vigilius mountain resort

Super-cool eco-retreat in Italy’s South Tyrol, mixing über architecture, frosted Alpine peaks and a spa with altitude

In the 7 minutes it takes to whoosh up the mountain (a cable-car is the only way to go), you will feel reborn. On a Vigiljoch summit, a mile above the Ultimo Valley, the air is crisp, clean and scented with pine forest; the views are sensational, ice-capped Dolomites seen from green (or snowy) alpine slopes. And for once, the contemporary hotel is a perfect match for the landscape.

Designed by Milan-based architect Matteo Thun, it’s straight out of the pages of Wallpaper*: a 21st-century take on the Tyrolean lodge, with two decks of rooms housed in low rectangles of glass, clad in horizontal bars of larch. Inside, all is crisp clean-cut geometry and warm earth colours, big vistas and glittering quartz striped with sunlight and shade. From the huge cow hide sofas in the lobby, travel along runways of gallery-like space to the piazza, and on to the spa with a springwater infinity pool. Wander up to the panorama terrace and watch the sunset or the dawn. Like all proper resorts, everything you need is right outside the door.

Highs

• An exercise in holistic ‘ecotecture’, this linear building is a work of art
• Hanging out in the piazza – the sunken, sunlit courtyard at Vigilius' heart, lined with plush red sofas
• Bathing in the spa’s frothy al fresco hot tub under a blue sky or a canopy of snowy pines – absolute bliss
• Two excellent restaurants: choose between haute cuisine and rustic Tyrolean fare
• No roads, no traffic, just the distant sound of cow bells – a complete escape

Lows

• Prepare to feel isolated - but you do get unlimited use of cable car and chair lift during your stay
• If you are expecting a typical Italian ambiance, you may be surprised: South Tyrol is bilingual Italian-German, with scenery more reminiscent of Austria
• If you don't like minimalism, you may find the interiors a bit pared down