Greif

It is probably not possible to say enough nice things about this hotel, and the family that run it. My wife wanted to visit because she’s a big fan of the Max Otto Bruker diet, and the chef at this hotel is a trained adept of the Max Otto Bruker Institute in Lahnstein, Germany. It meant she could relax and let someone else do the cooking, without compromising on her diet. This hotel is ancient, being situated right in the heart of Mals. You will not need a car to get out and about, once you are here. The hotel does offer a shuttle service - which we found really helpful, coming as we did with several heavy suitcases and a curious toddler. (We arrived by Postbus, from the direction of Müstair, GR, in Switzerland.) The family owners were very helpful, and also responded very quickly to problems pointed out (to be honest, we must have been the guests from hell, but they looked after us very well nevertheless.) You’ll read reviews raving about the food, and they’re likely all true: This is a three-star establishment, but the food is more like a five star hotel (and then some.) Every meal is a gourmet effort, and I really liked the fact that you could order the recommended wine by the glass (100ml), or in 250ml or 500ml jugs. Perfect if your partner does not drink much, and a 750ml bottle is a bit much for you! The local beer is really good, too. My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary here, and we were not disappointed. Dinner works like this: There is a vegetarian/vegan (full-value Bruker) option, and a meat option, for those of us who are not quite Bruker converts. You pick an option, and go and arrange your own salad. (The ingredients are awe-inspiring when it comes to taste: I’m convinced that whoever grew the tomatoes must have sung them to sleep every night.) Once you’ve finished your salad, the starter arrives. Then the main course - and then, finally, the dessert. Breakfast is in a similar vein - you can pick anything from the Bruker Müsli option to cold meat, breakfast cereal, chocolate or apricot croissants, etc. For 5 EUR per person extra, you can also pack your own lunch from the breakfast buffet. The accommodation is modest but contains a few surprises of its own: The rooms are obviously very well insulated, and I was astonished at just how cool our roof-level room (we stayed in room 37) stayed in the baking late-July temperatures. I was thrilled that each room does NOT come with WiFi internet; rather, there is a RJ-45 Ethernet socket near the table in each room. WiFi is available in public areas. We had a problem with a window in our suite - our curious toddler quite happily crawled up onto the bench all by himself, then crawled up on to the window sill - and then happily proceeded to open the window, which had a three-storey drop outside! The owners put a bolt on the top of the window, the very next day. I can’t fault that! Some other little details: a) This hotel is officially in Italy, but the sockets are all EU (Schuko) type - so no need to bring an Italian power adapter. Your German / Austrian plugs will work just fine, here. b) They also have plenty of high chairs for young children. c) There is no functioning lift in this hotel (there was evidently one once), but they brought our heavy luggage up to our room while we checked in. d) Our suite contained TWO toilets, which was very convenient - it meant that the big business could be done in the dedicated toilet (with its own wash basin), leaving the big bathroom wife-friendly. Sometimes, these things matter! e) The wooden cupboards were very pretty, as was the panelling on the ceilings. I imagine that in winter, this place must be a paradise. f) Our toddler really loved the fact that the door handles were all lower than usual, so he could open and close doors at will. Be sure to lock the entrance door, because if your little one is curious enough, they will surely try to make a bid for freedom... g) The restaurant has several boxes of toys (including Duplo) by the bar, so if you need to find something to keep your little one occupied, that is also possible. h) Probably my biggest criticism is the pillows - they’re a little soft, and don’t offer much support. We usually travel with our own pillows, but if you don’t, this will matter. i) Our suite also came with a Chicco baby cot/playpen, with cute pillows and bedding. My wife slept with the child bedding, as the duvet was too warm for her. It was fine for me. j) The opening hours of the surrounding shops are limited - most (except for the Spar market) are closed between 12:00 and 15:00. There is also a nice town market on ?Wednesdays, right outside the hotel. We had to leave because of a family emergency, and the hotel was very reasonable in how they handled it. When things are back to normal for us, we’d love to return - and if we had to pick a time, for argument’s sake, we’d probably go in late September.