When we travelled the Dolomites early September 2020, we picked several stops to cover most of the Dolomites from west to east. So after starting the trip in Merano, we made our way east, having our next stop north of Merano.
A beautiful family-run hotel near the town of Mühlbach, about 50km north of Bolzano and 30km north of the amazing St. Magdalena. We made Nature & Active Hotel Rogen our next stop, which turned out to be a pretty sweet decision.
Checking in to the hotel went super smooth. The lady at the reception gave us a tour through the hotel, showed us the main features and told us about ¾ board that the hotel offers. Then she brought us to our room and showed us our amazing Enzian suite, one of the suites of the hotel.
Location Nature & Active Hotel Rogen
This family owned hotel is located in the middle of the Dolomites, near the town of Mühlbach, on the sunny plateau of Rio Di Pusteria, at the entrance to the Pustertal, one of the main valleys in South Tyrol.
It takes about an hour to get there from from Merano and 45 minutes from Bolzano, and is very easily accessible by car. Coming from Bolzano, particularly the last part of the journey is worthwhile. A beautiful winding mountain road, new views after every turn. It turns out to be just a small taste of what to expect at the hotel.
The closest airport to Nature & Active Hotel Rogen is Innsbruck. From Innsbruck it takes just over an hour to get to the hotel.
Love for Nature
Getting out of the car after arriving at the hotel, you’ll immediately notice the complete silence. The only sounds you hear are the sounds of nature. We fully experienced that during our entire stay, and the restful sounds of cowbells and church bells.
The hotel is surrounded by nothing but green hills, mountains and amazing views. Both the front and the back side of the hotel offer endless mountain views. This hotel overlooks a beautiful valley at the back of the hotel, so make sure to take in these views while having a drink on the terrace or relaxing at the pool.
Enzian Suite
We were lucky to be given the Enzian Suite, which are actually two former rooms combined into one large suite. So when entering the room, you first step into a hallway, with two doors connected to it, room 114 and room 115. When booking the Enzian Suite, both rooms are yours!
Actually having two rooms, also means you have two bathrooms. And that is something we very quickly got used to. The Enzian Suite comes with two televisions, one in your bedroom, one in the living room, where you’ll also find the sofa.
Then the Enzian Suite has two balconies, one very large balcony, with two chairs and two lounger seats, offering panorama views of the mountains. The second balcony is smaller, but still offers some amazing views and two chairs to enjoy them.
You’re also provided with a bathrobe and slippers for you to use throughout your stay for spa, wellness and pool use.
Check out is at 10AM, which I think is quite early to be honest.
Almencard Plus
Upon check in you’re provided with an extensive folder, including the keys to your room, all information regarding the hotel and exclusively in Summer also the Almencard Plus. Your personal ticket to a world full of experiences. This card gives you free travel by public transport and free admission to over 90 museums. On top of that this card also offers free use of nine mountain cable cars, free participation in the weekly program with great cultural, active, and hiking offers and Special prices at all bonus partners such as shops and leisure facilities.
And the best part, you get it absolutely for free when staying at the Nature & Active Hotel Rogen. So you better extend your booking as you have plenty to do now.
Wellness & Pool
This hotel offers a full wellness with sauna, ice bath, spa, massages, whirlpools, a fitness area and an inside and outside pool. These can all be found in the basement of the hotel. Rogen’s Nature Spa also offers plenty of treatments and products.
From the wellness and spa area you also have an outside area where two saunas and the ice bath are located. Both saunas offer amazing mountain views. I think this is by far my favorite spot of Nature & Active Hotel Rogen.
At the roof of the hotel there is a lounge area with lounge seaters, a refrigerator with cold drinks and a jacuzzi. The drinks from the refrigerator are pretty cheap, so enjoy some cold refreshments and the endless views from the rooftop.
During the day, until about 3.00 – 3.30 pm the pool and the hotel are extremely quiet. I guess most guests are out exploring the region with the Alpenpass. As the weather was hot for early September, we had 29 degrees, we decided to spend our day at the pool and enjoy Hotel Rogen to the fullest. Also, in the afternoon, after 3.30 pm, when all guests return, the pool gets rather busy.
Next to these amazing pool and wellness facilities this hotel also offers a large kids playing area. I have to admit, it’s also suited for adults! There is this digital interactive playing table with dozens of games you can play with up to 4 people. They also have a soccer table, and the best thing, a large television with a PlayStation. How cool is that?
¾ Gourmet Board Nature & Active Hotel Rogen
Staying at the Nature & Active Hotel by the Rogen family comes with ¾ gourmet board. It basically means that you start your day with breakfast, then at mid-day they serve the daily soup, in the afternoon they offer homemade snacks, bread rolls, meats and cheeses. But that is not it...
Just before dinner you’re welcome for a small aperitif at the hotel bar, after which dinner is served. After dinner you’re also invited to the cheese platter. Dinner is served in 6 courses, starting with a salad, a soup, then a cold and warm appetizer, followed by the main dish, dessert and to finish with the cheese platter if you wish. So, if you get hungry while staying at Nature & Active Hotel Rogen, then that really is your own fault.
At the restaurant you are assigned your own table for both dinner and breakfast. Breakfast is a large buffet with a wide range of choices.
Behind the hotel you will find the hotels own herbs garden. The herbs you see being used in their dishes all come from that garden. They also have their own bar where you can enjoy drinks all day long. There is a large terrace at the back of the hotel, where you can take these drinks and enjoy the views.
Things to do around Nature & Active Hotel Rogen
The surrounding area of this hotel offers plenty of outdoor activities. Still, there are two absolute must do’s not far from the hotel. Both are within a one hour drive from the hotel, and I promise you won’t regret visiting them.
Lago di Carezza
The first one I would strongly advise visiting is the amazing Lago di Carezza. Lake Carezza, or the Karersee is a small alpine lake in the Dolomites. It is known and famous for its wonderful colors and its view of the Latemar mountain range.
The lake is fed by underground springs from the nearby Latemar mountain range. This lake is one of the classic tourist destinations of the Dolomites, popular to visit in both Summer and Winter. Read all our tips for visiting Lago di Carezza in our complete guide, including multiple photos, places nearby, etc.
St. Magdalena
My second recommendation is the equally popular St. Magdalena. The amazing mountain peaks and the church of Santa Maddalena are the symbols of the Val di Funes.
This church, obviously with the mountains in the background, is one of the most popular photo motifs of the Dolomites.
St. Magdalena is only a short 30-minute drive from the hotel, and therefore an absolute must do when staying in this part of the Dolomites.
You can visit the church, but you do have to pay a small fee of €4 each to enter the valley and to walk up to the church. Probably due to Corona, the doors to the church were closed and locked, so we couldn’t experience the inside.
Amazing service
Travelling the Dolomites I often thought I was travelling Austria instead of Italy. All these classic Austrian buildings everywhere, and the German language as the working language. I often forgot that we were actually in Italy.
Arriving at the Nature & Active Hotel Rogen, it was the classic Austrian feel. It’s what you have in mind when you think of Austria really. A typical Austrian alpine chalet with red geraniums on all balconies. I love it! But then in Italy...
On top of that the Nature & Active Hotel Rogen is a family business, and that is evident in everything. We were expected upon check in and were warmly greeted. Service is extremely personal and you get the feeling you really get to know the family members. There is even a full floor of the hotel that is the families residency.
Looking for a relaxed place to stay, focused on nature, in summer to hike the mountains, or in winter for skiing and snowboarding? Stop searching because Nature & Active Hotel Rogen is your getaway. Surrounded by nothing but mountains this place offers peace and quiet to the fullest!
This blog was written by travel writer and Traveltomtom team member Ashley. She travelled the Dolomites and Northern Italy early September and stayed at the Nature & Active Hotel Rogen on behalf of Traveltomtom, and wrote this blog about her experiences of this hotel.