Hotel Aaritz

Facing the Ciampinoi gondola, in the middle of Selva

Position decides a great deal in Val Gardena, and the Aaritz has one of the better ones: on Streda Meisules, the main street of Selva, directly opposite the Ciampinoi gondola station, with the nearest piste roughly fifty metres away. That means boots on at the hotel, skis on at the lift, and no bus at either end of the day. It also means the shops, bakeries and bars of the village are on the same pavement.

Vaulted lounges, an open fire, a house with some history

The building is a classic Gardena hotel, white walls and long wooden balconies outside, and inside a series of low vaulted rooms in stone and timber. The lounge is arranged around an open fireplace, with a bar and a cafe on the street side, and the whole ground floor keeps the slightly formal, well-kept feeling of a house that has been receiving the same guests for years. There are thirty-seven rooms, which puts it between an intimate chalet and a full resort hotel.

Pool, sauna and steam room for the hour after skiing

The wellness floor holds a swimming pool, a sauna, a steam room and a whirlpool, with a fitness room alongside and massages available on request. It is the standard evening routine in the Dolomites and this house does it properly, with enough space for the whole hotel not to be waiting in a corridor at five o'clock.

Half board, four courses and a Tyrolean gala

The hotel works on half board: a wide buffet breakfast and a four-course dinner in the evening, with a Tyrolean gala dinner once a week. South Tyrolean cooking is the reference, which means an Alpine kitchen with an Italian hand, and the dining room is where guests measure the difference between a bed and a stay. Room service and breakfast in the room are available.

Selva, the Sella Ronda and Dolomiti Superski

Selva di Val Gardena is a Ladin village at the head of the valley, under the towers of the Sassolungo and the Sella group, and it sits directly on the Sella Ronda, the circuit that loops four passes and four valleys in a day on skis. The lift pass belongs to the Dolomiti Superski network, which is the largest linked ski area in the world by lift count. In summer the same slopes carry the via ferratas, the high paths and the road cyclists who come for the passes.

The traveller it fits

This is an address for skiers who measure a hotel by the distance to the first lift, and who want a pool and a proper dinner waiting when they come back. It works equally for families needing space and for couples who plan to ski the circuit and eat well without organising anything.