Castel Badia

Castel Badia

Castel Badia sits on a hill above San Lorenzo di Sebato, an 11th-century castle that Count Otwin von Lurngau built as a seat of justice before his son turned it into the first Benedictine convent for women in historic Tyrol. Abbesses ran the place for centuries, one of them leaving her initials, MAMA, carved into the stone that guests still pass today. That history reaches into the present most directly in the spa: a staircase from the castle's heart leads down to treatment suites set inside rooms once inhabited by nuns, with unlimited access to the pools, saunas and hammam included in every stay. Twenty-nine rooms and suites keep the scale intentionally small, most with mountain views, air conditioning, mini bars and bathrobes alongside the usual comforts. Outside, the Dolomites open onto hiking trails in summer and a hotel ski shuttle in winter, with Gardena Pass, Val Gardena and Campolongo Pass all within reach. There's a restaurant, a snack bar and a garden terrace for slower mornings, plus free parking and free Wi-Fi throughout. This suits travellers who want a genuine sense of place attached to their comfort, people who will spend an afternoon in a Romanesque-vaulted spa corridor and not mind that the outdoor pool only runs seasonally. It will do less for anyone chasing a buzzing pool scene or bringing young children, since the extra bed fee runs to 150 euros a night. Reopening under new ownership from December 2025, with the Gasser family, Kronplatz Holding and hotelier Aldo Melpignano, the castle is being restored stone by stone, honouring centuries of history. Few hotels can offer a spa built inside a former convent's walls. Castel Badia is an 11th-century castle in the Dolomites that became the first Benedictine convent for women in historic Tyrol, its spa now built into the nuns' former quarters. Twenty-nine rooms and a ski shuttle suit history lovers more than families, given the 150 euro extra bed fee.