I returned to Kabis once again as part of a large family group (about 25 people). They were…read moreremarkably patient with us, especially given that there were several of us with similar/same names and a bunch of last minute changes. (I joked that next time we should provide them with a family tree... I was joking, but I think I might actually do that!)
As an orientation, Kabis has three buildings:
1. The main building: This has the lobby, restaurant/bar, a small kid's playroom (new!), the dining area, and (also new!) the hotel's only elevator).
2. The nearby building: All hotel rooms; connected to the main one by covered -- but outdoor -- walkway/shallow stairs
3. A fully separated building across the street: All hotel rooms, except for a Wellness Spa on the lower level (see below for description). Also has a sun terrace outside.
Walking into the the main building, the transformation is immediately apparent: They've done some major renovations. The entire main house is transformed: Everything is where it was, but the place was gutted and rebuilt to blend modern (clean lines, hard wood floors) with old (a few key pieces of art and furniture).
Our room (#17) was in the main house: a double room, no balcony, on the third/top floor. We heard a little bit of street noise, but minimal church bells. The room was again, a nice mix of modern and old -- bare hardwood floors, white walls, simple wooden furniture, with a lovely new bathroom. Those rooms in the other two buildings tended to be in the older style, and while perfectly serviceable, do feel somewhat outdated. (That said, the balcony rooms are still worth having -- can't beat those views!) I'd bet that they're planning to update those in the next few years.
New amenities: "Wellness Spa" aka a whirlpool for post-hiking soaks, an infra-red sauna, and a steamroom. (I didn't use any of these, but I walked through the area and it was lovely and modern.) If you think you'll be using these frequently, you may want to request staying in that same building (they're housed in the across-the-street house, and you can get to them without going outside). There's also a beautiful and idyllic sun terrace directly outside that house, overlooking the valley.
Food: Continued to be very good. Dinners sometimes felt like a little much with so many courses, but we persevered. True vegetarians will have to ask about ingredients, but those in our group did just fine -- they couldn't eat every single course, but between the large salad bar and a vegetarian main course (and of course, dessert) every night, they didn't hurt for calories.
Kid-friendliness: Last time I traveled here, I had zero kids. This time, I had two -- a baby and a toddler. Kabis staff were very helpful in all respects: Our room had two pack and plays (travel beds/cot, as I believe the staff called them over email) upon arrival, and there was always a high-chair for the baby (and never any complaints about the mess he made on the floor below it). There is a simple playground on the grounds, which has a slide, a swing set (including an infant swing), a sandbox, and a sort of merry-go-round thing. (If you're hiking in the dolomites, this kind of simple playground was pretty common at the Alms.)
Other:
-Our stay included a 7-day ticket for using the public transportation
-Staff was very helpful in pointing out routes/directions for hikes from the hotel
-Short walk to village, which has the public bus stop, tourist office (sells a great hiking map), post office, bakery, market, bank, and restaurant (Viel Nois)
Recommendations for improvement:
-The small kids' playroom in the main building is a wonderful addition! However, the room itself is quite loud/echo-y. I'd recommend a few carpets to dampen the sound. The old-fashioned toys are lovely, but the addition of a simple play-kitchen (such as from IKEA) and a wooden train set would make the space more entertaining for the little ones.
-The hotel does offer wifi, as it did when I last visited in 2011. However, the coverage is very spotty -- we had wifi on one side of our room, but not the other, and none at all over on the sun terrace or on the front patio. I'm fully in support of an analog vacation, but consistent, high-quality wifi would have helped me enjoy my time more (I was traveling without a data plan and used the wifi to find my family members and also set up a simple baby monitor using two phones).
