melodia del bosco
If you want to treat yourself for a few days of riding Italian Dolomites climbs, make sure you base yourself in bike hotel Melodia Del Bosco in Alta Badia!
When I putted this blogpost about my Dolomiti trip online, I also felt like recommending this fantastic bike hotel in this separate post. Just because I can’t imagine you will find a better option or even a competing place to stay in this area. Let me tell you why…
THE perfect location
This bike hotel is located in Alta Badia. As said, a small village in the centre of the Ladin region which includes Val Badia, Val Gardena, Val di Fassa, Livinallongo. These are the valleys around the Sella massif, and the valley of Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Alta Badia is a small size town close to Corvara. The bottom of the Passo Gardena. So, to start you’ll have the famous Sella Ronda loop really close. Which means riding the Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi, and Passo Campolongo. But other well known climbs are served close-by as well. Passo Valparola, Passo Fedaia, Passo delle Erbe, Passo Giau, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Passo di san Pelligrino. You name it!
On the Melodia del Bosco website you’ll find plenty of route options which which gives you a perfect idea of the countless possibilities from this location.
The hotel
From the very first moment we arrived, I immediately felt in love. It looks so fresh. Modern. But cozy. And very well maintained. Plus, the impressive views on the peaks of Monte Gardenazza and the Monte Santa Croce from the hotel site are just stunning.
It’s really hard to express in words how great my stay at Melodia Del Bosco was. But, let’s give it a try!
Facilities
The Room
My friend Ruben and I stayed in a ‘comfort’ room. A very specious 34 m² double room with living area. The room included a big sofa and a desk, a bathroom with both a shower and a large bath, a separate toilet, and a big balcony over the full length of the room.
The beds are amazingly good. Not too soft. Not too firm. Might be a personal thing, but I can’t imagine someone would complain about these ones.
The fact that the room is so specious is something I really like. There was no problem to hop on my yoga matt every morning. Most of the time, staying in a hotel means going to the gym for that. Spacious is the best term to express how much closet space you find here too. Very useful. As I like to store both my cycling gear and my leisure wear, rather than rummaging in my travel bags all the time.
Separate bathroom and toilet is really nice as well. And same here. Spacious!
And spicy! As you have this blue LED lights in the toilet which is always ‘on’. Kinda striking. Looks really modern and appeared to be very useful when you have to go at night. Want that at home too!
Bike storage
Although this hotel is the perfect location twelve months a year, inducing you to enjoy a wide range of sports, obviously the main focus is on cycling. Road cycling, gravel biking, mountain biking, downhill. All of it.
Their bike storage shows. Not only can you safely store your bikes in this big garage. You even can lock it as they provide several locks for you to use. You can also do almost all maintenance on your bike you can imagine. Pumps, tools, bike stands, cleaning supplies and facilities. It's all there for your convience.
wellness
As you might ride your bike as much as you can, you might want to relax a bit too. So, this wellness is perfect for that! Finnish sauna. Steam bath. Herbal sauna or infrared. Release some muscle tension and enjoy. You even can get yourself a wide scale of massages!
Food
As we did, most people will book their stay based on half board. Which makes perfect sense as we found out.
breakfast
Every morning for breakfast, they serve a wide choice of sweet and savoury food buffet. Additional you’ll be served at your table with egg dishes and drinks depending on whatever you like. I tried almost everything and I must say it’s al magnificent! Can’t put it in other words. You can fuel up for a long day out on the bike for sure in the best way you can imagine.
Diner
This was way beyond expectations! Every morning we were shown the menu for diner, and were asked to choose whether we wanted the meat or fish menu. Or, go vegetarian. If you ask, they are happy to take into account any allergies or other wishes.
We had diner here for six days in a row and it was never ever the same! Every night we had this stunning mediterranean cuisine, fused with local and vegetarian specialties. In a 6-course way. Every night! This was something surprisingly unique. A very wide variety of meals and flavours. Fantastic!
Boy, if they only would deliver in Holland...
the bar and terrace
During our stay there, there were two days where we got back at the hotel late afternoon. Which made us spend a few hours on the terrace of the hotel. Having a coke, a coffee, a sandwich, all while enjoying the great atmosphere and views. That was a good time!
Traditionally, we went to the bar after dinner each night. To process all pictures we took, and write down some words. All as a contribution to our Instagram accounts. We rather did this at the bar instead of in our room as, fair enough to say, the wi-fi connection here was more stable compared to in our room. The decaf espressos we got ourselves served here were the other perfect reason.
the people
For me, this is an incredibly important one. People make the place! And these people are both great professionals and therefor the hospitality is top notch.
You can feel the good vibes as soon as you enter the hotel. The owners, the Irsara family, have managed to create a unique hotel with lots of charm and character. It’s all done with so much love and care. Not only owner Klaus and his wife are there for you to help you out with everything you need. The whole crew is passionate about the job they do and the people they serve. This level of authenticity and true care is something that I find very rare these days.
The people around here even do their best to speak the language you prefer. Most of them speak Italian, English and German. But I even seem them serving a group of Spanish people with no flaw.
If it’s only for the people, Melodia del Bosco is a place that should be on your cyclingbucketlist! Just go and experience all of it!
