Our ski trips have mostly been in chalets, because we liked the coziness of it – and the whole concept with a chef etc. I always felt I would miss out on the ‘living room’ aspect of it until we stayed at the stunning Cyprianerhof Resort in the Italian Dolomites.
It was my first skiing trip in Italy, and the second time our (then) 3 year old went on a snow trip. There are various ways to get there, and we chose to fly to Venice and have a 2h30 drive as a) we could stop for a very nice lunch on the way to Cyprianerhof and b) do some very nice shopping on the way back. It is all about being strategic. Always.
Arrival at Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort
The building is beautiful from the inside and out and our first impressions were great. We were warmly welcomed at reception and just loved how cozy and comfortable (and aesthetically pleasing the common guest areas looked). What was also interesting was we didn’t really know what language to speak. This part of Italy is so close to Switzerland, that German is really the first language and Italian comes second. Once they clocked we did not really speak either – everyone switched to English and we were really made to feel welcome throughout our 6-day stay.
Our room
On this occasion (we went in February 2024, during Spanish half term, which did not coincide with the Italian half term) with our (then) 3 year old daughter, we stayed at a Junior Suite. As the hotel is particularly popular with Italian, German and Austrian guests – they have invited me exactly to ‘test’ how suitable it would be for British skiers, a challenge I was delighted to accept.
Our room was really modern, we had a sofa and a spare bed for our daughter, an open plan bathroom (not my absolute favourite as I am keen on doors) and a beautiful balcony with stunning views. The views changed throughout our stay – from beautifully green to absolute white and it was a real treat to wake up to them.
The food and drinks at Cyprianerhof
There is one main restaurant (which pretty decent views) and you are given a table for dinner which remains the same at dinner, but you are free to try other tables during breakfast. We really had a fantastic waiter – and I really liked the consistency this afforded such as the same waiter who got to know you during the week.
We didn’t know what to expect about the food – obviously it was going to be excellent – but it was more than it. They mixed up the format nicely – some days it was a tasting menu, the other days it was a la carte. One night there was a starter buffet (which I initially raised by eyebrows at) – well, we never made it to the cooked to order mains, as it was so good.
There were lots of little details (small portions, healthy options) we loved.
There were also very good wine options – and we were guided by the sommelier as we wanted to try local and more Italian options. We also appreciated we were not being ripped off – this was a constant throughout our stay (which really made us relax). I really did not mind the 10 Euro cocktails.
Our daughter actually did not have dinner with us until the last night. Why? After a whole day skiing and afternoon in the pool, she joined another family and ate at 6am at the bar (they were the only children staying the hotel was incredibly accommodating). By 7pm she was asleep in her Yoyo, one of our toddler travel essentials, and we ended up having ‘adult dinners’ every night.
The pool and spa at Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort
The Cyprianerhof has probably one of the most instagrammable pools in Europe – and it was as good as it looked. We used it each afternoon – and we had forgotten swim rings, but the hotel had plenty of spares. This year we won’t need them.
There were lovely quiet rooms (which I visited alone obviously), where guests could just read and relax. The adult only areas were absolutely clear and we as the ones with children enjoyed what we had available for us and couldn’t have asked for anything else.
My husband and I were both able to take turns to visit the spa – the massages were excellent and we wanted to go more times, but always booked. We also felt the treatments were very good value – for once, everything felt fair, and I would really like to highlight it.
There were also lots of saunas – but I did not visit as not my thing.
Skiing at Carezza
The hotel is located across the road from a brand new ski gondola which takes you to Carezza ski station. As I mentioned earlier, this family owned hotel was always popular with non skiers and this gondola opened up a new market.
We had our skis and boots delivered to the hotel (all organised by the hotel) and took them up on the first day and rented a locker. These are limited and we had the last one – so I did suggest to the hotel they could have their own at the top of the ski lift (and charge for them obviously).
The ski resort is small with around 40km of pistes – but it is connected to the Dolomiti SuperSki area. As we were new to the resort, we honestly felt we didn’t need much more – my husband would have extended its pass if we stayed an extra couple of days.
But sometimes small things are better than big things. Our private ski lessons at Carezza (at the Carezza Ski School) were 70 Euros (instead of the 120 Euros we had paid a month prior in Morzine). Our daughter’s ski school was 250 Euros for the week and with maximum 6 other children and 2 instructors.
A nice touch? On Wednesdays the Carezza ski school team feel the little ones have progressed enough that they take them out to lunch on a ski lift – so the parents could go out for lunch on their own. That was a lovely touch – and we took full advantage of the opportunity by heading to the one of the best mountainside restaurants, which we really enjoyed. Laurin’s Lounge is the highest panoramic restaurant in South Tyrol and absolutely worth a visit.
As obviously we were limited by the little one’s skiing abilities on the other days – we had all our lunches at the main restaurant by the Gondola in Carezza, which was absolutely fine. I nearly had a heart attack when I was asked for 2 Euros for a coffee (not the usual 5 or 10 I have had to pay before).
By the end of the week our daughter was on blue runs and I was also pretty pleased with my own progress.
Child friendly facilities
Worth mentioning that there are 2 rooms at Cyprianerhof with amazing toys and games – for children and teenagers. They are not manned – and we loved going with her for a little bit every day before dinner. We didn’t need to bring any toys at all, and we won’t on subsequent visits.
Overall thoughts on Cyprianerhof Dolomit Resort near Carezza ski resort
Well, we loved it. We felt super welcome (as a family) – and felt very comfortable. It was like being at home but better. The staff were absolutely lovely – nothing was ever a problem. We also loved some of their decor bits, which we had shipped to our home in Sotogrande.
We have booked our return in 2025 as normal paying guests and cannot wait to return. We are looking forward to our lunch on the way there, and this time we will add a nice in Verona on the way back.
Until the next time
xo
Mrs O
Disclaimer: I was a guest of Cyprianerhof during this stay and we truly enjoyed it. Rates start at 500 Euros per room (for 3 people including half board). Single rooms are also available (which is quite rare). On our next stay we will try a family suite with a separate room for our little one.
