Head-to-head · Dolomites
Two of the three Dolomites hotels I stayed at, and two very different trips. One is a wellness retreat facing the Odle; the other sits on the Alpe di Siusi meadows, with the trails and slopes right outside your room. Here is how I would choose.
Stayed at both · October 2026
The best view of the Odle of any luxury hotel in the Dolomites, plus my favorite spa, food and service in the region. Come to slow down.
My Forestis review →
The only true ski-in, ski-out hotel I saw, with trails from your room in summer, a spa and pool that hold their own, and a lower price than the region’s top hotels.
My COMO Alpina review →
| Forestis | COMO Alpina | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | High above Bressanone, about 25 minutes up the mountain | On the Alpe di Siusi meadows, just over the mountain from Ortisei |
| The feel | Alpine wellness retreat: Scandinavian, light wood and floor-to-ceiling glass | Mountain wellness hotel, very mountain in style |
| The view | The best view of the Odle of any luxury hotel in the Dolomites | Rolling meadows, with peaks towering all around |
| Rooms | 62 suites across a historic lodge and three towers, with daybed balconies | Very spacious, with big decks, large bathrooms and tubs |
| Room to ask for | A high floor in the tower closest to the lodge | Ask me first: a chairlift runs right outside the Mountain View rooms |
| Spa | My wellness winner: two pools heated to around 32°C, three saunas, steam, cold plunge | On par with the best in the region, in a hotel built around wellness |
| Skiing and hiking | You can ski in and out, but the best skiing and hikes are elsewhere | The only true ski-in, ski-out I saw; the trails start at your door |
| Families | Hotel is 14 and over; families book the five-bedroom Forestis Villa | One of my picks for families |
| Food and service | My winner for both: half board and a seven-course tasting menu | Solid dining, a very nice formal dinner; service good but a little uneven |
| Price | Lodge suites are the good-value way in | Less than the region’s top hotels, and the hotel reflects that |
| Best for | Honeymoons, couples, wellness, total disconnection | Skiers, hikers and wellness-minded couples |
Work with me and you get Fora perks, plus someone who stayed at both and personalizes your stay: I push for the right tower and floor at Forestis, steer you to the right room at COMO Alpina, sort the Alpe di Siusi permit and transfers, and book your mountain guides. Same rate as booking direct.
Forestis is about disconnecting. You come for the spa, the food and the quiet, and you look at the Odle from your room, the dining room, the pools and the spa. It is my favorite hotel in the Dolomites, and it won my categories for wellness, views, dining and service.
COMO Alpina’s huge selling point is location. You are right on the Alpe di Siusi, and you can walk out of your room onto the trails in summer and the slopes in winter. As a hotel it is not quite at the level of Forestis, but the price reflects that, and the spa and pool hold their own.
If the trip is about rest, views and the best service in the region, pick Forestis. If it is a ski trip, or you want to hike straight from your door, pick COMO Alpina. For skiing, it is my first choice in the Dolomites.
At Forestis, the view of the Odle is unmatched among the Dolomites’ luxury hotels. The best of it is from the fourth or fifth floor and above, in the tower closest to the historic lodge and in the middle tower. There is no room category for that, so only a request secures it. The tower suites have daybed balconies, large bathrooms with tubs and walk-in showers, and heated floors. The lodge suites are spacious and well priced.
The rooms at COMO Alpina are very mountain in style, very spacious, with big decks, large bathrooms and tubs, and the meadows and peaks all around. One catch I hadn’t anticipated: a chairlift runs right outside the Mountain View rooms, so they can feel a little loud and not very private in the shoulder season. In winter I don’t think it would bother you much. Tell me how you are traveling and I will steer you to the right room.
The Forestis spa has indoor and outdoor pools joined by a glass door and heated to around 32°C (90°F), a blacked-out sensory room, a swimsuit sauna, and a separate area with three saunas, a steam room, a cold plunge and a heated plunge pool. My 90-minute deep-tissue massage was excellent. It is my pick for the best wellness in the Dolomites.
Wellness is where COMO Alpina competes head-on. Like most COMO properties, the whole place leans into wellness, and the spa and pool stack up very nicely against every hotel I saw. Expect German and Austrian sauna culture at both: the main saunas are mixed, and swimsuits come off. Forestis also has a swimsuit sauna if you prefer.
COMO Alpina is the only true ski-in, ski-out hotel of the five I saw, the best on my list by a distance. In summer the same applies to hiking: the trails start at your door. It is my first choice for a ski trip, ties with Gardena Grödnerhof for summer, and is one of my picks for families. The Alpe di Siusi is protected, so cars need a permit; the hotel handles it, and a private transfer avoids the question entirely.
Forestis is not the best base for hiking or skiing. You can ski in and out, but the region’s best skiing and its top hikes are elsewhere; the excellent hikes are about 45 minutes away by car, and I book the guides ahead. The hotel is for guests aged 14 and over. Families book the Forestis Villa: five bedrooms, a team of 14, and its own pool and spa.
Service at Forestis was some of the best I have experienced anywhere. When we didn’t finish a bottle of wine at dinner, it was waiting on ice at our table the next evening, in a different restaurant. Half board covers breakfast and dinner, and the seven-course tasting menu was a highlight. There is nowhere else to eat nearby, so for more than three nights you rotate the two menus.
Dining at COMO Alpina was solid, and we had a very nice dinner in the formal restaurant, where our servers were great. Service elsewhere was good, if a little awkward at times, so calibrate expectations against Forestis. What you get in return is one of the best locations in the Dolomites for less than the region’s top hotels.
For me, Forestis. It has the best view, the best wellness, dining and service in the Dolomites, and it is my favorite hotel in the region. Pick COMO Alpina if you are skiing, if you want to walk out of your room onto the trails, or if you want a great location for less.
COMO Alpina. It is the only true ski-in, ski-out hotel I saw, and my first choice in the Dolomites for a ski trip. You can ski in and out at Forestis, but the region’s best skiing is elsewhere.
Forestis. It is my honeymoon pick in the Dolomites: the views, the spa, the food and the quiet.
At COMO Alpina, yes; it is one of my picks for families. The Forestis hotel is for guests aged 14 and over, but children are welcome in the five-bedroom Forestis Villa.
At Forestis, a tower suite on the fourth or fifth floor or above, in the tower closest to the lodge; I request it for you. The lodge suites are good value if the towers are beyond the budget. At COMO Alpina, tell me how you are traveling first. In the shoulder season I would steer you away from the Mountain View rooms, because of the chairlift right outside.
Yes. My two favorite pairings both run through Ortisei: Gardena Grödnerhof with Forestis, and COMO Alpina with Gardena. COMO Alpina is just over the mountain from Ortisei, and Ortisei to Forestis is about an hour by car. I arrange the drivers, which also takes care of the Alpe di Siusi permit.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Forestis review → COMO Alpina review → Forestis or Aman Rosa Alpina → COMO Alpina or Gardena Grödnerhof → My Dolomites guide →