Escape to the stunning surrounds of the Dolomites this winter for a snow-filled escape to remember.
From brand new eco-resorts to exciting edible adventures, discover what’s waiting for you in the extraordinary Italian mountains
1 Relax at new luxury eco-resort Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti
The beautiful woodland ski area of Madonna di Campiglio has welcomed a brand new luxury spa hotel to enjoy. Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti is a stylish, luxury eco resort that boasts an organic restaurant and one of the Dolomites‘ biggest spas, spanning over 5,000sqm across four floors.
Pay a visit to explore nine different saunas, a World of Water and Fire and indoor and outdoor pools that are perfect for winding down after a day in the snow. Spa therapies have been designed to blend classic Chinese medicine principles with modern Western techniques, meaning post-skiing treatments are healing and restorative.
Not only full of pampering opportunities, Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti is a carbon neutral hotel committed to conserving energy and power to the highest degree.
Bedrooms start at 320 euros per night with breakfast included. Click here to find out more.
2 Ski for free across Trentino on the 14th December
Calling all snow bunnies! On December 14th, the Trentino region will offer free 2 hour ski lessons for children, adults, beginners and experts alike. Lessons vary from the basics of skiing to cross country skiing to snowboarding, and what’s more, skiiers and snowboarders can take advantage of free ski/board hire and a free ski pass for the day. Serious powder awaits.
December 14th 2019, click here for more.
3 Take on a 10% ski area expansion in Paganella
Grab your gear and head to the Paganella ski area, which is set to expand by 10% this season. A new gondola lift system has been opened, with cabins that can carry up to 10 people, ferrying 2400 to 3000 people per hour.
Leaving from Pian del Dosson (the midway station for the cable car system that goes from the centre of Andalo to Doss Pelà), the gondola will reach a soaring 2000m at La Selletta.
At the same time, a new piste will be created – the 2 km red Selletta-Dosson piste – which will run alongside the system’s route and, as with all the other pistes in this ski area, will be equipped with a modern programmed snow-making system.
To link the new piste to the existing network, a 400 m long junction piste will also be formed, connecting Rifugio Malga Zambana to the new Dosson-Selletta route.
Click here for more.
4 Try a Starry Night at Rosa Alpina
Rosa Alpina, one of the Dolomites most incredible hotels, has launched a special Starry Nights package for guests – a special package filled with gourmet opulence at the *** Restaurant St Hubertus *** under Chef Norbert Niederkofler.
The stay includes:
• Dinner with two 6-courses tasting menus at our Restaurant St Hubertus***, beverages excluded
• One night stay in an accommodation at Your choice
• Rich buffet breakfast at Limonaia Restaurant
• Access to the two wellness areas, gym and yoga studio
Available until 29.03.2020, from Euro 505 per person. Click here for more.
5 Sip your way through “Sommelier on the slopes”
For several years now, Alta Badia has become an Eldorado for connoisseurs. The combination of perfect slopes and the majestic backdrop of the Dolomites, UNESCO World Heritage site creates the ideal setting for an unforgettable gourmet experience.
The event “Sommelier on the slopes” offers great skiing on Alta Badia’s slopes, combined with a sampling of South Tyrol’s finest wines in various participating ski huts.
Accompanied by a guide and an expert sommelier, ski from one hut to the other to taste several fine South Tyrolean wines. Exercise has never sounded so fun.
When: 17.12.201, 14.01.2020, 28.01.2020, 1.02.2020, 03.03.2020, 10.03.2020. Click here for more.
7 Try inflated fun at South Tyrol’s annual balloon festival
A light-hearted and fun way to kick off 2020, take part in South Tyrol’s annual balloon festival, a week-long event that takes place in Toblach/Dobbiaco in the Dolomites.
The festival entertains giant and bright balloons from tens of countries, lasting for a week where every day dozens balloons in various kinds and shapes fly over the snowy Dolomites.
Transforming the cold grey winter to a picturesque sky filled with colour and brightness, this unusual event is perfect for beating the January blues – with the option to experience a flight for yourself too.
Saturday, January 4, 2020 – Sunday, January 12, 2020. Click here to find out more.
8 Take part in skiing at sunrise
For some mountain enthusiasts, the spectacle of the Enrosadira, the Alpenglow, is the absolute natural highlight of the Dolomites, whilst others favour the soft light of the sunrise.
Skiing enthusiasts are invited to take to the slopes at sunrise for an extraordinarily significant moment whilst carving on virgin slopes, surrounded by the majestic mountain scenery of the Dolomites. Post-shred, enjoy an excellent breakfast in a hut some 2,000 metres up the mountain!
The lifts on the high plateau between La Villa, Corvara and San Cassiano will open for business just as dawn is breaking so that skiers can enjoy both the sunrise at 2,000 metres and the perfect, undisturbed ski slopes.
The fun won’t end there, either. The afternoon will see adrenalin levels rise once more, with the qualifying sessions for the Night Parallel Slalom held on the Gran Risa slope from 15:00.
The 70 best skiers in the world will be joining in the race, with the best 16 athletes from the qualifying sessions taking part in the Finals at 18:15.
Monday, 23.12.2019. Find out more here.
9 Unleash your gluttonous side at Ciasa Salares
If you like your ski trips with a side of gluttony, book a room as the amazing Ciasa Salares. Immersed in nature, this five-star gourmet stay features an impressive 4 restaurants to be discovered, as well as a decadent cheese room and diet-breaking chocolate room.
Decked out in classic chalet style and located just over a mile from the bijou mountain village of San Cassiano, this gut-busting hotel is just over the road from the ski lifts – perfect for working up an appetite before the real stamina session begins.
Rooms from £172 per night. Click here for more.
Compiled by Sophie Ritchie, editor.
