Cristallo, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Cortina d'Ampezzo

The Cristallo’s decor blends Baroque-luxury and Alpine-style to a traditional and charming effect. The bright lobby has copious amounts of glass that provide views of the surrounding foothills, and leads to an area with crimson crushed velvet armchairs, wood paneling, and chandeliers, and copies of international newspapers hanging from a brass stand. Restaurants make the most of their location with vast windows: The less-formal Gazebo restaurant is a rustic, roughly circular room with mint-green wood beams on the ceiling and panoramic windows looking out over the Dolomites, while the Terrace restaurant has white jasmine flowers painted on the ceiling and a great glass wall lighting the room’s white-clothed tables. A domed atrium houses a large indoor pool, and features a ceiling fresco depicting a blue sky, and mirrored walls reflecting light that floods in through a wall of windows. The hotel attracts a well-heeled crowd of mostly couples from across the world for skiing in the winter, and for its spa and proximity to golf courses during the summer.

Set a 15-minute walk from the center of the Dolomites village of Cortina d’Abruzzo, the hotel is not particularly close to anything. However, what it lacks in nearby amenities, it gains in serenity and in stunning mountain views from virtually every window. The hotel offers free shuttle service to nearby ski lifts and slopes in the winter. Meanwhile, in the summer, the Cortina golf course, a well-regarded nine-hole course is a seven-minute drive away, or a 20-minute walk. Expect a two-hour transfer time to Venice Treviso Airport. Parking is available on-site for a fee.

The hotel’s 74 rooms are all elegantly decorated in a traditional Alpine style, with carved-wood sleigh beds, pinewood wall panelling painted with tiny flowers, white furniture, and pink and green accents in the fabrics. Sparkling chandeliers in some, antique mirrors, and canopies add charming accents. All rooms have views of the surrounding mountains -- some from furnished balconies. Classic Rooms have either a double or a queen-sized bed, a bench, round table with two armchairs, and a chest of drawers doubling as a stand for a small flat-screen TV. Larger Superior Rooms add a walk-in closet, and room for a small couch and an antique bureau. Suites have a living room with a couch and armchairs, as well as a tea trolley with a Nespresso coffeemaker, an iPod dock, and a chest of drawers doubling as a TV stand. Lovely marble bathrooms have jetted shower/tub combos, bidets, and hairdryers, as well as a basket of toiletries. Standard amenities include free, albeit slow Wi-Fi, a safe, and LED TV, but no mini-fridges and only Suites come with tea- and coffee-making facilities.

Situated in the heart of the Dolomites, the Cristallo caters well to guests wanting to hit the slopes during skiing season: The property offers free and regular shuttle service to nearby skiing hotspots, as well as a large and well-equipped boot room. Off the slopes, there's a large indoor pool inside an ornate atrium, as well as a spa that offers well-regarded anti-aging therapies, massage and wellness treatments, and the use of a big hammam and sauna. A spacious gym is equipped with a number of cardio and weight-training machines, and free weights. There are four restaurants in the hotel offering different menus and varying degrees of formality, from a casual restaurant serving local Alpine cuisine to a fine-dining spot with a tasting menu. A free buffet breakfast of hot and cold fare is served in the Terrace restaurant. There are also two bars offering cocktails and light snacks throughout the day and well into the night. A cute kids' club is decorated like a wooden chalet. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, but coverage can be spotty.