Chalet Doss

Chalet Doss is a newly renovated 400-year-old chalet located in utter peace and tranquility in a national park just seven minutes’ drive from Madonna di Campiglio, the pearl of the Dolomites. It oozes Italian charm, plus it has pukka green credentials – and a knock-out giant central fireplace that blazes a huge welcome.

Chalet Doss was gently renovated in 2020 to offer a hint of luxury but it has lost none of its original charm and simplicity. Think giant larch timbers, black Smeg ovens, modern granite worktops and stone warmed with throws and bright rugs. Tasteful simplicity.

The centrepiece is the living room where a vast fire-place creates a focus point to gather round and enjoy drinks and cakes on comfy sofas, and a backdrop to the long dining room table where guests are served delicious meals in the evening.

The chalet also ticks numerous green boxes with ecological water treatment, recycling and heating systems.

Bedrooms are located across three floors at Chalet Doss, guaranteeing privacy and space for a giant throng of guests. There are nine rooms and, with the exception of one kids room, every bedroom is en suite.

The bathrooms are new and understated, in stone and wood. All have showers except the master suite, ‘Aquila’, which has a bath and shower and a private terrace opening out in complete privacy over the forest and mountain stream below. Most of the double rooms have twin mattresses so can be split into twins if necessary.

A lovely touch is that each bedroom is named after one of the animals that has been spotted from the chalet, including bear and deer. This special place is all about nature and a perfect, uninterrupted night’s sleep. The dreamy mattresses and bedding is of the highest quality and there are no TVs in the rooms.

The ‘total foodie’ owners of Chalet Doss, Jim and Veronica, are a British-Italian couple with strong roots to the area. In true Italian style, breakfasts are bread, pastries, eggs and cheese, accompanied by excellent coffee.

Afternoon tea with fresh cakes greets guests returning from the slopes, along with a roaring fire and bubbling hot tub outside. Early evening kicks off with Prosecco, wines and antipasti plates sourced from the local farm, all shared around the fire, before a three course Tyrolean meal. But no fancy food here. Think hearty mountain pastas and meat dishes followed with strudel and fresh mountain cream.

Best of all, the chalet source as much of the food as they can from close-by. It is organic and as local as you can get, including from the neighbour’s flock of sheep which grazes the chalet meadows in summer. The methods of farming are timeless and the flavours reflect this (the butter used in the chalet changes colour in the season depending on what flowers the cows are eating that month!).

Complimentary Prosecco is on offer throughout, as well as Forst beer (the regional favourite) and complimentary red and whites from the region – not forgetting the obligatory local grappa after dessert. The chalet cellar also stocks a fun breadth of wines from across Italy that can be purchased at any time alongside champagnes and gin.

Two nights of the week meals outside the chalet are organised. One is to the best pizzeria in Madonna di Campiglio (try the finferli wild mushroom pizza) and the other is to the rifugio of the local farmer, located high up the mountain overlooking the Dolomites range. Access is by car and then snow machine or beaten-up piste-basher, and the rifugio affords incredible foods and views, as well as dining under the stars.

There is a sauna and Jacuzzi wellness area downstairs with a needle shower and separate room with family bath alongside. A few steps outside the chalet there is also a wood-fired hot-tub with built in hydro massage, overlooking the river and forest all around in complete privacy.

There is a separate games room where children can play in peace, while separate tables in the kitchen can be laid up earlier so kids are served and finished before the adults enjoy their dinner.

Hearing the rustling of a badger or owl outside at night. This is elemental simplicity at its best, where sleep is treasured. Just bliss.

There are no lows!