When I was a child, my favourite time was writing in my secret diary at night... and even though almost thirty years have passed, I have never stopped doing it, except that today this diary is no longer secret, but is a blog where I tell everyone about my most beautiful experiences. Among these is certainly the Granbaita Dolomites, hotels Selva Val Gardena where I experienced a special weekend where I really relaxed. And I love Trentino Alto Adige... that's nothing new! The Alpine lakes are true paradises and the sculptured mountains fill my heart.
I arrived by train, changing four trains, two regional and two arrows (in silent first class as I like it!). The incredible thing is that the arrows were mega late and the regional trains were very punctual... but luckily I managed to arrive as planned! And speaking of the programme... here is my weekend in this beautiful hotel in Selva di Val Gardena.
Hotel Selva Val Gardena: My Friday at the Granbaita Dolomites
Lunchtime: arrival, welcome drink followed by lunch in the Hotel Hall
As soon as I arrived, I was struck by the architecture and design of the interior: wood covers the supporting columns simulating large tree trunks, curled leather armchairs at the back give a touch of measured elegance, and light sculpts the spaces and divides them discreetly.
We take a seat at the bar, I choose to drink a South Tyrolean Sauvignon, and they also bring me a fingerfood with a shrimp wrapped in potato strings simulating phyllo dough... a very nice idea.
At the restaurant we start with speck, a sausage I love, which comes with a horseradish cren sauce, something else I am literally crazy about. A series of traditional dishes follow, among which the venison stands out in particular: meltingly tasty. As for the wine, I made a great choice and discovered a new wine cellar that I did not know: Mitterberg Friedberg Alto Adige DOC Lagrain by Baron Longo is a small masterpiece that I hope to explore further. And we are off to a really good start.
My room with a view at the Granbaita Dolomites!
My room, room 104, I recommend you request it because it is absolutely perfect. As soon as I opened the door, I was enchanted by the refinement of the design in the delightful corner bar. Everything is well cared for starting with the bathroom, where the use of stone is skilful, which has a shower area (with a rain shower head!) and separate toilets. The room is cosy, both in terms of the choice of high-quality textiles and the wood panelling.
Of course it makes me happy to have a big bathtub in the room, which for me is essential for a perfect living room. I would live in the bathtub with the iPad. The most ingenious thing, however, are the lights on the bedside tables that are obscured by the fold of the upholstered headboard. Thanks: I hate direct light when I'm in bed! Then they are dim and perfect for people like me who can't sleep in total darkness.
I was also lucky because my room was forest green, one of my favourite colours at this time in my life. I grew up loving red, but today it no longer reflects me. Somehow that flamboyant and passionate Chiara has given way to a fatalistic Chiara in love with the nature that surrounds her. And so this blog has also changed colour with me.
But back to my wonderful room: how can one not fall in love with this view? Outside, a terrace set up with chairs and deckchairs where I spoiled myself with a Tuscan cigar.
Afternoon: free time for wellness
Among the strengths of this hotel in Selva Val Gardena is certainly the Savinela SPAa real gem. I liked the divided rooms: on one side the cabins where the treatments are done, on one side the indoor pool that also goes outside and on the other the actual spa, where you can enjoy anything.
The thing I liked best is the salt cave with the Dead Sea water in which there is also a lovely separate relaxation area. The water is shallow, has a very pleasant temperature and the salt is so concentrated that it literally lifts you up. The mirror in the ceiling is beautiful and gives a great breath. Also, the lights change colour and are very relaxing... I would never leave!
Not only water, but also saunas and steam baths! I am not a sauna enthusiast, I still have nightmares about the time I locked myself inside the sauna in the my room at Schloss Hotel Korb and I was alone with Paco... help! But I really enjoyed (to see) both the hay sauna and the pine sauna, with their irresistible scent. Definitely the most beautiful saunas I've ever seen!
Outside the saunas, there is a refreshment area where you can have hot infusions or enjoy flavoured waters (the cinchona one is very good). Marina and I had more than one infusion, which we drank outside in the hot tub... where we stayed until our skin became morel-like! 😀
Aperitif: the Perathoner-Puntscher family, owners of the Granbaita Dolomites
Put on a beautiful sunny day, great champagne, delicious appetisers and pleasant company - what could be more perfect and memorable? They are a very nice family who - in spite of their surnames - are and feel Italian. Their two sons are two rays of sunshine: kind, precise and with smiles that light up wherever they are. This family welcomes its guests to a refined luxury hotel where they are welcomed with love and attention to detail. Their passion and devotion for this job can be seen in the pampering they give their guests: I felt special!
The aperitif continued with more than one glass of Champagne Philipponat with the branded label. Among the appetisers I loved the South Tyrolean smoked salami called Kaminwurzen, so good that I also want to order some to eat at home!
Dinner: the Hotel restaurant's proposal
The hotel restaurant, the one included in the half-board arrangement, is above expectations. Every day it offers a menu where you can substitute dishes you don't like and an interesting Vital Menu which has only 500 kcal in 4 courses... incredible! My favourite dish was the guinea fowl, but the thing that I found most appealing was the wine list, which has a top-notch choice of both international and local labels. In short, I drank really well!
The evening ended with an exceptional Japanese whisky. I was curious to taste one after this article dedicated to this distillate and, thanks to the care of the talented bartender from Ischia who works at the Granbaita Dolomites hotel, I discovered this delicious floral whisky.
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Hotel Selva Val Gardena: My Saturday at the Granbaita Dolomites
Breakfast: buffet in the dining room
Breakfast at the Granbaita Dolomites is the highlight of the day! There is an endless buffet of cakes all homemade and for all tastes (and don't think I've tasted only the ones you see on the plate, this is the photo for my dietician!), smoked salmon that is a sight to behold, and a chef who - in show cooking - cooks your eggs every which way there is. But there's also bread, yoghurt, cereal, fruit... by the way! There are many crates full of fruit and vegetables with which to make your own juices. For two mornings in a row I had a delicious apple, lemon and ginger centrifuged juice served at the table in the carafe.
10 a.m.: walk in Vallunga
What a wonderful walk in these Unesco Dolomites! An easy path even for me who suffers from vertigo and is lazy... studded with cows and calves that I chased to cuddle them! I adore all animals, give me animals to pet and I'll be a happy child...
We were very lucky because the green meadows were coloured by flowers of all kinds. I, who have always visited South Tyrol in winter, convinced myself that it is even more beautiful in summer.
On return: lunch in the hotel restaurant
The dining room is beautiful. Despite its large size, the wide tables, often surrounded by armchairs with high backs, and the spacing give great intimacy. I loved both the mise en place and the way the round tables were joined. And then I, who am an orchid collector, loved the white phalaenopsis as centrepieces!
When the waiter shows up holding a plate of freshly picked porcini mushrooms, asking what you would like for lunch is superfluous, don't you think?
Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms of course! Delicious, too bad I would have eaten a whole pan of them! I paired it with a slave 'Old Vineyards Vernatsch Alte Reben Gschleier' Girlan 2020 really pleasant. Intense, bright ruby red, barely transparent. Very fruity on the nose, with a delicate spicy note. In the mouth it is fresh, balanced, not too structured and with delicate tannin.
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3 p.m.: partial massage
The cabin where the treatments are carried out is simply gorgeous: I would have looked great in that tub with my husband, too bad he only joined me in the evening! The partial massage was a bit too short, but pleasant. The director of the Savinela SPA, on the other hand, is a real charmer: beautiful and well-prepared, she conveys an energy that can calm you down. I think she has a gift and could never have done any other job but this one. A bit like an innate talent, that is.
Gourmet aperitif in the hotel lounge Granbaita
Do you know the Hugo? Among aperitifs it is without doubt my favourite! It is prepared with sparkling wine, elderberry syrup, seltzer and mint leaves. Typical of this area, it is not easy to find good because it tends to be very sweet and often the syrup has a chemical aftertaste. At this hotel in Selva di Val Gardena, however, it is delicious and the accompanying snacks were a real sensory experience.
Dinner: Granbaita Gourmet Restaurant
I have already told you about this wonderful gourmet dinner in this article on Granbaita Gourmet... here I just show you this spectacular South Tyrolean veal tartare with caraway crackers, bear radicchio, burnt lemon, colraby nervetti, wild rocket, dandelion and pine cones.
After dinner...
The perfect ending to a great dinner party? Bathing in the tub of course! I was also lucky with the bubble baths and various soaps that gave off a relaxing ginger scent. I watched a movie until I fell asleep, then opted to go to bed... also because the mattress and pillow are very comfortable, and that's coming from someone who struggles daily with her neck. I also love that the maids come in the evening to make your bed... and the bed is in the German way, that is, with the duvet with the sack as I also have at home. Well, I actually saw this way of making the bed when I was 18 years old in Merano and there is no comparison with the Italian bed, which is uncomfortable for a thousand reasons.
Hotel Selva Val Gardena: My Sunday
Breakfast, check-in and one last walk together
After eating a lot of salmon and drinking a healthy centrifuge we left theHotel Granbaita Dolomites for the last Marmolada view walk. A nice route, a bit more challenging, but still easy. There was an orienteering competition, a discipline I adore and practised for years in my youth. And then there were lots of gentians of a deeper blue than the sky.
Thank you to the Puntscher-Perathoner family for the invitation, to dear Marina Tagliaferri of the Agorà press agency for the pleasant and punctual company, and to one couple in particular with whom I shared this trip... a very nice couple from Reggio Emilia: journalist Rita Bertazzoni and her husband, who I hope will also visit me in Monte Isola!
Cheers 🍷
Chiara
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