Hotel Monika - great place to be — Hotel in Pustertal - Val Pusteria

8 night stay. Trip was driven by a desire to have a very nice base from which to explore the Dolomites for the first time. The Hotel Monika was exceptional. They have a myriad of activities: daily guided hikes (for all levels, including an epic 8 hour hike to Tre Cime - the crown jewel of the Dolomites, the trail head is a 10 min drive away - via bus (which the hotel gives complementary passes with each stay) or hotel shuttle - do not miss!), guided e-bike excursions, as well as self-guided hikes / bike excursions (all of which the staff were excellent at helping me map out once I got there), hotel has it's own fleet of bikes and e-bikes, various yoga classes (traditional, stretch, sound bath, etc.). I was more than satisfied with the access to hikes and bike trails from this hotel. For an easy hike - be sure to visit Lago di Braies, another top Dolomite attraction (less than 30 min drive away). The guides that work with the hotel are great. The hotel spa is expansive - multiple types of steam rooms, saunas (including infra-red, and a panoramic Finnish sauna with a tremendous view), and excellent treatments (I had two 70 min deep tissue massages from Laura and they were great for my hike recovery). The rooftop pool was the perfect way to relax post hike every day -- the views are tremendous. This is a true wellness destination in every sense (Activities, Spa, Dining, Rest). I found the room and the property overall to be in excellent condition and appointment -- well kept, extremely clean, a "practical" 5 star European luxury hotel (think functional luxury - over opulence), which matches the overall hotel vibe. Food quality was excellent and expansive, there's something for everyone (Including me, a 240 pound fitness geek with very selective diet). I had the 3/4 board plan which was more like full board. Extensive selection (lunch buffet, similar to a Ritz or St Regis "club level" offering), with long hours for both breakfast, lunch and dinner - I never felt rushed and it was great to know that the lunch buffet was open until 4 pm to accommodate guests who partake in hikes earlier in the day. Finally, the staff -- very kind, friendly and feel like one big family, in part because the hotel is family run, with owner/GM, Alexander present all the time. The dining is a bit unusual as you are assigned one table in the dining room throughout your stay, at first I thought this was odd, but quickly came to appreciate the efficiency that this brings -- you are also "assigned" the same servers so they know how you like your coffee and they tailor everything to what you prefer, instead of repeating with a new staff all over again. I never had to wait for my server to appear, not once in my entire stay. Everyone was wonderful. I found Petra, Sade, and Armend in the dining room to be personal and professional - people I felt connected to and felt they genuinely cared about me. Laura in the Spa gives an expert deep tissue / sports massage - book her for a post hike tune-up if you can, you'll be floating again. Alexa gave a great hybrid class on yoga/stretch/roll out which was the perfect "recovery" from my daily activities. All of the front desk staff were also wonderful. Samantha drew the hikes and bike routes out on my map and give detailed directions. Switzerland is wonderful, it has more lakes and waterfalls, but I find the Dolomites to be much more "striking" in alpine beauty, the food massively better, and the people, well, they're Italian -- the best in the world. Thank you for a memorable vacation. I can not wait to return next summer. Perhaps in...

A friend had recommended this to me and it was spot on for what I wanted. |Travelling as a solo middle aged woman, I requested a room on the second floor. I got that. |On arrival welcomed warmly. Daily activities means you don’t have to book any outside trips.. hikes and mtb riding all hosted by the hotel. Excellent quality of guides and equipment. |I had some early morning work calls before the barista was available so they gave me a coffee machine in my room. |Sauna sessions with the masters are excellent, the yoga teacher facilitated well both advanced and beginners, and the new space lovely and on par with other “designer” hotels. Although the sky pool gets very crowded after 4pm. If you give yourself a day off from adventuring you can enjoy the area almost exclusively to yourself during the day. |A great gym and silent room although I found those myself. After travelling extensively I notice that many “welcome / arrival check ins” overlook features of the hotel that the guest may be interested in.|The likelihood of overeating is high - abundant great Italian food, daily strudel, cheese. I ate in the hotel for all meals for 7 days. Plenty of variety and even when dishes were repeated there was so much to choose from. The only suggestion I have is that they have a “hikers lunch” area - particularly if on full board I dont think I should need to pay an extra £9 for a packed lunch. Many guests at breakfast “sneaking” food into napkins to take with them! |Front desk staff super helpful and warm and friendly. |The owner is on hand to ensure guests comfort and I was very comfortable to be a lone diner amd hotel guest - there were quite a few. |A...

In December 2021, we stayed for the 3rd time at Monika, but surely not the last, since we truly fell in love with this place! The family-owned hotel is simply amazing, and it starts with the location: it’s close to the slopes and ski lift, although we usually are too lazy to walk the 500 m in skiing boots. But the hotel offers a shuttle service, and parking at the lift is free. The rooms are all different, but every room we had up to now was beautiful, spacious and well equipped. Beds are comfy ;-) The spa is very nice, too, with a heated rooftop pool where you can watch the slopes, a big panoramic sauna, plus more smaller saunas and an indoor pool, and of course very comfortable relax areas, partly with nice warm water beds. For skiing equipment, there’s an extra room with heated lockers and conveniently direct access to parking. What’s absolutely fantastic is the food: starting with a wonderful breakfast with local specialties and fresh eggs, crepes and waffles, to the small lunch with salads, soup and some pasta, to the afternoon coffee with cake and sweets, to finally a 5 or even 6 course menu - and everything tastes just so great! So the so-called 3/4 board is more or less full board, you will surely never leave hungry, and quality is simply amazing. Additionally, service is just perfect, everyone is so friendly and attentive, and the owner usually greets every guest, checks on every table at dinner, and gave us great and helpful tips for the area. Finally, the area is perfect for skiing, with a wonderful panoramic view of the Dolomites, and really great slopes for all levels , and usually a lot of snow and not too crowded- definitely worth...