Golf Hotel Campiglio ★★★★

Madonna di Campiglio is known as the 'Pearl of the Dolomites". In winter, skiers hurtle down its 90 miles of pistes, while in summer, hikers and bikers explore the vast 250 miles of mountain trails, breathing in the scent of pine and the enchantment of its larch forests. The balmy summer weather also draws the golfing set to the 9-hole Carlo Magno course. Built in 1921 on the grounds of an imperial Austrian house, the golf course was one of the first three ever built in Italy and the first in Europe to be built at altitude. For nearly a century it has stood firm in the valley, almost unchanged. Not so surprising, considering it was designed by the great Henry Cotton himself! I'm not a natural golf enthusiast myself, but it's hard not to absorb some of the history of the place when your better half keeps repeating it ad infinitum.

Fortunately, fellow golfer Charlie eventually whisks him away to coo over the course, leaving me and Sarah to relax in the cosy surroundings of the Gold Hotel Campiglio, originally a hunting lodge for the great Austrian Court. As the empire's star fell and that of golf rose (though, as far as I know, one did not cause the other!) the pretty way-station became a mountain refuge. While the chalet, built in 1895, was designed to regal proportions for housing the royal suites of the crown heads of Austria, it was extended even further to reach today's palatial proportion; a hundred rooms, a restaurant serving local specialties, a bar and other treats await...

Historic furnishings and paintings, generous sofas and armchairs, the warmth of the fixtures and fittings are all matched by the friendly welcome. Sarah and I explore the lounges and salons, stacked with fragrant fresh flowers, the little touches that testify to a well-kept house. Italians, as you know, are famous for their hospitality, something we found in spades at the Golf Hotel Campiglio. The serving staff were meticulous and no request was too great. But then, perhaps reclining in an accommodating chair with a cocktail in hand and a good friend by your side isn't so much to ask for after all.

Expecting a fully-fledged fitness centre with loungers surrounding a heated pool? Now that surely would be greedy. Yet once again we need do no more than ask and the hotel provides. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the airy poolroom, we could see the verdant park stretching endlessly away as we enjoyed a leisurely lap of the pool. We'd follow our lengths with a restorative massage, bubbling in the Jacuzzi or steeping in the sauna. At times we'd go for walks in the grounds and hear the distant swish-thwack of golfers on the green, a comforting reminder that our husbands were never so far away.

In the evenings, their return would herald triumph and despair according to the day’s exploits, yet always full of the joys of a day spent outdoors against the backdrop of the sensational mountains. We'd gather together and enjoy the generous proportions of the Golf Hotel Campiglio's excellent kitchen. Refined specialties of Italian cuisine with quirky Germanic touches. All four together, we'd clink our glasses and toast to an excellent stay at the fabulous Golf Hotel Campiglio.