Unique Spa Hopping Experience In South Tyrol

Dolce Vita Hotels has one of the most inspired wellness concepts in the Alps. A collection of five independent family-run resorts – Preidlhof, Lindenhof, Alpiana, Feldhof and Jagdhof – spread across the Val Venosta and Merano regions of South Tyrol, Italy, these hotels share one extraordinary idea: book one, enjoy them all.

When Paul and I arrived at our home base, Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort in Naturno, we had no idea quite how much that philosophy would shape every single day of our stay.

South Tyrol is one of those rare corners of Italy that feels like it belongs to another world entirely. Part Italian, part Austrian in character, it sits in the far north of the country, framed by snow-capped Dolomite peaks, apple orchards in full spring bloom, and medieval village squares. It is quietly spectacular, and Dolce Vita Hotels makes the very most of its setting.

What Is the Dolce Vita Hotel Hopping Concept?

Dolce Vita Hotels is a collection of five independent wellness resorts open in Spring, Summer and Autumn. Their signature hotel hopping concept is simple but genuinely exciting in practice. Guests book one of the five properties – Preidlhof, Lindenhof, Alpiana, Feldhof or Jagdhof – and gain complimentary access to the spa facilities, pools, saunas and restaurants across the entire collection.

One important note on access: while guests staying at any Dolce Vita Hotel can visit Preidlhof freely as part of the hotel hopping concept, Preidlhof itself is adults-only. Children staying at other properties in the collection cannot access Preidlhof’s facilities, so do bear this in mind when planning your hotel hopping itinerary if you are travelling with younger guests.

Together, the five hotels offer the largest spa and wellness facilities in South Tyrol, made up of 41 pools, 35 saunas, 31 relaxation rooms and five SkySpas. All properties sit within a short walk or a brief drive of each other, making spa hopping across them feel effortless.

We had dinner one evening at Lindenhof – a two-minute walk from Preidlhof – and spent a full day at Alpiana, where we were handed wellness bags complete with bathrobes, towels and slippers at the door. It felt like being a valued guest everywhere at once.

As adults-only guests based at Preidlhof, our hotel hopping centred on the Lindenhof and Alpiana resorts. We did not visit Feldhof or Jagdhof on this trip, but both are fully included in the concept and are also covered below.

The Hotels: What to Expect at Each

Preidlhof Luxury Dolce Vita Resort

Preidlhof is adults-only, five-star and unabashedly devoted to wellness. The hotel has been owned by the Ladurner family for over 60 years and has 71 rooms and suites, including penthouse suites with private butlers and outdoor beds for stargazing.

We stayed in a Luxury Suite You & Me – a 56m² suite in the DolceVita Lodge with a 12m² outdoor living room (loggia) and south-facing valley views. Highlights include a luxury box-spring bed with Sleep-Fit-Health-System, a spacious walk-in shower, a suitcase-style bar stocked with wine and his and hers bathroom sinks.

Every room comes with a hiking rucksack, hip bag and drinking bottles to borrow – a very practical touch. Our balcony had a day bed for two, and they kindly made it up as a proper bed to sleep outside under the stars one evening, which was magical.

We also explored the pillow menu – a selection of 12 different pillow types and mattress toppers that can be requested to personalise your sleep setup. As I had a cold during part of our stay, we borrowed the Relaxation Basket, which contains an e-book, fragrance lamp with essential oils, sleep mask, ear plugs and a dreamcatcher, to help you rest well.

The real showstopper at Hotel Preidlhof is the six-storey Sauna Tower, dedicated entirely to heat therapy. It houses 16 sauna, steam and relaxation spaces, including the world’s only Deep Sea Relaxation Room (there’s a small supplement for the latter).

Paul and I both had treatments here on our first full day. Paul had a Color Healing Massage in the Garden Spa Massage Pavilion and I had the signature 75-minute Preidlhof KyoAma facial in the Preidl Spa – and both were exceptional.

The spa also runs regular Aufguss sessions: theatrical sauna rituals where a sauna master pours infused water over the coals and fans the heat around the room with a towel, building in intensity to an exhilarating finish.

Beyond the tower, Preidlhof offers over 5,500m² of wellness space, seven pools, seven hydrotherapy pools, and a team of award-winning therapists. There is also a full schedule of guided hikes, e-biking tours and wellness classes – from yoga and Pilates to aquafit and morning stretch – with a number of these included complimentary as part of your stay.

Dinner is a genuinely memorable affair. A seven-course gourmet menu runs alongside à la carte options, with many ingredients grown and harvested on the property. There is also a Wellness Healing Gourmet Menu for those following a plant-based or allergen-free approach.

For exploring the surrounding area, Preidlhof offers an impressive range of transport. City bikes, mountain bikes and racing bikes are available free of charge. We used e-bikes (23 euros per day) to explore the valley, but the options go considerably further – including a Porsche Boxster 718 cabrio (€169/day), a trike (€79/day), a Vespa (€23/day) and a quad (€29/day). It is one of those details that sets Preidlhof apart: there is always another layer of experience to discover.

Prices from €216 per person per night on 3/4 board with breakfast, afternoon buffet and dinner.

Alpiana Dolce Vita Mountain Resort & Spa

Alpiana is a garden paradise. Set among apple orchards, chestnut groves and mountain meadows in Lana, this four-star superior retreat is run by the Margesin family and has a distinctly peaceful, nature-led atmosphere.

Its 59 rooms and suites blend South Tyrolean warmth with contemporary style, and the 2,000m² spa spans three levels, including a Finnish panorama sauna, natural and brine pools, and the new ALCIELO SkySpa with views across the Dolomites.

We spent a full day here and it has a wonderfully unhurried quality. Christian, the owner, gave us a warm and personal tour of the hotel on arrival – the kind of host who clearly loves what he does. He is also known to join guests for a tennis match if asked, which tells you everything about the spirit of the place.

We enjoyed a buffet lunch on the terrace looking out over the orchards and mountains, followed by afternoon treats of homemade pastries. Alpiana runs a full programme of biking tours, nature hikes and wellness classes throughout the week, some of which are complimentary.

The spa also runs regular Aufguss sessions, making it easy to build a full wellness day. Prices from €189 per person per night including 3/4 board: breakfast, afternoon buffet and dinner.

Lindenhof Pure Luxury & Spa Dolce Vita Resort

Lindenhof in Naturno is perfectly positioned for families and multi-generational groups, though it exudes the same luxury sensibility as the rest of the collection. Following a major renovation by the Nischler family in 2018, the hotel has 80 modern rooms combining natural materials with traditional Tyrolean character.

The 5,000m² spa features an adults-only wellness tower and a dedicated family spa. There’s a rock-climbing wall, gym with a bouldering wall, and extensive guided hiking and mountain biking available.

Dinner here – enjoyed on our hotel hopping evening – is a five-course gourmet menu that changes daily using fresh seasonal ingredients. Prices from €171 per person per night, including breakfast, afternoon buffet and dinner.

Feldhof Dolce Vita Resort

Feldhof is popular with couples and families, combining a 2,000m² adults-only SkySpa with a new Family Spa that includes a sauna, whirlpool and swimming pool. In addition, there’s a full children’s programme, an 80m tube slide and indoor adventure pool. Owned by the Perathoner family, it has a warm, unpretentious character and a restaurant specialising in Mediterranean and alpine cuisine using locally sourced ingredients.

This is the perfect option for guests who want access to the full collection’s wellness offering while keeping younger guests thoroughly entertained. Prices from €177 per person per night, including breakfast, afternoon buffet and dinner.

Piris Jagdhof Dolce Vita Experience Hotel

Piris Jagdhof is the most adventure-focused hotel in the collection, situated in Laces in the Val Venosta, around 30 minutes from Merano. Run by the Pirhofer family with infectious enthusiasm, it is geared towards active guests who want to combine outdoor pursuits with serious wellness.

The hotel offers guided hikes, mountain biking tours, archery, high ropes courses, rafting and more through its Adventure Coach programme.

There’s a 3,000m² spa and garden area featuring an adults-only rooftop SkySpa on the fifth floor with panoramic views across the Vinschgau. The restaurant focuses on local and seasonal cuisine.

Getting There

Flying direct from London to South Tyrol is refreshingly straightforward. Sky Alps operates direct flights between London Gatwick and Bolzano Airport (BZO), with a flight time of around two hours and 20 minutes. The frequency varies by season but the route runs throughout the year.

The experience at Bolzano Airport is genuinely unlike any other – it is so compact and unhurried that it almost feels like arriving on a private jet. In the departures area, free apples are on offer, a lovely nod to the region’s famous orchards.

On board, the friendly crew serve a complimentary selection of South Tyrolean snacks including sweet wafers and yoghurt, and if you ask nicely, they will print out a photo of you to take home as a keepsake – a charming and unexpected touch. You can book flights directly at skyalps.com.

We arrived at Hotel Preidlhof in under an hour of landing – we took a pre-booked taxi but if driving, the underground car park is free of charge for guests.

Alternative international airports for South Tyrol include Verona, Venice, Milan, Innsbruck and Munich, all of which have onward train or road connections to Naturno and Merano. The closest railway stations to the hotels are Naturno, Lana and Bolzano.

What to Do Nearby

Merano

The spa town of Merano is just a short drive from Naturno (12 km) and is absolutely worth a visit. One of South Tyrol’s most elegant towns, it has a mild microclimate that allows palm trees and olive trees to grow alongside Alpine peaks – an unlikely combination that somehow works beautifully.

The historic promenade along the Passer River is perfect for a post-dinner walk. We were lucky to see some beautiful floral displays during the Merano Flower Festival.

Castel Trauttmansdorff and the Gardens

Just above Merano, Castel Trauttmansdorff is one of the most visited and genuinely beautiful attractions in South Tyrol. The castle was once the favourite retreat of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known as Sissi), and today it is surrounded by 12 hectares of botanical gardens spread across four themed worlds – the Forest Gardens, the Sun Gardens, the Water and Terraced Gardens, and the Landscapes of South Tyrol.

There are more than 80 distinct garden landscapes in total. The gardens also house the Touriseum, South Tyrol’s museum of alpine tourism, and the views across Merano and the surrounding mountains from the upper terraces are outstanding.

Open daily from April to November, from €17 per adult. You can walk up from the centre of Merano in around 45 minutes along the Sissi Path.

Juval Castle and the Messner Mountain Museum

Just above Naturno in the Val Senales valley sits Juval Castle, one of the most unusual and compelling attractions in the region. Built around 1250, it was acquired and extensively restored by legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner in 1983, and today houses the Messner Mountain Museum Juval – dedicated to the “Myth of the Mountain.”

Inside, visitors will find Tibetan art collections, masks from five continents, a gallery of sacred mountains, Renaissance frescoes and an expedition cellar. The castle also has a working winery and organic farm.

It is open from late March to early November, closed on Wednesdays. You can reach it on foot via the traditional Waalweg irrigation channel paths, a walk of around 90 minutes from the village, or by shuttle bus from the Juval car park.

The Merano High Alpine Route

The Merano High Alpine Route – Alta Via di Merano – is a classic multi-day hiking trail that circles the Texel Group Nature Park, passing mountain farms, glacial valleys and some of the most dramatic Alpine scenery in northern Italy. The route connects the Val Senales, Val Passiria and Val Venosta valleys and can be accessed directly from Naturno via the Unterstell Cable Car, which takes walkers up from 550m to 1,300m in just a few minutes.

Even a half-day section on the route offers spectacular panoramic views across Val Venosta and the Ortler Mountains.

The Unterstell Viewing Platform

At the mountain station of the Unterstell Cable Car on the Monte Sole, there is a viewing platform that extends out over the rock face and across the Etschtal and Vinschgau valleys with the Ortler Group in the distance. It is a short and rewarding trip even if you are not planning a full hike, and the cable car runs regularly throughout the day in summer from the village of Naturno. There is also a via ferrata installed just beneath the platform for those who want to add some adventure.

Parcines Waterfall

A 20-minute drive from Naturno in the direction of Merano, Parcines waterfall is one of the most spectacular natural features in the South Tyrol Alps. At almost 100 metres in height, it crashes down the rock face in a cloud of mist and is particularly impressive in spring, when snowmelt can push the flow to thousands of litres per second.

A hike from the village of Parcines reaches the base of the waterfall in around 90 minutes, with a viewing platform right at the foot of the cascade. The walk passes through forests, orchards and along historic Waalweg irrigation channel paths.

Cycling the Val Venosta

The Val Venosta cycling path along the Adige River towards Merano is superb – well-surfaced, relatively flat and framed by orchards and mountain views on both sides. We used e-bikes reserved at the Preidlhof for this, and it was one of the highlights of our stay. It is one of the best ways to experience the landscape at your own pace, and the route suits all fitness levels.

What to Pack

South Tyrol in spring calls for layers. Even when the valley is warm and sunny, temperatures can drop significantly in the evenings or at altitude. Here is what we would recommend bringing:

• Lightweight walking shoes or trainers for village and cycling excursions
• Proper hiking boots if you plan to tackle any section of the Merano High Alpine Route
• A warm mid-layer (fleece or down gilet) for evenings on hotel terraces
• Smart-casual clothing for dinner – the restaurants at all five hotels maintain an elevated but relaxed dress code
• A swimsuit (or two – you will be using the pools daily)
• Flip flops or sliders for the spa areas
• Sunscreen, particularly if you are spending time at altitude or on a bike
• A small daypack for hiking or e-biking excursions

The hotels provide bathrobes and towels across all spa facilities, so there is no need to pack heavy on the wellness side. If you can, leave a bit of room in your suitcase for some of the local produce available in the hotel boutiques!

All in all, the Spa Hopping Experience at Dolce Vita Hotels is not to be missed! It’s great value and a fantastic way to enjoy the amenities of several properties in one blissfully relaxing stay.

Paul and I were guests of Dolce Vita Hotels. As always, all views and opinions are our own.