As your gaze sweeps over the three-thousand-meter-high boulders of the unique Dolomites, you become conscious, time and time again, of just how very small
we human beings really are. We are in the South Tyrolean village of San Cassiano, amidst the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites, where the imposing rock faces of Marmolada, Tofana, Antelao and Lagazuoi cast visitors under their magical spell. The exclusive Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence is nestled amidst the awe-inspiring mountain landscapes of Val Badia. This B&B boutique hotel offers guests a chance to thoroughly enjoy discreet luxury, natural wellbeing, and the honest warmth of people – and to do so free from the shackles of everyday life.
The best way to reach this secluded idyll is through Val Pusteria: At San Lorenzo di Se-
bato, you head south towards Cortina into the 35-km-long Val Badia. The appealing character of the Ladin people and their traditions has been preserved here, between the Gardena Pass, Corvara, Colfosco and La Villa. The Dolomite Mountains, where life was once so treacherous, have been transformed into an awe-inspiring experi-
ence of nature. The juxtaposition between craggy rock faces, hills and expansive meadows is so striking that it becomes permanently etched into the memory.
Lagació
Hotel Mountain Residence
The Dolomites as Paragon
Though man has managed to colonize these valleys, building cable cars, roads and tunnels, Mother Nature is still the uncontested star of the show. “When you’re hiking up there, amidst the rock formations, and you see the rays of the rising sun shining on the
stones, you think you’ve been transported to another planet,” rhapsodizes Pio Canins,
the proprietor. For Pio, whose ancestors were already living here in Val Badia way
back in the eleventh century, and his wife Margareth, who hails from the neighboring
Val Pusteria, it was both a mission and a duty to preserve the natural beauty of this
place and to convey Ladin traditions and culture to their guests. They have dedicated themselves heart and soul to doing so.
As their plan developed to transform their former holiday apartments into a sophisti-
cated all-suites hotel, complete with spa, they “wanted to create something that makes the most of environmentally friendly building, that communicates Ladin culture,
and that combines family life with a hotel facility. We wanted to create something
that measures up to what we were always looking for in a vacation: A beautiful holiday
home without the constraints typical of a hotel.”
This resulted not only in an energy-saving ClimateHouse Level A certification but also
a balanced blend of informal yet modern architectural aesthetics and traditional co-
ziness. What makes the hotel so special is the fact that the owners’ love for their na-
tive land takes on such a startlingly contemporary dimension. The architecture is based upon the style of the surrounding area. Timber from old farmhouses, for example, was integrated into the clean lines of the exterior facades, and the shape of the balconies is reminiscent of the region’s barns. The guest feels suspended in a meditative cocoon – inside which downtime can be enjoyed on one’s own terms and at one’s own rhythm.
Margareth and Pio Canins thus consciously avoided the classical hotel structure and its predetermined rules. Instead, the couple chose to create a small, elegant and excep-
tionally warm bijou that allows the holiday-maker, surrounded by unpretentious luxury and with plenty of free space, to unwind completely and revel in truly personalized
service.
There is soul here, too. “Everything we do comes from the heart,” says Margareth Ca-
nins as she offers some homemade jam while the smiling waitress serves cappuc-
cino, together with a glass of spring water that has been revitalized through the Gran-
der technique. Breakfast at Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence is irresistible: It’s ser-
ved in one of three different stylishly furnished breakfast parlors, and offers a wide array of homemade pastries, wholesome breads, fresh juices and a premium selection of quality-controlled local and organic specialties.
Breakfast is not the only epicurean delight at Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence. The
modern Alpine-style Lagació Bar, with cozy fireplace, offers delicious mountain-herb
teas, carefully selected wines, elegant drinks, and traditional Merende – a Sou-
th Tyrolean snack board with local bread, Speck and other cold cuts, and cheeses.
For guests who choose self-catering, an Einkaufskistl shopping crate filled with all-
natural organic products can be ordered prior to arrival. Saying “no” to a hotel restaurant was a conscious decision for Margareth and Pio. “We’d like our guests to become acquainted not only with Val Badia’s culture, but also with its Lucullan side.“ Cozy
cafés, homey taverns, rustic mountain huts and two Michelin-star restaurants make a holiday in this region as varied and it is enjoyable. The local cuisine is a successful symbiosis of traditions, which have been handed down through the generations, and
the lightness of Mediterranean fare.
Lagació Dine Around 4 Experience
With Dine-Around 5 4 Experience we will organize the itinerary of your culinary vacation
Lagació Dine-Around Gourmet Experience
The experience in the four Gourmet Restaurant of Alta Badia.
The Dine-Around offers include shuttle service, but not wine and drinks.
If one of the restaurants should be unavailable for booking at the chosen time, we´d be happy to find a suitable alternative.
Lagació Bar
Our cosy Lagació Bar offers you a relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy some snacks, afternoon tea, a glass of good wine or spirits. If you prefer, we shall be glad to serve you in your suite.
Lagació’s 24 premium suites are situated on three floors, each featuring a different
kind of wood: Swiss stone pine, larch or spruce. The beautiful names of the five types of premium suites – Ammonite, Claraia, Bellerophon, Doanella and Megalodonte
– refer to the amazing Dolomite fossils.
Some of the fossils that Pio, an avid climber, has collected over time adorn the hotel like jewels. Displayed on the suite doors, these fossils are an evocative reminder of nature’s power and of the lifestyle and naturalness of the area.
Elegant lifestyle meets contemporary design in the suites and throughout the hotel.
The Canins have made lovely use of natural materials and warm colors. Soft loden fabrics grace the living room, and the floors are done in warm natural slate or wood.
Floor-to-ceiling windows let in plenty of light and bring the stunning mountain scenery
directly into the room: it’s as if you could just reach out and touch the bizarre rock
formations of the Dolomites.
Each suite offers a spacious living space and sleeping area, a bathroom with bath-
tub, separate shower, and separate toilet, walk-in closet space and a fully equipped
kitchen. This allows guests to enjoy their holiday, undisturbed, within their own private
space. A drinking fountain with revitalized Grander spring water in every suite also
brings the power of nature into the room.
Suite sizes vary: from the 43 m2 Megalo donte to the 47.5 m2 Bellerophon for two people to the 53.5 m2 Claraia and the 57.5 m2 Daonella, both of which are for 3–4 people. The largest are the two 89m2 Ammonite Suites, which have two bedrooms and a spacious living and dining area, making them ideal for families and groups of friends.
The Ladin name of the wonderful Lagació spa, La Palsa (meaning “relaxation”), reveals the essence of the hotel: soothing relaxation and total rejuvenation. Here, guests find the time to rejuvenate in such a way that the effect is long-term. La Palsa offers massages and beauty treatments with quality products from Dr. Hauschka, Niance, and Thalgo in addition to Finnish and bio saunas, a steam room, and hay baths. In the stylishly designed relaxation area overlooking awe-inspiring mountains, it’s easy to forget all about time and space.
And nothing is better after a steaming hot sauna than a refreshing dip in the ice-cold
outdoor plunge pool, crafted from a giant wooden wine barrel: it makes one think of the cold shock brought by the Ice Age, from which fossils were born a mind-boggling 60
to 250 million years ago.
Skiing in Alta Badia means action-packed runs with guaranteed snow coverage and
dreamlike mountain scenery. The entry point is located within the immediate vici-
nity of the hotel. Alta Badia Ski Area offers 130 kilometers of runs, a snowboarding fun
park, and sledding trails. Its connection to the world‘s largest ski carousel, Dolomiti Superski, affords boundless skiing pleasure along 1,200 km of runs. Cross-country skiing, a challenging and prestigious winter sport, also looks back on a long tradition in Alta Badia. Europe‘s largest cross-country ski area, Dolomiti NordicSki, brings the classic and skating techniques together on a total of 1,300 km of tracks. There are also pristine ski touring and snowshoeing trails that lead all the way up to the summits.
Summer, meanwhile, is replete with high-alpine pastures, forests and idyllic Alpine backdrops. The call of the Pale Mountains entices hikers and mountaineers alike.
Much has happened, in fact, since pioneers like Luis Trenker discovered the Dolomites:
today there are more than 400 kilometers of mountain trails ranging from relaxing family
strolls to ambitious summit tours. Climbers delight in sharply cut edging that requires a
spine-tingling balancing act. The Dolomites offer the ultimate in cycling challenges as well: mountain roads, Alpine passes, challenging forest trails and the legendary Giro d‘Italia routes. The golf course in Corvara offers nine holes at par 72. Its elevation of
1,700 meters makes it one of the highest situated alpine golf courses.
In order to ensure that guests of this charming B&B boutique hotel enjoy a tranquil holiday, Lagació Hotel Mountain Resort offers comprehensive services and first-classamenities. Its friendly staff is always on hand with expert tips on activities, events and culinary specialties and comprehensive answers to any questions guests may have, whether they’d like to make arrangements for recreational activities like cycling or skiing or a venturesome helicopter flight over the Dolomites. Lagació’s partnership with Alta Badia Bike & Ski Shop gives cyclists and skiers a 10% discount on equipment rentals. Guests can even obtain ski passes quickly and conveniently directly from the hotel.
The dominion over which the Dolomites
reign – with vertical walls, towers and battlements keeping quiet vigil – is one of Mother Nature’s most magnificent creations. Every step brings visitors into closer contact with
these majestic mountains, which UNESCO has justifiably named a World Heritage Site. High-alpine expanses, crystal-clear air and panoramas that are unique in this world pervade this very intense experience of the mountains and the great outdoors.
How very small we human beings truly are. Bëgnodü!
Welcome to the sweet life.
Welcome to the Lagació Hotel Mountain Residence.