A Weekend at Badia Hill, Alta Badia
A brand new boutique hotel amidst the Alta Badia ski region with excellent culinary offering, a wonderful spa with infinity pool and a warm familiar atmosphere.
As Austrians we crave for ski resorts outside our home country. The big go-to-ski resorts are either Courchevel, Zermatt or Sellaronda. Latter one was on top of my bucket-list and so I made my way to explore the hotel options. Alta Badia is a very traditional and down-to-earth corner of Italy’s Northernmost region South Tyrol. Hence the hotel choice is limited to traditional and more casual hotels. As luck would have it, just in time for my first time in Alta Badia, the stunningly beautiful Badia Hill Hotel opened a couple of months ago. Even though the hotel’s location might seem inconvenient at first, it actually is the real scene stealer here. You do not realize it unless you enter the light filled lobby where the views are just everything. As a guest you can only enter via the hotel’s garage, leaving your car behind when entering into the world of Badia Hill. Just like your vehicle, the property’s idea is to leave all the daily buzz behind as well and come here to recharge batteries. We were up for a pleasant surprise and were immediately welcomed warmly by Michaela, the owner herself.
Before we could even take a seat in the cozy lounge chairs of the lobby bar, we were already offered Badia Hill’s signature welcome drink with a bliss of cinnamon on top the sweet and sour basis. Just when we finished the very informal check-in, an array of welcome treats - consisting of freshly cut prosciutto, beetroot chips and handmade grissini - arrived. A lovely front desk attendant introduced us to the Alta Badia region and explained the shuttle service which enables guests to access the nearby ski lifts in winter season. I found the shuttle to be very convenient and the times were definitely handy for all kind of skiers. A few minutes later we were handed over the room keys and shown the way to the elevator while the luggage was already on its way upstairs by one of the bellmen. Obviously everything at the Badia Hill is brand new and one could tell this property was built from scratch: from seamless floor-to-ceiling windows, tastefully chosen fabrics to elegant wood from the nearby Alps, Michaela told us that the hotel was her long dream came true.
Situated on the corner of the second floor, our Sauna Suite is one of the hotel’s two top room categories. Spread across 48 square meters, the suite comes with a separate bed- and living room plus a balcony that goes all around the suite. While the living room comes with a view towards the South and town La Villa, the bedroom and bathroom overlooked the stunning Fanes group mountain range. Upon entering there was the minibar with a Nespresso coffee machine (with three complimentary capsules per day) and kettle. The living room was equipped with a huge flatscreen television, two lounge chairs with a coffee table as well as a dining corner for four people. I had the feeling that the two chairs could be remodeled into two extra beds, however as this is an adults only retreat, I am not sure about their third and fourth guest policy. Anyways, I would recommend to book the Sauna Suite as a couple due to the very romantic feature of having your very own Sauna with a mind-blowing view of such a majestic mountain range. Especially at sunset time, this feature turns out to be worth the splurge as it will be a once-in-a-lifetime moment that you hardly want to share with anyone else.
Apart from the sauna, the bathroom had no shortage of highlights. There was an open plan wardrobe opposite the spacious and light filled double sinks, the toilet and bidet was separated and even accessible from the living room and the shower was a spacious walk-in one that came with lovely smelling all-over hotel-branded shampoo. All basic bathroom amenities were provided already and the towels were also of highest quality. Needless to say that in such a pretty setting with no noise from outside while sleeping, one can have a great rest overnight in the beds. While I would have loved to have softer down pillows, my colleague was very happy with the provided bedding and in general it is all I could wish for in a hotel of this category in South Tyrol. Housekeeping was very attentive and though invisible, they always tidied up the room flawlessly whenever we left.
With most of the ski hotels in Austria and South Tyrol providing half board, Badia Hill is one exception. Michaela, the hotel’s owner follows are more laid-back philosophy and encourages her guests to explore the many dining options at the property as well as in the close surroundings. Guests can choose to reserve a table at either Porcini - the hotel’s fine dining venue, or the Winebar - a casual dining venue with sharing dishes. At first I was hesitant to dine at the Winebar, in doubt whether I will be full with just tapas. In the end we dined at the Winebar twice as we were totally in love with the relaxed atmosphere, international dishes and excessive selection of wines from all over the world. From what I saw at Porcini, the food is really top-notch and the ambience is very sophisticated with an elegant bliss. It just felt right for us to have a more casual setting after two days of skiing the slopes and just enjoying a good Brunello di Montalcino along a perfectly prepared Chateaubriand with Truffle Fries. Though the food was of highest quality and the wine selection came with impressive vintages, the price tag was very high - even for South Tyrolean standards. On the other hand, both venues, Porcini Restaurant and the Winebar are truly unique concepts in this traditional region and it is probably the only place with such elegant and sophisticated design.
All of the reasons aren’t enough to convince you of a stay at Badia Hill? Well, we missed out on the most spectacular feature of the house. With some hotels offering basement spas these days, Badia Hill went for it all and dedicated the prime spot to the wellbeing and relaxation. The rooftop spa is really something. A stunningly beautiful heated infinity pool overlooking the massive Fanes mountain range (part of the Dolomites, yes) is the centerpiece of the spa here at Badia Hill. After swimming your lengths in the stunning pool, get a drink at the cool honor bar and make yourself comfortable in one of the loungers in the relaxation room. Just in time for sunset, head to the panoramic sauna, the steam room or the themed outdoor sauna - all of them come with impressive views of the Dolomites. Thanks to the adults only theme, your relaxation is guaranteed when staying at Badia Hill.
What else is missing for the picture-perfect holiday in the mountains? A sumptuous breakfast perhaps? Well Badia Hill got you covered with one of the most photogenic breakfast buffets I have seen so far. Treat yourself with best alpine trout for breakfast, freshly cut prosciutto and a best of Italian cheese. All along with excellent coffee, attentive service, a la carte dishes from the menu and even more amazing vistas of the surrounding scenery and mountains. All in all, I can highly recommend the Badia Hill. Plus the dedication of the two owners Michaela and Marco give the entire experience the feeling of staying at a friend’s house rather than staying at another lovely boutique hotel. I would totally stay here again and think the value for money in terms of accommodation rates is more than fair. For all those wondering, reaching the ski resort of Corvara needs three transfer lifts which might sound like a lot but in the end only takes a maximum of 30 minutes. On the way back, the lovely team of the hotel is more than happy to pick you up from Piz-La Villa which is the main slope from Piz La Ila.
