Alpin Panorama Hotel Hubertus, Olang, Dolomites, Italy

Alpin Panorama Hotel Hubertus, high above Olang in the Dolomites, is home to one of the most famous hotel pools in the Alps: the Sky Pool. Cantilevered out from the hillside above the South Tyrolean village, this 25-metre infinity pool appears to float in mid-air, its glass front dropping away to the valley far below. It has become one of the most photographed pools in the Alps, but the family-run Hubertus is far more than a single headline act. It is a warm, generous five-star spa hotel with a remarkable wellness park, an ever-changing panorama and the kind of hospitality that keeps guests returning year after year.

Location: Olang, Dolomites, Italy

The hotel sits on the Geiselsberg mountainside, high above Olang (Valdaora in Italian) in the Puster Valley, at the north-eastern edge of the Dolomites. Bruneck, the region's main market town, is about 13 kilometres away. The setting is quintessential South Tyrol: a German-speaking corner of Italy where alpine farmhouses, onion-domed churches and Italian food culture sit comfortably side by side.

The great draw on the doorstep is Kronplatz (Plan de Corones), one of South Tyrol's best-equipped ski mountains, with wide, well-groomed slopes and modern lifts. In summer, the same slopes become a network of hiking and biking trails, with the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rising on the skyline. Innsbruck and Venice are both within a few hours' drive.

Rooms and suites at Hotel Hubertus

The hotel has around 74 rooms and suites, designed in a contemporary alpine style that leans heavily on natural materials: honey-toned wood, stone and soft wool textiles. The line between indoors and outdoors is deliberately blurred, with whole tree trunks incorporated into some rooms and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the mountains.

The range is unusually broad. Solo travellers are catered for with single rooms, families with larger rooms, interconnecting options and suites that sleep up to four, and couples with romantic suites. Many rooms have free-standing baths placed to make the most of the view, and the most exclusive suites add a private in-room sauna. Whatever the category, it is worth paying for a room facing the valley: the panorama is the point.

Facilities at Hotel Hubertus

The Alpenreych spa park covers around 7,000 square metres and is one of the most complete wellness offerings in the Dolomites. As well as the Sky Pool, heated to 33°C, there are several further indoor and outdoor pools, including a saltwater pool and a 37°C outdoor relaxation pool, together with a range of saunas, relaxation rooms and a long menu of beauty and wellness treatments.

The newest addition is the Heaven & Hell Sky Spa, a free-floating, two-storey steel platform reached by a slender footbridge from the hotel. Heaven, the upper level, has lie-down and seated whirlpools at 37°C. Hell, the lower, textile-free level, is where things heat up, with two saunas, a nude whirlpool and an ice room, all with uninterrupted mountain views.

Dining is built around a half-board-plus approach, known here as the Hubertus gourmet three-quarter board, with lavish breakfasts, afternoon snacks and multi-course dinners in a redesigned panoramic restaurant. The cooking blends hearty South Tyrolean tradition with lighter Mediterranean influences and a focus on regional produce. The hotel is also dog-friendly.

The activity programme is extensive: guided hikes, mountaineering, biking, forest bathing, yoga and fitness in summer; skiing, ski touring, snowshoeing, tobogganing, and even snowcat and snowmobile rides in winter.

The mountain moment

The Sky Pool is the unforgettable experience. Swim to the far end and the glass edge seems to fall away completely, leaving nothing between you and the valley below. On a winter evening, with snow on the surrounding fields, the village lights coming on below and steam rising off the water, it feels genuinely like swimming in the sky. Early morning, as the sun first touches the peaks across the valley, is equally magical and blissfully quiet.

The Heaven & Hell platform adds a second, more contemplative version of the same idea. Sitting in a whirlpool suspended over the slope, watching clouds drift across the Puster Valley, is about as close to floating above the mountains as most of us will get.

Why Hotel Hubertus is one of the best mountain hotels

Hubertus earns its place because it combines genuine architectural daring with the warmth of a long-standing family hotel. The Sky Pool and Heaven & Hell platform are true one-offs, but what impresses most is the balance: a spa large enough never to feel crowded, rooms that cater as well to families as to couples, generous food, and a location that works brilliantly in both winter and summer.

It is not a quiet, minimalist retreat in the Swiss manner, nor a grand historic palace. Instead, it is a confident, joyful South Tyrolean resort that makes the most of an extraordinary position. If your idea of a perfect mountain day ends in warm water with the Dolomites spread out in front of you, few hotels do it better.

When to go to Hotel Hubertus

Winter is the season for skiers, with Kronplatz on the doorstep and the Sky Pool at its most dramatic against snowy fields. Summer and early autumn suit hikers, bikers and families, when the Dolomites are clear and the trails open high on the mountain. Spring and late autumn are quieter, and a good time for a spa-focused stay.