Positives:
The hotel location is very good - virtually ski in, ski out - although the run back to the hotel is a bit awkward to get to and would be a challenge for beginners. The pool and sauna were good. Rooms were clean and comfortable, if a bit small.
Negatives:
The reception and bar areas are a bit basic. There is no receptionist as such, and getting information, etc. involves trying to track down Egon, the proprietor. Restaurant service was haphazard as some of the staff are poorly trained. Whilst the food is good and wholesome, it is very plain for a hotel in this price bracket. The same desserts were offered every night. The elderly 'matriarch' of the family sits in the reception area or bar and tells guests off for doing anything which doesn't meet her approval. There was no proper bar bill at the end of the week; Egon just came up with a figure on his laptop which we couldn't verify.

We travelled as a group of 14 (8 adults and 6 children) and when we booked we were a little concerned by the limited response from Egon and the request for no deposit. We were not sure if we would turn up to find any rooms available. Our worries were completely unnecessary and on arrival Egon greeted our coach with 'what rooms would you like' despite being fully booked! With a selection of rooms it was possible to accommodate our party exactly how we preferred and all rooms were lovely - clean, modern and very functional. The food was perfect - 5 courses at dinner (starter, salad buffet, first course - 2 choices pasta or soup, main course - 2 choices and dessert - 5 choices) and an extensive continental breakfast buffet with eggs to boil yourself. There is a large bar area with comfortable seating and a friendly, attentive barman! The swimming pool and sauna allowed us to relieve our aching muscles after a full day's skiing. There is also a large ski and boot room with heated boot warmers giving access directly to the slope into the village, where you need to remove your skis to access either the Costabella Chair to Danterceppies or the Ciampinoi Gondala. Neither are 2 far to walk. As long as you get back on to the slopes of the Danterceppies mountain then you can ski directly back to the hotel otherwise it is only a short walk from the bottom of the slopes on Ciampinoi. If we ended up finishing the day on Ciampinoi we tended to walk across the short road bridge back to the Costabella Chair and ski back down from there using the path through the trees back on to Danterceppies. The hotel is also within walking distance to the few shops, cafes and bars of Selva.

All in all a very enjoyable stay and somewhere we would like to visit again.

Hotel Solaia in Selva, Italy (in the Val Gardena of the Dolomites) is an amazingly perfect family operated hotel. The views from every room are stunning. My husband & I stayed in a double room with a balcony, but they also have singles and suites. In addition to our amazing room, there is also an indoor pool, workout area, HUGE ski storage facility, ping-pong, sauna, and you can ski directly into and out of the back door in winter.

The dining room served excellent meals (our breakfast was included in the cost of our room). They offer half-pensione if you prefer to have your breakfast and dinner at the hotel every day (we had dinner there twice, and it was delicious!). The breakfast is a buffet style with everything we love, eggs, yogurt, granola, breads, cereals, fruit, and I am sure I am forgetting things. The dinners were served with five full courses. New Year's Eve was amazing with the fireworks on the slopes directly across from the hotel balconies.

The hotel is operated by Egon who is a wonderful resource for local information (ski lessons, rentals, history, etc) or just a lively conversation over a cup of tea, beer or Gluewein. I don't ski, but my husband does, so he took advanced ski lessons while I read, walked the trail to St. Cristina, and explored the towns on foot. After ski, we met up for drinks downstairs in the bar area of Hotel Solaia every day and chatted with Egon and Josef, the bartender, before heading off for our evening of fun.

Everyone at Hotel Solaia made us feel comfortable and welcome for our entire stay. So much that we extended our time there from three to five nights. Every guest there seemed to have the same opinion. We enjoyed it immensely and hope to return in the summertime for hiking in the Dolomites.
I hope to add photos soon!