Hotel Schgaguler

The Schgaguler family, including four children, form the backbone of the staff, providing guests with a friendly atmosphere that pervades the hotel's bright, open spaces. The lobby's narrow reception area would feel cramped if not for the large windows, bright marble floors, and open-plan sitting area furnished almost entirely with natural wood. Like many hotels in the area, Hotel Schgaguler is aimed at both German-speaking and Italian tourists, and especially those who want to spend their days outdoors, hiking or skiing, depending upon the season. Thanks to its in-town location and excellent spa, though, it also attracts a steady stream of spa-goers, especially couples. Children are catered to, but the hotel has a bit more of a grown-up vibe than some of its more outdoorsy competition.

Hotel Schgaguler is an ideal starting point for excursions into the famous UNESCO world heritage Dolomite Mountains, but its town location means that its also within walking distance of attractions in the center of Castelrotto. The town's public transportation, bars, shops, and restaurants are all a few minutes away, and the town itself it charming and picturesque. The popular ski destination Alpe di Siusi, with 60 kilometers of ski slopes and cross-country trails, is an 18-minute drive away. The entire province of South Tyrol is marked by its Austro-Bavarian heritage as much as by its mountainous landscape. Italy’s northernmost province, it's known for its winter sports, a wealthy economy, and German-speaking inhabitants. The town of Bolzano and its Dolomiti airport is just over a 40-minute drive to the southwest.

All 30 of the hotel's rooms are suites, and all have south-facing views of the Dolomites from their private balconies or patios. The older Panorama Suites have carpeted bedrooms with a slightly outdated look, and the living rooms have sleeper sofas and kitchenettes with small dining tables; tiled marble bathrooms have bidets and shower/tub combinations with handheld showerheads. The newer Deluxe Suites have hardwood floors, Italian designer furniture, dining tables for four, and pull-out couches that can sleep two. As in much of Europe, the beds are two side-by-side twins. The Deluxe Suites' bathrooms are modern in style, with soaking tubs and glass walk-in showers. Both room types have some oddly dated features, like cassette-deck stereos, and the in-room safes are too small to hold laptops.

Hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and cultural tours are guided by the Schgaguler family patriarch four days a week in both winter and summer months, making for unique outdoor experiences that not every other hotel in the mountains offers. On-site activities include a children's playroom with table tennis, slides, and games. For adults, there's a fitness center that's a crammed with equipment, including 40 different treadmills, stationary bikes, and circuit machines. The extensive spa has heated benches, multiple saunas, steam baths, an aroma shower, and fountain. The connected indoor pool area has two separate pools, and, although there's no outdoor pool, the hotel does have a garden with a saltwater whirpool hot tub from which guests can take in the mountain air. The restaurant specializes in regional Tyrolean and more familiar Italian cuisine -- half- and full-board options are available when booking. The attached bar has a selection of Tyrolean wines and an espresso machine for macchiato connoisseurs.