Cavallino d'Oro

The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and clean, and the location is handy, just steps from a grocery store and several restaurants. Breakfast was fabulous, from the coffee to the pastries. This really felt like a five star stay, except for the service issue. There was never anyone at the front desk to check us in or out or answer questions. For that, or even to get extra towels, we had to go to another hotel a few hundred meters away. The desk needs to be staffed for at least part of the day.

The hotel's old world style is lovely, especially the carpets and ceiling woodwork. I also liked the self serve bar, the reasonably priced snacks and drinks, and the Sunday welcome drink with snacks. The building feels like an old Swiss chalet. Still, at prices starting at $285, this felt expensive, especially with so few guests around and no one really talking or playing games downstairs. The town itself was very quiet and has no good downtown. The next town over is better. The check-in setup was frustrating. You have to go to another hotel five minutes away down a hill, since this one has no front desk. With luggage, that means walking uphill to the hotel or driving back and forth. There's also no one here to ask about the area. We paid $285 in July, and the hotel wasn't full, yet we got one of its tiniest rooms, looking onto construction. The beds were small, more like children's beds, and very firm foam, so sleeping was uncomfortable. Nail guns started around 7 am. It seemed a poor choice of room, and I hope they leave it until the others are taken. We were Americans, and it felt like the hotel missed the chance to show some customer appreciation.

We stayed in December 2024. For some reason Google wouldn't let me post then, and the photos were my own. Check-in was at Hotel Villa Kastelruth, just a few minutes' walk away. Staff at both hotels were very friendly. We got garage and bus passes for each guest. The garage and Busbahnhof are a short walk away, and we could drive up to unload our bags before taking the car to the garage. The room key opens the hotel. We booked two rooms, both clean and comfortable. One had two rooms with a bathroom between them, and skylights in all three rooms. You can hear the church bells, though we didn't mind. There were robes and nice slippers, plus a handwritten Christmas welcome card and a tin of chocolates. They'd also prepared a dog bed, bowl, treats, and a red door tag with a dog picture for our dog. There's a small park nearby for walking him before a day at Seiser-Alm. The lobby has lots of seating, an Honesty Bar with a wide range of drinks, snacks for sale, and some free biscuits and croissants. We used the bar fridge for our own drinks and food. Restaurants are a few minutes' walk away, though our large group needed reservations. In December the Christmas market was still open, along with a small ice rink. They loved playing “Sweet Caroline”. The location worked well for getting around. The Busbahnhof is close by, and bus 3A, or maybe bus 3, takes you to Seiser-Alm Bahn. The buses were on time and convenient. We didn't get to try breakfast because we needed to reach the mountains early each day, though it looked delicious. Check-out was by 10 am at Hotel Villa Kastelruth. We were greeted with a warm smile and offered bottled water for everyone. There was an option to add a tip at check-out, and we did. We'd definitely stay again.

We liked everything else about the place, but the check-in and check-out arrangement was a hassle. We had to handle both at a sister hotel a block away, which was closed. The Cavallino had no staff on site. That became a problem on two evenings when a dog in the next room barked and whined, apparently left there by its owner. There was nobody around to help.