Forestis once served as a retreat for friends of the Vatican. Given its heavenly position at 1800 meters above sea level and often surrounded by clouds, you can understand why.
These days you don’t even have to be religious to visit, but you do have to appreciate the majesty of the mountains.
Located in Plose, a small, quiet resort in the Dolomites, Forestis is perfect for skiers and non-skiers alike. The high-alpine hiking trails, the delicious mountain cuisine and the wonderful spa with a steaming indoor-outdoor pool and wood-fired saunas are so attractive that most guests forgo skiing.
For me, though, it’s all about the view. Directly in front of the hotel can be seen the snow-capped Odleberge, breaking through dense, dark pine forests and dancing in pastel shades of orange, pink and purple at dawn and dusk.
Natural highlights: Harriet Sime checks into the Hotel Forestis in the Italian ski resort of Plose. Above is the view of the Dolomites from one of the hotel’s suites
“It’s all about the view,” says Harriet of the hotel, which overlooks mountains and dense, dark pine forests
Your focus shifts as soon as you walk through the wooden doors at the hotel reception.
Forestis, located in the South Tyrolean Dolomites region (where Italy and Germany meet), began as a wooden chalet in 1912 and was used as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. Abandoned during World War I, the building fell into disrepair until it was purchased by the Vatican for those in need of a relaxing break.
But when local hotelier Alois Hinteregger caught a glimpse of the building through the tall trees in 2000, it came back to life.
Jump forward two decades and the building has been transformed into what is probably the most impressive hotel I have ever set foot in.
Forestis began as a wooden chalet in 1912 and was used as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients
The “gorgeous” spa has wood-fired saunas and a steamy indoor-outdoor pool (above)
After waking up to a heavy blanket of snow on our first morning—the moody mountains choked by clouds of all colors and formations—my husband Dan and I got on our skis.
Giant snowflakes the size of a tennis ball dance in the wind as we pass Bergkirchen on the way up. But a storm closes all but one elevator as we reach the top. I’m secretly very happy, because that means only one thing: a day at the spa.
Trees permeate every element of the hotel, including the spa, so I book myself in for the signature treatment – the three-hour tree circle ceremony.
Harriet describes the resort as “probably the most impressive hotel I’ve ever set foot in”.
The majority of hotel guests prefer not to ski, reveals Harriet. Instead, they enjoy the high alpine hiking trails and the hotel’s spa
Harriet signs up for the signature spa treatment (above) – the three-hour tree circle ceremony
I’m skeptical of anything not advertised as a “facial” or “massage” and the idea of a “ceremony” fills me with dread, but I choose to embrace it wholeheartedly.
After a few sips of pine syrup-flavored water from the nearby spring, my feet are placed in a tree-scented salt bath while Isabella hands me four sticks of local wood.
They have different flavors, textures, and densities, and I’m told to pick the one I’m looking for (believing that each person will choose based on their “current constitution and seasonal needs”).
I intuitively choose the rougher, fresh-smelling piece of wood. It is fir that can be found in the valley below.
Room with a view: Harriet spends “endless hours” looking at the mountains from the hotel
One of Forestis’ big attractions is its “delicious” mountain kitchen, reveals Harriet. Every ingredient on the hotel restaurant’s tasting menu is Italian
On a ski trip on Mount Plose (above), Harriet sees “huge tennis ball-sized snowflakes dancing in the wind”
Isabella explains how fir aids digestion and “can help people rediscover themselves”.
She combines fir with a healing stone, followed by two hours of body scrubs, massages (using the healing wood to apply pressure) and facials.
I emerge from the spa pink-faced and sparkling clean, and while I may not have found myself, my hyperactive mind has been reduced to a hypnotic stillness.
The weather conditions improve and we spend the next two days on the sunny slopes, fortifying ourselves every evening with a delicious, daily changing 7-course menu. Every ingredient comes from Italy (the Sicilian oranges, raspberries and strawberries came the longest).
I struggle with ‘snow blindness’ during our last meal, my eyes watering and burning as the sun reflects off the brilliant white snow that has burned my corneas.
Whether it was due to my time on the slopes or the endless hours I spent staring at the mountains from my hotel, I will never know.
But if it was the latter, it was worth it. These views will always stay with me.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
