Hotel Gran Ander Alta Badia
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8.3.2010
In July 2010 my wife and I had the good fortune to stay at the Hotel Gran Ander in conjunction with our participation in the Maratona dles Dolomites. We had a wonderful time and received great service from Andrea Irsara and at least three generations of his family. All were warm and welcoming without exception and sincerely eager to make sure that your stay is pleasant and you have fun in their spectacular part of the world. By any measure…cleanliness, attentiveness, number and quality of amenities…this three star hotel deserves its “superior” designation.
The hotel itself is located in privileged part of Alta Badia. High on the side of the valley the hotel commands an ‘eye-level’ view of the magnificent Santa Croce from nearly every window. Whether from the balcony of your room, the comfortable dining room or the expansive deck your eye will always be drawn to the play of sunlight and shadows on the rock walls of this iconic monolith. You’ll want to spend some time just looking at Santa Croce and the surrounding hillsides and there is no better location than the Gran Ander. On a more practical level, the bus stop, the tourist office and a small supermarket are all within a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
The food at the hotel is excellent. I had some reservations about committing to a full board plan. What if we didn’t like it or we got bored with what was served? All I can say is that we had no need to worry. You could choose the Gran Ander for the food alone! It’s really that good. Andrea is a skilled chef who is intensely dedicated to freshness and flavor. It’s not unusual to look up from the antipasto course and see him snipping herbs from the on-site garden to add to the night’s entrée! And even though the food is based on local ingredients there is nothing ‘provincial’ about the food. The plates look and taste as good as anything from a fine restaurant in San Francisco or Buenos Aires. This being Italy, the wine list is as good as you would expect with the neighboring countries represented as well. Try the Lagrein from the local Alto-Adige region.
Most of the other guests that we talked to had stayed at the Gran Ander before. That’s usually a good sign, I find. So consider this my hearty recommendation for the Hotel Gran Ander. The food is great, the beds are comfy, the towels are soft, there is wi-fi and TV and the coat hangers are not locked to the rail. All the things you look for in a hotel. But, more importantly, Andrea, the hotel staff and the Irsara family share a trait with others in the Dolomites: they love where they live and work very hard to make you love it too. In the case of The Hotel Gran Ander, they have succeeded!