Plenty of hotels stake a claim to being family-friendly. And sure, some of them might be happy to pop an extra folding bed in your room, or bulk-buy chicken nuggets for a tokenistic kids’ menu. But when you go somewhere that’s built for families from the ground up, it just hits different.
Sonnwies certainly isn’t the only family-first hotel in the Italian Dolomites. In fact, there’s such a cluster of them that this region is probably one of the best places in the world to travel with kids. But this is such an outstandingly welcoming, friendly, we’ve-thought-of-everything kind of place that it deserves to immediately rocket to the very top of your family-trip wish list.
With its epic kids’ club and playground, on-site organic farm, pools and waterslides, something-for-everyone buffets and a daily activities programme that embraces everyone from babies through to teenagers, this is truly a kids’ paradise. And it’s all done so that parents get a superb and stylish mountain break too.
Why stay at Sonnwies Dolomites?
This place is a family business in every sense. It’s run by the Hinteregger family, who have owned the land for more than 40 years and can still be spotted most days around the hotel and farm.
And then there are the guests. This isn’t just a family-friendly hotel, it’s a family-only hotel, so forget getting judged by the child-free. The whole place is built with kids in mind, down to the platform at reception which lets little ones see over the desk and the extra, toddler-height set of banisters on all the staircases.
Grown-ups get breathtaking mountain scenery, skiing or hiking, exceptional food made with local ingredients, and a peaceful spa (the only kid-free part of the property). And if you do find yourself wanting to get out and explore further, the Dolomite mountains and wider region are a veritable cultural and culinary wonderland.
What are the rooms like at Sonnwies?
First off, this isn’t a sprawling resort. There are fewer than 100 rooms, most of which are in a single building – half-traditional alpine chalet, half-modernist vision in glass and pine. Inside, it's an alpine take on Scandi minimalism, all with natural materials: spruce, pine and white walls from floor to ceiling, white sheets and towels, and soft, greige cotton curtains. Warm, natural tranquility is the watchword.
The posher suites have seriously enviable terraces (some even including private pools), but all rooms have at least some outdoor space. And all, of course, include beds for kids – either in a separate bedroom or a compartment with a sliding door, and with blackout blinds and baby kit as standard.
We stayed in a View Loft Suite, which came with a glass-fronted fireplace, a sofa comfy enough to accidentally fall asleep on, an extra kid-height sink in the bathroom, and a substantial balcony with a day bed, blankets and adorable mini deckchairs. The house range of organic toiletries was a big plus too. (It’s worth noting that only a few rooms have a bath tub, which might be important if your kids are too young to stand in the shower.)
Pay whatever you need to for a room facing south-west, across the valley, because the view is superlative: huge peaks overhead and in the distance, steep forested slopes, the Luson valley stretching away and the hotel’s outdoor pool steaming away down below. You’ll also get the afternoon light and the sunset – and on clear nights, a show-stopper of a starry sky.
What is the food like at Sonnwies?
All room bookings are all-inclusive, so don’t stint on the buffet: it's a good one. All meals are served in the hotel’s one restaurant, with each family keeping the same table throughout their stay.
You are, of course, in Italy, so there’s an oven turning out stone-baked pizzas, a pasta buffet for kids, and an impressive range of olive oils and vinegars at the salad bar. But more specifically, you’re in the South Tyrol/Alto Adige region, which means two things: famous local produce (seasonal fruit and veg, honey from the village, a vast array of regional breads) and a strong Germanic influence. Don’t be surprised to spot Austrian specialities like schnitzel, kaiserschmarrn, wurst and hay soup.
The cultural mash-up of alpine and Italian is most strongly reflected in the five-course set menu at dinner, where you can mix and match between mountain and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as raiding the buffet. There are also a couple of à la carte dishes each day at lunch, often regional classics.
Breakfast is all-encompassing – filled croissants, fresh orange juice, hot dishes, muesli, the works – and there’s also a superb, all-you-can-eat afternoon tea, where the plum strudel is a knockout. In fact, the quality of the cooking across the board at Sonnwies is consistently high: we only had one dish all week that wasn’t executed well. (A bowl of limp fries, since you’re asking.)
The youngest guests get catered for with a whole wall of Hipp organic baby-food jars, and sit on stylish Tripp Trapp high chairs. And did I mention the self-service ice cream cart? It’s no wonder that, despite eating three-and-a-half meals a day at the same table, none of us got bored once.
What is the service like at Sonnwies Dolomites?
Reception staff were incredibly kind and helpful: whether checking in late arrivals, rearranging transfers, helping with lost property or providing small change for the mini carousel, it was no trouble at all. Guests can WhatsApp reception any time to ask questions, book taxis or just order a cocktail from the lobby bar out to the poolside. There’s also an info point by the car park entrance, where concierges can give advice on local attractions and where to hike or ski.
Restaurant and cleaning staff were all proficient, professional and very friendly – and the kids’ club staff deserve a special shout-out (more on that below).
German and Italian are the key languages spoken at Sonnwies, with French also common. But if you haven’t been keeping up your Duolingo streak, it’s easy to find the subset of staff who speak excellent English.
What are the kids’ facilities like at Sonnwies?
You could happily spend a few busy-but-relaxing days here as a family without even setting foot in the kids’ club. There’s a sprawling wooden playground with zipwires, climbing frames, swings, play houses and a trampoline; a miniature farm where you can visit ponies, cows, goats and alpacas; a mini football pitch; a track for racing pedal go-karts; a rec room for teens… you get the picture.
There’s also an impressive aqua park, with inside and outside warm pools, shallow zones for babies and toddlers (one even has kids’ films playing on a big screen) and waterslides ranging from tiny to towering. There’s even a kids’ sauna.
(All these facilities are totally separate from the small but serene, adults-only spa, where Austrian rules apply: textiles are very much optional in the sauna and steam room.)
But wait – what's that downstairs in the basement? It's an absolutely epic kids’ club with a huge soft play area, mini play town, drawing table and surprisingly chic games room – plus a very popular nightly mini-disco led by the omnipresent hotel mascot, Ferdi the horse. Here you can drop off children of all ages for pretty much the entire day, should you wish, for no extra cost.
The activities programme is stellar, spanning everything from feeding the farm animals and riding ponies to making pizza or dumplings, outdoor painting, building boats and racing them down the nearby mountain stream, football games, movie nights, pool parties, tractor rides, pony-riding and proper climbing on a two-storey wall.
Nature is a huge part of the experience here, and even the indoor activities tap into it, with lots of natural craft materials and a huge range of chic wooden toys and games. All the kids’ club staff I met were professional, positive and unflappable, despite working what looks like an intense 12-hour shift, shepherding children around a big site in about five different languages. They’ll even look after babies as young as two weeks old in a dedicated creche room.
On a practical level, there’s also a space for parents to do laundry and prep baby food, and you can hire a buggy, back carrier or kids’ bikes for family hikes or day trips.
What’s the area like around Sonnwies Dolomites?
The hotel is on the edge of the village of Lüsen (or Luson in Italian), in a valley that’s famous for hiking and natural beauty. You can hike right from the hotel, or ski from the boot room in winter: there’s a gentle hill with a ski lift less than a minute away, with more challenging slopes not much further afield – just ask at the info point.
For cultural excursions, the town of Brixen (or Bressanone) is a short drive away, with extravagantly beautiful church architecture and Italian and Tyrolean restaurants. The wider Dolomite region, full of dramatic rocky peaks, alpine towns and mountain-top inns, is having a bit of a moment, and Sonnwies is a great base to explore it… if you can prise yourself out of the spa.
Two cities with airports are both about an hour away: Bolzano (served by regional ‘boutique airline’ SkyAlps) and Innsbruck over the Austrian border. Innsbruck is also a major stop for high-speed and sleeper trains from across Europe.
Why you should you book a stay at Sonnwies Dolomites
Come in winter for skiing, sledding and getting cosy indoors; in spring or autumn for perfect hiking weather; or in summer for alfresco cocktails, beach volleyball and sunshine – though prices are likely to be lower outside Italian and Austrian school holidays, which can start as early as mid-June. Whenever you visit, it’ll be a dose of nature and luxury for kids and grown-ups alike.
- Address: Via Alter Rungger, 20, 39040 Luson BZ, Italy
- Price per Night: Prices start at €620 per night for studios, €830 for suites or €925 for luxury suites. All prices include full board and childcare at the kids’ club.
- Closest Transport Link: Brixen/Bressanone station is a 20-minute taxi from the hotel, and is served by trains from Bologna, Verona, Innsbruck and Munich.
- Book Now: Click here