Italy

Hotel Icaro Review: Big Dolomite Views and Full Board on Alpe di Siusi

We spent my wife's birthday at Hotel Icaro, a timber hotel in the middle of Alpe di Siusi. Stunning views, exceptional local food and the best carbonara I've ever had, though you'll want to plan the drive in.

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Location: Alpe di Siusi, South Tyrol, Italy
Price: Around 2,500 zł per night for two, full board (about €570 / £476), July 2025
Best for: Couples, hikers and families
My rating: 8.5/10

For my wife's birthday last July, I wanted somewhere we could do very little and look at a lot. Hotel Icaro, a timber-clad hotel on Alpe di Siusi in South Tyrol, turned out to be exactly that: a double room with a balcony facing the mountains, food good enough that I'm still talking about one particular plate of carbonara, and a spa with various rooms and saunas to retreat to.

It isn't the easiest place to reach, and I'll come to that. But once you're there, you're in the middle of the nature park with very little to do except rest, eat and walk. We paid for the stay ourselves.

Exterior of Hotel Icaro, a modern larch-clad building raised on pillars beside green meadows — Hotel Icaro's timber exterior on a grey July morning

Why we chose it

Honestly, it started with how it looked online. The photos of the wooden building set against the meadows caught my eye, and the reviews we read backed them up. The deciding factor, though, was the full board option.

For a birthday trip, I liked the idea of not having to think about where the next meal was coming from. Full board means no booking tables and no hunting for somewhere to eat after a long walk, once you're back at the hotel, there are no decisions left to make. For an introvert on holiday, that's worth a great deal.

Location and views

The hotel sits right in the middle of Alpe di Siusi, inside the Sciliar-Catinaccio Nature Park. Wherever you look there are tall peaks: the long, flat-topped wall of the Sciliar with its two sharp spires on one side, the jagged outline of the Sassolungo group on the other, and rolling meadows scattered with wooden huts in between.

The views were the standout of the whole stay. On our first evening, low cloud settled in the hollows below the Sciliar and the lights of a few farmhouses came on across the plateau. A couple of mornings later, the meadows were thick with yellow wildflowers under a clear blue sky.

This is a landscape that rewards sitting still, which suits me perfectly.

Meadow of yellow wildflowers on Alpe di Siusi with the Sciliar massif and distant snow-capped mountains — Wildflowers and the Sciliar on a clear July morning

Rolling green meadows of Alpe di Siusi leading to the Sassolungo peaks under a blue, cloudy sky — The Sassolungo group rising beyond the meadows

Mist lying in the meadows at blue hour beneath the Sciliar, with farmhouse lights in the distance — Low cloud settling in at dusk on our first evening

The room

We had a double room with a balcony and mountain view. It was clean, crisp and very comfortable. The kind of room that doesn't try too hard and doesn't need to, because the main feature is outside the window.

And that view was stunning. I took far more photos from the balcony at dusk than I'd care to admit, watching the light turn blue over the Sciliar while the hotel's timber glowed warm beside us.

Dusk sky over the Sciliar peaks, seen beneath the warmly lit wooden eaves of Hotel Icaro — The view at dusk from under the hotel's wooden eaves

Food and drink

All of the food was exceptional, and very local. It tasted of where we were rather than of a generic hotel kitchen.

One dish deserves its own mention: I had the best carbonara of my life here. Not a claim I make lightly in Italy, but it's the one I'll be measuring every other carbonara against from now on.

I have a nut allergy, which can make eating on holiday a low-level worry. The staff were very accommodating of it, which meant I could actually relax at mealtimes - something I never take for granted. That was typical of the staff in general: very friendly, and happy to help.

Spa and facilities

The spa area is fantastic, with various rooms and saunas. Behind wood-panelled walls there are glass-doored cabins glowing in green and blue light, and one relaxation nook is lined entirely with hay, with a cushioned bench and a soft lamp - a properly Alpine take on a quiet room.

There's also an indoor/outdoor pool. The indoor section looks straight out through tall windows onto the meadows, so even on a grey, misty afternoon you're swimming with a view.

Indoor pool at Hotel Icaro with tall windows looking out onto misty green meadows — The indoor part of the pool, looking out to the meadows

Wood-panelled spa cabin with a blue-lit glass door and a candle in a stone niche

Two sauna doors set into a warm-lit wooden wall in the spa — Some of the spa's various rooms and saunas

Small relaxation room with walls lined in hay, a cushioned bench and a glowing table lamp — A relaxation nook lined with hay

Things to do nearby

You're in the middle of the nature park, surrounded by tall peaks, with hikes for all ages all around you. If you like walking, you could easily fill a week without getting back in the car.

Ortisei and Seceda

Ortisei is a short hike and a cable car ride away, and it's a very nice town to visit. From there you can take a cable car up to Seceda, where the ridge drops away in a sheer, tilted wall of rock and the views open out across the Dolomites.

You can even walk back down through small villages, past old wooden farmhouses with geraniums spilling off their balconies. On the way down we stopped at a hut for a spritz and a few small bites in the sunshine, looking out over the forested valley - one of my favourite moments of the trip.

Allow 3-4 hours for the whole outing, or less if you take the cable car back down from Seceda.

The tilted Seceda ridge dropping steeply above forested valleys under heavy grey clouds — The Seceda ridge

Mountain hut on green slopes below jagged Dolomite peaks near Seceda under a cloudy sky — Looking out across the peaks from Seceda

Two spritz glasses and a board of small snacks on a table overlooking forested mountains — A spritz at the hut on the way down from Seceda

Traditional South Tyrolean farmhouse with whitewashed walls, weathered timber and pink geraniums on the balcony — An old farmhouse with geraniums on the balcony

What could be better

The journey. It's a bit of a drive to get there. We flew into Treviso, which was honestly a dismal little airport with nothing to do and barely any seats, then rented a car and drove for a couple of hours.
Driving permission. Because the hotel is inside the nature park, you need to give the hotel your car details in advance to be allowed to drive in. Easy enough once you know - just sort it out before you set off.

Neither is a reason not to go, but both are worth factoring in.

Who it's for

Couples, first and foremost, it was a lovely place to celebrate a birthday. Hikers will be in their element, with peaks in every direction and trails to suit all abilities. And it works for families too, with hikes for all ages and a pool to come back to.

For introverts in particular, the appeal is the combination: full board, a balcony view worth sitting with, and a spa to disappear into. Once you've arrived, there's very little you need to organise.

Practical info

Price: around 2,500 zł per night (about €570 / £476) for two people on full board, in July 2025.
Getting there: we flew into Treviso, rented a car and drove for a couple of hours. Send the hotel your car details in advance so you can drive into the park.
When we went: July, when the meadows were green and full of wildflowers.
Room: double room with balcony and mountain view.
Disclosure: we paid for our stay in full.
Where to book: Direct on the hotel's website - Link (not an affiliate link or sponsored)

Verdict

Hotel Icaro gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me. The views are the reason to come, and the friendly, accommodating staff, exceptional local food and fantastic spa are the reasons it lived up to them. The carbonara alone would have me back.

The only things I'd flag are logistical: the drive in, and remembering to register your car with the hotel before you arrive. Get those sorted and you're left with a clean, comfortable room, a balcony facing the mountains and nothing much to do but rest, which is exactly what we came for.