Dolomites Plan A or Plan B

Posted by mreynolds (Boston, MA) on 02/29/16 10:20 PM

Hoping to get some opinions as to the best plan. Both are admittedly rushed but no way to add more days and was a compromise to include the Dolomites at all. I will need very good luck for the weather to not cause issues but have to plan based on workable weather and alter if needed.
I have 4 nights though really only 3 full days and a couple of hours.
Trip is mid-Sept. and will be 3 of us, myself, wife and young daughter.
Goal is amazing views not amazing hiking. My wife does not care for hiking so trying to get best views without too much effort.

What makes things difficult is I really want to include 1 night at a rifugio at Tre Cime, this was the main draw of the region for me.
Mainly struggling to come up with a plan the wife will find most enjoyable (surprise trip so cannot ask her)

PLAN A: worried about the driving/long day of day 2 after long drive day 1 is a bad idea and prefer town and hotel in Ortisei over anything available in Cortina.
Day 1 (mid-trip not day of arrival) we have a long drive from La Spieza to Ortisei between 4:30 - 5 hours. Have a really nice hotel booked right in town near the lifts that looks perfect. Arrive, relax check out the town square, relax in the indoor pool at hotel, playground and area inside for our daughter, eat dinner at hotel. Stay overnight

Day 2: Wake up early for sunrise pics, driving 40 min each way (I know where I want to go and expect it will be me solo) ; back to hotel for breakfast ; check out but ask hotel to hold bags and take the lift to Seceda and explore up there for a couple of hours. Seceda I want to see more than Alpe Di Suisi and I think views are available without much walking/hiking from top of lift.

After this get bags and scenic drive past nearby towns to the east through some mountain passes on way to Cortina ; will not be taking the most direct route. No rush and planned to drive Sella Pass and stop at Pordoi Pass for views but no hiking or prolonged stops. We love mountain road driving and vistas. With a 3 year old, all of getting out of the car often makes it hard to get back in.

I imagine we could reach Cortina where we would check into a hotel sometime around 5 PM.

Hotel would be in-town and plan on maybe a quick nap for me before walking around town and eating dinner somewhere in town this night.
We would book and stay for 3 consecutive nights in Cortina though plan would be to not use the middle night.
Would not be as nice a place as in Ortisei and lacks any kid amenities and pool.
This will be a long day and worried it may be too much especially since 2 days straight with long drives, hoping this day's drive will be so scenic it will remain enjoyable.

Day 3: See town in the morning no sunrise planned. Drive to Tre Cime, stopping off Lake Mussurini for views before going to the toll road to Tre Cime. Rifugio dinner and stay this night in a private room even though hotel still booked so able to travel ultralight and no plans to shower in the morning there. Also allows our car to parked overnight in the lot with no luggage inside since the bags would remain in our hotel room. Stay at Rifugio for the night (paying double this night) ; mainly out of fear of bad weather would cancel the rifugio plan for us and if it does I would not be charged for the Rifugio. if we stay at the rifugio, hotel will still charge me.

Day 4: Up before sunrise for views and later breakfast at rifugio before heading back down to car. Return to hotel so we can shower and relax if needed which is the benefit of keeping the booking. Hang around Cortina for some late afternoon shopping and then head over to Passo Giau for a little walking, sunset and dinner.

Day 5: Have breakfast and checkout. Driving to Venice this day, a little over 2 hour drive. If cannot get to Passo Giau on day 4 sunset or is not good weather then, I would try to include Sunrise day 5 at Passo Giau but plan is to leave early for Venice

Posted by mreynolds OP

Boston, MA

02/29/16 10:29 PM

1829 posts

PLAN B:
Main issues this addresses are shortening Day 2 to lighten the driving this day considerably.
It also eliminates the double booked hotel room for the one rifugio night but is also then more dependent on weather working out.
We would book 2 nights in Ortisei, 1 at rifugio and 1 likely in Cortina but could be somewhere else and still work this last night.
Day 1: Same
Day 2: With 2 nights booked no rush this morning, same sunrise pics but after that no driving the car.
Go up to Seceda in the morning, return for early afternoon rest and then up the other side lift to Alpe Di Suisi in late afternoon before returning for dinner in town again.
Day 3: No sunrise unless day 2 did not work out. Take a longer drive to Tre Cime : a little over 2 hours, likely take Gardena pass route which should be very scenic. Then do hike to rifugio and same as above day 3. No backup plan of booked hotel for this night and will have luggage stored in our car in the parking lot!!! Will take justa day pack backpack for the night with us.
Day 4: Likely want to checkin before normal checkin hours which is a problem and be without a shower so wife may not be pleased 'til we get into a room and have a chance to relax. Otherwise day 4 plan would be the same once settled and would still be likely to choose Cortina for this night.
Day 5: same

Issues with Plan B
Day 3 becomes longer and possible bad checkin day 4 since we have no hotel at 11 AM, Noon, etc... when we may want one.
Also luggage in parked car at Tre Cime parking lot could be a big issue here.

Wife does not like packing up, changing hotels, repacking, etc... Either plan has that though and not sure how to improve or which one is worse in that regard.
I should have mentioned 1 thought behind the double booking is if wife decides she really does not want to do the rifugio stay and/or if weather is Ok but very cold I could go alone for that 1 night ; not ideal but at least was a backup option.