What City in the Dolomites do I want to stay at?

We stayed at this wonderful place that I highly recommend! Great location near the Dolomites and they are open year round. Small family run and owned. Stua Catores. PLenty of hiking trails, small town within walking distance, access to roads, etc.

https://www.stuacatores.com/en/

Thanks and WOW!!! A quick glance and it looks too good to be true. I was getting 700 Euros and up for most places. fingers crossed they are available. I'll let you know.

Alan

We hiked for a week in the Dolomites with a group of my friends. The favorite place was Lago di Braies hotel on a beautiful lake at the foot of the mountains. Lots of hiking in that area. I would also recommend the Hotel Baur Al Lago on Lago di Dobbiaco - not as expensive and you can easily take a bus to Tre Cime, where there is more hiking to do.

Thanks. That is exactly what sort of spot we are searching for.

Hotel Grones in Ortisei was fantastic for us. Had a car but didn’t need while there - can walk to lifts for many hikes (alpe di suisi, seceda)
I know it’s popular with several other forum members. Get the half board- Dinner is locally-inspired and delicious. Family run.
Beautiful church in town (wood carvings) and a perimeter walk around the town is nice at sunset. Wish we would’ve stayed longer - next time!
We also like the Canazei area but don’t have an accommodation recommendation there.

Whatever you decide as to location, taking half board at your hotel is recommended. The food is generally excellent, and a good deal over dining at restaurants (and there may not be any nearby if you are in one of the smaller villages).

From Suisi, there is a nice cable car up to the Alpe di Suisi. From Orteisi or Val Gardena, you will have access to the ridgeline at Seceda (check to see when cable car is operating, we were there a week too early to get up to Seceda though everything else was operating) and the Alpe di Suisi from the north. We took the Col Raiser, which is close to Selva, up toward Seceda and there are good hiking trails to the Seceda Ridge from there along with another cable car that gets you up to the cliff. The hiking is great fun, especially because there are great restaurants for lunch and beer strategically placed along the routes. Hiking Italian style is the best. Castellroto is a drive to the great climbing spots. Bolzano is a very long drive to the Alpe di Suisi or Seceda ridge.

If you head up to Lago di Braies, I'd recommend either San Candido, Dobbiaco, or Villabassa as your base. Small villages with reasonably priced lodging. We loved the kindness of the folks at Hotel Rose in Villabassa but thought San Candido was a beautiful village with a bit more history and more to do at night.

Hello

We went to Ortisei last year and stayed there for five fabulous nights. We are 68 yrs young and hike a lot, but the inclines are steep everywhere in Ortisei, as it sits deep in the valley. We used public transport to get around and did great with that. We also visited Castelrotto and we felt that this town was much less steep than the others in Val di Gardena. You will still have access to the Alpe di Suisi, but only that one area. So it really depends on what you want to see and do while there.

Ortisei has access to the A di Suisi, Col Reiser, Secada, etc. all which are absolutely stunning. Also, the funiculars in Ortisei are very close to the bus station, so it makes it easy. A suggestion is Laurel Barton’s book on hiking in the Dolomites, although it mainly the Val di Gardena area. Also, make sure the funiculars are still working when you are going, they make it enjoyable, and if possible, the Val di Gardena card is also active, it makes it less expensive.

Hope that helps
Marie

Amazing and incredibly informative posts. Thank you all travelers. We have settled on Ortisei and the Hotel Grones, half board as suggested. Looking forward to a great trip. Now off to another thread and find our little niche around Garda for a part way stop on the way back to Milan MXP. Thank you all for your tips.