Why Mountain Holidays Beat Beach Holidays When Travelling With Kids

They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

And that’s me when it comes to family holidays. I keep booking beach breaks, hoping for a relaxed and magical time away – and then overstimulation, heat and sugar come into play and suddenly we’re all arguing.

But, I may have found the secret to a less stressful family holiday. I won’t gatekeep: it’s one without a beach.

When you think of a ‘holiday’ – especially an Italian summer holiday – your mind probably conjures up visions of sparkling sea and soft white sand.

But this year, we decided to do something different and headed to Italy’s South Tyrol instead, swapping sandy shores for mountain views.

And honestly? Not having to worry about losing my kids on a packed beach or having them cry because they’ve got grit in their eyes immediately made the trip way more enjoyable.

We headed to The Dolomites, a mountainous region in northeastern Italy, and stayed in two different locations during our six-day trip.

The first place we ventured to was Hotel Feldhof in Naturno, a village about 40km from Bolzano airport with stunning mountain views.

Part of the Dolce Vita Hotels brand, Hotel Feldhof is their family and wellness hotel, with facilities like a family spa, 80-metre indoor slide and kids club, but plenty of touches for the grown-ups too like a rooftop infinity pool, fitness classes and spa treatments.

The hotel has 10 different pools, so I can honestly say we didn’t miss the beach at all. My four-year-old spent every waking moment he could in the pools (or, racing down slides), and the baby and toddler pool was perfect for my one-year-old to splash about in safely.

There’s a kids club with childcare for those aged three and over, and the additional playroom with a bouldering wall, playhouses and soft-play area is open all day for guests to use. If we ever managed to peel ourselves from the pools, you could usually find us there instead.

The facilities at Hotel Feldhof were seriously impressive and absolutely perfect for a family holiday, but I liked that everything was still stylish and chic. Sometimes you can go away with kids and feel like everything is geared up for them, from pool foam parties to mascots singing the Macarena.

Here, there was none of that – it was a luxurious, Instagrammable setting that understood adults’ needs as well as children’s, and it was family-friendly without compromising on aesthetics or service.

When you stay at one of the Dolce Vita hotels, your booking gives you access to any of the other hotels in the group, meaning you can use their facilities – like pools, restaurants and spas – too. During our trip we walked to the five-star Lindenhof resort nearby (which is equally as gorgeous, but feels less geared up for families with younger children).

I did have the chance to try out their spa treatments though, one of which involved a very relaxing facial which sent me to sleep.

We also ventured out into Naturno and took a ride up into the mountains on a cable car. It’s a definite 10/10 for views and for the chilled beer at the mountainside pub, but be warned if you’re travelling with little ones – there are some very steep inclines and if you’re pushing a pushchair up to the viewing platform you will get sweaty (but the reward of a cold beer makes up for it).

On day four of our trip we made our way up to Soprabolzano, a village 1,200 metres above sea level and up some pretty steep roads, where we checked into Parkhotel Holzner, a family run Alpine Art Nouveau hotel with more than 100 years of history and an array of impressive awards.

We stayed in one of the hotel’s family suites which had two bedrooms, light and bright modern wooden decor, and seriously stunning views. Plus, slightly cooler mountain air, which was welcome during Europe’s sweltering heatwave.

Parkhotel Holzner has a gorgeous, authentic charm about it, and I loved how the house and grounds still had lots of original features, from the furniture to the light fittings.

My favourite place was the panoramic terrace where we ate all our meals, and The Green Parlour Bar, a charming wood-panelled space with Art Nouveau touches. Sadly, kids and stylish bars don’t really mix so I didn’t get to spend as much time in there as I’d have liked, but I can confirm they make an excellent Aperol Spritz.

During our stay here we (again) spent a lot of time in the pool, and also made use of the kids club, the on-site playground and took a cable car trip down to Bolzano, which is just a 15-minute journey.

The hotel had a really lovely, family feel to it and I loved all the little touches like the wicker baskets they provided to put your pool towels and robes into. Obviously ours was immediately filled with pool toys, balls and snacks – but the thought was appreciated.

When you think of mountain escapes you might be put off by visions of a long, arduous journey to get there – especially with young kids in tow – but actually, it was really easy.

We flew from London Gatwick to Bolzano with SkyAlps. The route is fairly new but it makes getting to South Tyrol much simpler. The flight time is under two hours, you get snacks on board and Bolzano airport is tiny so the security queues are minimal.

We had private transfers arranged to get us from the airport to our hotel, and then back to the airport for our return.

The roads are quite steep (being in the mountains and all) so you could hire a car, but I preferred having a local who knows the roads taking us.

The drive to Hotel Feldhof was about an hour from Bolzano airport, and Parkhotel Holzner was around 30 minutes – it would have been even quicker by cable car, but I’m not sure you’d want to lug your suitcases on one…

Both hotels had excellent food offerings, but because South Tyrolean cuisine is predominantly Alpine-Austrian, there were lots of traditional dishes that you wouldn’t typically expect when booking an Italian holiday. Basically, more game meats and fewer pizzas!

This didn’t pose a problem for my husband or I, but even though both hotels had children’s menus, there wasn’t always a great deal that my two would eat. Now that we’re home, I think I need to up my game (sorry) and work on refining their palettes before the next trip. I can confirm though that both hotels had ice cream for dessert, so the kids seemed pretty satisfied.

Hotel Feldhof offers a 3/4 board dining plan including a breakfast buffet, complete with Prosecco (necessary when parenting abroad!), lunchtime snacks and an eight-course gourmet evening menu.

At Parkhotel Holzner there’s 1908, a Michelin star restaurant on site, although we didn’t try it as introducing the kids to venison was a challenge enough! We did however give the half-board dining experience a whirl, featuring excellent breakfast buffets (also with Prosecco, in case you were wondering) and dinner, which included a multi-course gourmet menu with a separate ‘little gourmets’ menu for kids.

If you fancy booking a trip for yourself, here’s the lowdown:

• Hotel Feldhof: from €177 per person per night, (approx. £152) and includes 3/4 board – breakfast included, afternoon buffet and dinner.
• Parkhotel Holzner: from €300 per room, per night, based on two people sharing with half-board.

This region of Italy had never really been on my radar before, but I can wholeheartedly say mountain holidays might be my new favourite destination.

No paying for sunbeds, no struggling to find a toilet, no carrying your kids miles across sand dunes because their legs are tired… just delicious food and drink, fresh air, activities galore, thermal waters and stunning views.

What’s not to love? South Tyrol, you have my heart.

Charlie Bond visited as part of a press trip.