After somewhere around twenty visits to Italy, I finally made my way to the Italian Dolomites. What finally brought me there was my desire to treat myself by staying at La Roccia Wellness Hotel in Cavalese, Italy. La Roccia Wellness Hotel was the prime getaway from my typical New York City stressful routine. In total, it took me almost 17 hours to get there. Was it worth it? Absolutely, and here’s why.
How To Get To La Roccia Wellness Hotel
La Roccia Wellness Hotel is located in Cavalese, Italy in the Trentino region. If you’re flying from an international destination, there are a few airports that make the most sense to fly into: Milan, Italy (MXP), Munich, Germany (MUC), or Innsbruck, Austria (INN). Yes, even though Cavalese is in Italy, it’s far to the north and close to both the German and Austrian borders, so either Munich or Innsbruck would be a fine way to get there. I flew into Milan.
From Milan using public transit:
From MXP Airport, you can arrange a ride directly to Val di Fiemme, or you can use public transport. For public transport, you’ll need to take the train to Milano Centrale Station. The connecting train is directly inside the airport, and tickets can be purchased in advanced on the TrenItalia app (I highly recommend waiting until at least your plane lands before you book your ticket, since trains and flights can both be delayed). Once in Milano Centrale, you’ll need to take another train to get to Trento, which can also be purchased ahead of time on a TrenItalia app, or better yet, is typically included with a Eurail pass. From Trento, you need to take the B101 bus toward Penia, or the B103 bus toward Cavalese. The stop you’ll get off at is Cavalese, and from there, the hotel is about a ten-minute walk.
Since it’s such a trek, it might be worth spending at least one day in Milan before moving onward to Cavalese.
From Munich or Innsbruck using public transit:
From the airport, you’ll need to get to either Innsbruck Central Station, or Munich Central Station. From either of those stations, use your Eurail pass to book a ticket to Bolzano, Italy. Note that from Munich, the journey to Bolzano is over four hours, and from Innsbruck, the journey is around two hours. From Bolzano, you will need to take a connecting train to Ora Auer (about a 10-minute train ride), and from Ora Auer, you will take the 140 Bus to Cavalese. From the bus station, La Roccia Wellness Hotel is about a ten-minute walk.
What I would personally recommend:
Fly into whichever airport you prefer, and rent a car, which can easily be booked here. While you might not want to rent a car directly from the airport since that will require big-city driving, you can take a train to either Bolzano or Trento and rent a car from there. The roads in Cavalese and leading up to it are smooth, drivers tend to follow the rules (it’s not like Naples or the Amalfi Coast!), and even I, a New Yorker who does not drive frequently, would have felt comfortable with a car. A car will REALLY help you get around in Cavalese and give you ample freedom to properly explore.
Note: I would also recommend purchasing a Eurail pass for the duration of your Euro-trip, and you can use your pass to get to whichever designated train station you need to pick your car up at (if you decide not to get your car directly from the airport).
The Rooms at La Roccia Wellness Hotel
Now, for the hotel itself. There are 48 rooms total at La Roccia Wellness Hotel. I was on the third floor in a beautiful, large room, with accented ceilings, and my own personal balcony looking out into the Dolomites. Note that all rooms at the hotel have a balcony. My room was dreamy, and felt like a proper relaxing, cabin getaway. The fridge came fully stocked with water, juice, spirits, wine, and beer, and there were some welcome snacks waiting for me, including an apple, which Cavalese is well known for. The bathroom is absolutely incredible with a deep tub for soaking, a hairdryer, and top-quality shampoo and soap products designed specifically for the hotel by a local cosmetic company, with the infusion of products such as apple, beer, arnica, and marigold.
When you get to your room, there will be a bathrobe and slippers waiting for you. These are meant to be worn to the spa and the pool.
The Pool
Now, for my favorite part of La Roccia Wellness Hotel: the pool. As soon as I got situated in my room, I swiftly changed into my swimsuit to get out to the pool. The pool is open from 10AM-8PM everyday.
Once you enter the pool area, which begins indoors, there are several chairs for you to choose from (either inside or outside) to lay your belongings on. There is a small bar indoors by the pool’s entrance.
You can enter the swimming pool from indoors. The pool stretches down to a glass “door/window,” which, as you swim up to it, can be opened with the press of a button. This glass door/window leads you to the outside, so you swim from indoors to outdoors. Swim all the way out to the end of the infinity pool, and enjoy the breathtaking views of the Dolomites from the water.
The indoor portion of the pool has some areas to sit against jets, as well as a separated area where the water is much warmer. There is also a small cold water plunge pool.
The Spa
The spa at La Roccia Wellness Hotel is arguably the biggest attraction of the property. It is very clear that the staff puts a ton of attention into every little detail of the spa, and the experience of being at the spa here is the epitome of luxury and relaxation. There are several amenities within the spa, such as a Finnish saunas, steam baths, Mediterranean baths, ice waterfalls (a must!), and the “sound of the wood” relaxation room (photographed above), which is filled with large hollowed pianos, which act as soundboards, and provide soothing vibrations as you relax while overlooking Val di Fiemme.
The spa also offers services such as facials and massages, but my personal favorite was their zero-gravity experience. For twenty euphoric minutes of my seemingly stressful life, I was completely transformed into another dimension. You simply lay on a machine, and while I am not going to pretend to know exactly how the technology works, I can tell you that you will feel exactly as advertised: zero gravity, like you are floating. It takes a few minutes for your mind to shut off, but once it does, the reward is sweet, and it is, by far, the most mentally peaceful and relaxing spa experience I have ever had in my life.
You must also partake in the ten-minute Aufguss in our Glamour Sauna. It is a sauna ritual run by a staff member, designed specifically to circulate heat with a towel by pouring water hot stones, creating a high-temperature steam throughout the room. It can get very hot, but that’s when the organizer will take ice and gently throw it toward those who partake in the Aufguss. It is a unique experience, and for only being ten minutes (with the option to leave if you get too hot), you should certainly partake in it.
Dining Available at La Roccia Wellness Hotel
La Roccia Wellness Hotel has a bar on site, as well as a restaurant which is open every night. The restaurant’s menu rotates, but typical cuisine of the region is usually available. Dishes like spaetzle, polenta, cabbage, and ingredients local to the region such as mushrooms, beef, speck, cream, and potatoes are commonly found on the menu. Of course, you can’t go wrong by pairing it with some local wine.
Every morning, a breakfast is available for all guests, included with the price of their stay. The breakfast spread typically includes a variety of fruits, yogurt, eggs, bacon, cured meats, cheeses, bread, pastries, juice, tea, and a never-ending flow of caffeine.
Other Notable Amenities
La Roccia Wellness Hotel really has it all. There is also a gym, offering floor-to-ceiling windows and giving those jaw-dropping panoramic views of Val di Fiemme. La Roccia Wellness Hotel is a dog-friendly hotel, with a 5 euro per day charge for small dogs, and 8 euro per day charge for medium-large dogs.
Visiting Maso, the Hotel’s Private Farm & Winery
While the infinity pool might have been my favorite amenity on hotel premise, there’s no arguing that my favorite inclusion was hiking in the Dolomites and ending at Maso, the hotel’s private farm and winery. All guests are invited and encouraged to visit. Expect an easy, but lengthy hike (a few hours), and make sure to bring water because it can get quite hot, especially in summer months. You’ll hike through nature reserves and learn about Trentino vegetation, and if in the right season, you’ll see plenty of tiny strawberries (which are safe to eat, and SUPER tart), as well as plenty of tiny mushrooms (don’t eat those!). There are ponds filled with lily pads, open fields with cows and dogs, all painted with the dramatic backdrop of the Dolomites.
Once at the end of your trek, you will reach Maso, a private farm and winery owned by La Roccia Wellness Hotel. An afternoon here is simply an afternoon in paradise. The day I went, we got to try Solaris wine, made by the hotel’s dedicated sommelier, and a lunch of grilled rabbit over polenta, served alongside mushrooms and topped with gorgonzola cheese was prepared. We also got to try housemade speck, which had been cured for 18 months. For dessert, we had crisped polenta topped with Nutella and linzer tarts. The wine continued to flow, and it was the most perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon in the Dolomites.
Why Choose Cavalese
You’d think with how many times I have traveled there that I’d be well aware of what to expect on any visit to Italy, however, I was still surprised by how vastly different the Trentino region, Cavalese specifically, is from the rest of the boot-shaped country.
What became most surprising to me was that Cavalese has strong German-Austrian roots, and is a hidden oasis of a wellness destination. When one thinks of Italy, cliche images of historic city squares, large cathedrals, and massive plates of pasta and pizza are typically what come to mind, and while Cavalese has some typical Italian charm, it is anything but ordinary.
Cavalese is a great base for all types of travelers: sports enthusiasts will love its quick accessibility to the mountains for skiing in the winter, and the town is also well-known for their love of volleyball. Cavalese’s city center has an Austrian/German charm, and German translations can frequently be found on signs and menus (so, if you hear a language being spoken that isn’t Italian, it’s likely you’re hearing German). Above all, Cavalese provides a different vibe than the rest of Italy, and is absolutely worth a visit, especially for those seeking wellness.
Book your visit to La Roccia Wellness Hotel here.
DISCLAIMER: I might make a small commission from some of the links throughout this article, but the price is the same for you. This helps keep my business running so I can continue to provide free travel tips!
DISCLAIMER II: La Roccia Wellness Hotel hosted me for two nights at the hotel.