Seehof Nature Retreat hotel - South Tyrol, Italy

When it comes to location, the Seehof ticks all our boxes with its Eden-like perch on a high plateau in South Tyrol, its low-slung buildings almost inconspicuous along the banks of a mirror-flat lake framed with pine and apple trees.

The addition of 16 new suites (bringing total keys to 50), a 20m indoor/outdoor pool and spa by Bozen-Bolzano-based studio Noa now adds a layer of modernity to the 59-year-old family-run property. Deeply set loggias, pebbled floors, copper accessories, and light stone are highlights, whilst double-sized windows pull in that incomparable view of greenery, sky and distant Dolomites from every angle. The sun-dappled spa is a particular treat with its capacious sauna, as is a deep-tissue massage with warm basalt stones.

In the kitchen, the 29-year-old Daniel Trenkwalder’s menu is a hybrid of South Tyrolean and Mediterranean standards, which explains the duo of pink-roasted veal and glazed veal stew, and tomatoes stuffed with bulgur, fresh herbs and basil foam.