We were planning a trip to Italy, and a friend raved about his stay a few years back at the Hotel Capella in the Dolomites. I've always wanted to see this area, so we planned our trip around this stay- the correspondence for the reservation was very prompt and helpful, and when we arrived we were pleased to be given a marvelous corner room (201) with balcony views to the south and east. The setting is awe-inspiring: it is hard to pull yourself away from staring slack-jawed at the dramatic crags of Alta badia. It actually reminded me a bit of Yosemite, except that the rock formations are carbonate instead of granite, and the valleys are gentle rolling green hills with small villages scattered about with immaculate chalets everywhere.

The hotel is extremely nice: the room was wood paneled and cosy, with incredibly soft sheets and duvets. If the outdoors wasn't so nice we might have stayed in more! A running joke with my wife was the exceptional house keeping- we never ran into anyone, but when we went out for a stroll or for supper we'd find the room all tidied up- even my wife's nightshirt was neatly folded and placed under her pillow. The score so far: awesome location, awesome room. The rest of the hotel is beautiful- a great bar, several different types of lounging areas, a patio in front for having drinks in the afternoon. The front desk always had a smiling face greeting you, and they helped us plan our day trips and even the drive logistics back down to our next vacation stop.

The food is wonderful here: just the antipasto/salad bar is enough for a meal- so many nice meats, cheeses, vegetable dishes, etc. The dining area has a great panoramic view of the valley. For breakfast there was a large selection to choose from, and you could also ask for an omelette, etc. if you didn't see something you wanted (which is unlikely). For dinner (we had a half-board that included breakfast and dinner) the selection of antipastos, pastas, and main courses changed every day and were pretty fabulous. Renate, the owner, is a sweet lady who came around and chatted with everyone each day.

I have nothing but great memories from our stay- I hope that we can return in the future. I worry about returning to places where we had a great time and being let down, but this hotel is so well-run that I know we'd enjoy it all over again.