The UNESCO World Heritage listed Dolomites, in the northern Italian Alps, are a jaw-dropping set of peaks, whose majesty is hard to convey unless you’ve actually been there.
A luxurious base from which to explore them is Hotel La Perla, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, in the village of Corvara – the heart of the Alta Badia ski resort – in the province of Alto Adige (aka Südtirol).
Founded in 1956 by Ernesto and Anni Costa, this South Tyrolean manor house is now run by their sons, Michil, Mathias and Maximilian, all of whom have a hands-on role at the property, welcoming guests with the warm hospitality typical of Alto Adige’s traditional Ladin mountain culture.
This inviting atmosphere, which sees the lederhosen-clad Mathias Costa and Corvara locals mingle with hotel guests over a drink, is a key reason why many guests return annually and become part of the extended La Perla ‘family’.
One of the Romantik double rooms at Hotel La Perla. Credit: Casa Costa 1956
Traditional yet elegant living
The hotel offers 51 rooms, ranging from singles to suites, most with their own balcony, either facing the imposing Mount Sassongher or the picturesque village. The style throughout is traditional yet elegant – rugs and reclaimed wood, exposed beams and cosy soft furnishings, along with regional art and quirky accessories such as antique walking sticks and teapots.
In the Romantik double rooms, enjoy an enormous pillow- and throw-laden king-sized bed with crisp linen, a traditional silo-like free-standing fireplace, a leather chesterfield, and a chandelier over a breakfast table, where an ice bucket and bottle of Franciacorta, fresh fruit and chocolates welcome you.
La Stüa de Michil, the Michelin one-starred restaurant at Hotel La Perla. Credit: Gustav Willeit
Gourmet dining, from cosy to Michelin
Guests are spoiled for choice when it comes to dining options. Les Stües (‘The Rooms’) is the main half-board restaurant, available only to guests. As its name suggests, it is a warren of connecting wood-panelled rooms each with its own distinctive traditional décor following authentic Alpine kitchen-diners from the 1700s: think bold tablecloths and curtains, matching floral arrangements and crockery, and decorative plates adorning the walls.
While you could fill up on the buffet-style salad bar, the à la carte menu of traditional Alto Adige dishes is simple yet comforting and, as with all La Perla’s restaurants, vegan menus are available.
On a sunny day, the Bistrot’s terrace is the place to be for a casual lunch, particularly for classic Italian fare. Or sit inside, around the impressive polished wood main bar, for afternoon tea or an aperitif. After dark, the venue becomes the Music Club, with different local singers and musicians each night.
Gourmands will have booked their seat at the Michelin one-star La Stüa de Michil in advance. While it follows the 18th-century wood panelling of the rest of La Perla, this is more of an opulent, intimate, candle-lit chamber, where Calabrian chef Simone Cantafio takes inspiration from his years in Japan to create an innovative tasting menu for up to 10 people.
Hotel La Perla’s food and drink philosophy is organic, local and seasonal. Credit: Casa Costa 1956
Sustainable, seasonal and organic
A stone’s throw from La Perla, is sister property Berghotel Ladinia. The building was the first inn in Corvara and its historic, rustic décor exudes real charm. The eponymous Alpine restaurant specialises in using locally farmed, grown and forged produce and the wine list champions mainly boutique Alto Adige producers, many of which work biodynamically.
From extensive buffet breakfast to innovative nightcap, La Perla’s food and drink philosophy is organic, local and seasonal, and encourages diners to eschew meat on Fridays. The hotel also follows the Common Welfare Economy model, where social responsibility, ecological sustainability, democratic management and company solidarity replace profit as the company objective.
To underline the brothers’ altruism, they set up the Costa Family Foundation in 2007 to protect and promote the rights of children, mainly in developing countries, including building schools and supporting nutrition and irrigation projects. A dish on each restaurant menu is ‘priceless’ and invites diners to pay what they like, with all proceeds going to the foundation.
The Sassicaia ‘temple’ in the Mahatma Cellar at Hotel La Perla. Credit: Gustav Willeit
Wine-lovers’ haven
For wine lovers, the pinnacle of a stay at La Perla is a visit to its Mahatma Cellar, which boasts more than 30,000 bottles from across Europe. Prepare to be amazed by the vision of Michil Costa, as you take a sensory journey through each cave of the labyrinthine cellar, designed in a bespoke theme of not only wine but music and explanatory voice-overs to accompany the very unique design and accessories.
Among the 3,000 labels, of which half are from Alto Adige, there are cellars dedicated to Champagne, Burgundy and Barolo, but the most jaw-dropping is the Sassicaia ‘temple’. To really experience this SuperTuscan in all its glory, guests can book a guided tasting (one of five on offer) in the Incö Weinstube.
This intimate, informal wine room, with banquette-style seating around a wooden island table is also used by chef Simone Cantafio for a three-course sharing menu for up to six people, using only what local farmers and foragers have delivered that day.
Après-ski at Hotel La Perla’s L’Murin. Credit: Gustav Willeit
On the slopes
To work up an appetite for all these food and wine options, you’ll be spending your days on the mountains – whether summer or winter. Alta Badia, part of Dolomiti Superski, has 132km of slopes and 53 lifts; La Perla is ski-in, ski-out, with the Col Alto lift (Italy’s first) 30m from the front door. At the end of the day, join everyone else in the valley and head to the hotel’s L’Murin – an après ski institution, which becomes a beer garden in summer, complete with a treehouse for romantic rendezvous.
If you are staying during La Perla’s summer season (June to September) enjoy a nine-hole golf course at 1,700m, or test your cycling mettle on the high Dolomite passes – the hotel has a range of premium Pinarello road and mountain bikes, as well as e-bikes for the less adventurous. As with cycling, keen hikers can take advantage of a daily guided excursion with the outdoor activity instructor (he’s in the lobby each morning) or ask him for advice on local Via Ferrata routes.
The biggest drawcard in Alta Badia is the Sellaronda, an iconic 40km ski circuit around the Sella massif. But increasingly visitors are flocking to the mountains for innovative gourmet opportunities arranged by the Alta Badia tourist office and Alto Adige Sommelier Association.
In winter, the programme includes Sommelier on the Slopes and Ski Safaris, where a ski guide and a sommelier accompany winelovers between high-end mountain ‘huts’, such as the unmissable Rifugio Utia Bioch (at 2,079m), to try local wines, as well as signature dishes from celebrity chefs.
There’s a similar programme in summer, including outdoor wine tasting tours (Vins Alaleria), accompanied by a sommelier, in picturesque nature hotspots across the province.
The main pool at Hotel La Perla’s newly renovated spa. Credit: Casa Costa 1956
Relax and escape
After so much activity, food and wine, you’ll want to decompress in La Perla’s newly renovated spa. In addition to practitioners offering a host of heath and natural beauty treatments, guests can enjoy the indoor pool with its range of regenerative showers and massage jets, the sauna and steam rooms and a Kneipp hydrotherapy bath to revive tired feet and legs.
Hotel La Perla is about 200km from Venice airport, where the three-hour drive takes you through the Prosecco DOCG vineyards areas of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. Alternatively, it’s 70km from Bolzano and 135km from Innsbruck in Austria. For train travellers, the best stations are Bruneck or Fortezza.
The hotel opens for the winter season from 6 December to 7 April, and for the 2025 summer season from 6 June to 27 September. Rates per night including breakfast start from £250 (single); £532 (double) and £1,135 (suite).
