100 US dollars at Forestis, Hotel La Perla, Castel Hoertenberg Bolzano and Hotel Sassongher Corvara in Badia, and 50 US dollars at Miramonti Boutique Hotel Merano, Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus, Hotel Saltus Jenesien and Alpin Royal Wellness Refugium. Castel Badia San Lorenzo di Sebato gives 50 US dollars for food and drink, Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort Naturno 25 US dollars. For spa treatments, Hotel Schwarzschmied Lana and Villa Arnica Lana each give 50 €, 100 € in suites – redeemed at the Schwarzschmied spa. COMO Alpina Dolomites treats you to an Alpina Dolomites massage.

Experiences come on top: on Monte San Vigilio, Vigilius Mountain Resort Lana invites you to an experience of your choice – forest bathing, a guided herb walk or archery –, and suites also receive 50 € for the spa. Hotel Schgaguler adds a guided hike or ski tour, and in suites a 50-minute aroma massage for one person. Parkhotel Mondschein Bolzano invites you to a yoga class with an aperitif at the bar, 1477 Reichhalter Lana to an evening aperitivo with snacks, and at Arua Villas Tyrol there is a welcome aperitif on the day of arrival and a small sweet treat every afternoon.

When the benefits apply: in most houses from the first night. Forestis, Miramonti Boutique Hotel Merano, Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus, Hotel Saltus Jenesien and Alpin Royal Wellness Refugium require two nights, COMO Alpina Dolomites three.

Points and status can be collected in 14 houses: Marriott Bonvoy in seven, from the three sister houses in Lana via Parkhotel Mondschein Bolzano and Vigilius Mountain Resort Lana to Arua Villas Tyrol and Hotel Schgaguler; I Prefer at Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort Naturno, Hotel La Perla and Hotel Sassongher Corvara in Badia; the Leaders Club at Falkensteiner Hotel Kronplatz, Villa Eden The Leading Park Retreat Merano, Castel Badia San Lorenzo di Sebato and Alpenroyal Grand Hotel, if you give your membership number when booking.

When it is most beautiful: from June to September for hikes and mountain pastures, from December to March for the slopes of the Dolomites, in spring for the apple blossom in the Adige valley and in October for Törggelen. When to book early: for Christmas and New Year in the Dolomites and for the summer holidays. Some houses open seasonally: Hotel Zur Goldenen Rose Karthaus closes from early November to late December and from late March to May, Hotel Sassongher Corvara in Badia opens in summer and in winter, and Aparthotel Pergola Residence South Tyrol welcomes guests from mid-March to mid-November.

How long to stay: four to six nights, ideally split between two houses – one around Merano or Bolzano, one in the Dolomites or in Val Pusteria.