Grand Hotel Paradiso

We were staying here for a week with Crystal Ski so didn’t expect ultimate luxury. Our room was spacious and clean with a huge bed but too warm and despite switching the heating off, it came back on automatically. The buffet breakfasts and dinners were very good but some gelato would have been really welcomed as an alternative to the flans, tiramisu, profiteroles and the like, on offer. As a vegetarian, it was difficult to know what was suitable to eat without asking the staff, so clear labelling would help. The ‘free’ meal in the Vinea Pasta and Pizza restaurant, which was included in the Crystal package, was a real disappointment. The pizzas were very good but only three choices of pasta and the drinks and dessert were identical but more limited than what was available in the buffet. In fact, we had no choice of dessert, which was just placed in front of us as soon as we had finished our main course. Also, there was no antipasti on offer either. The only benefit was a quieter environment. Other facilities in the hotel were available to us but at a cost. For example, 15 euros for a one hour swim at a specified time. The ski room is excellent and there is access to the slopes right outside but up a flight of metal steps. The village is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel, with the usual choice of shops you’d find in a dedicated ski resort.

We loved our stay here. We had rooms with balconies overlooking the slopes and they were generous in size with comfortable beds and excellent bathrooms (hot water was great). The room was very clean (really appreciated having hard floors and no carpet) and the cleaning staff did a great job each day. Reception staff were helpful and friendly. We visited during the Easter holidays and the hotel was full, which meant the dining room was somewhat chaotic and busy - particularly for dinner. The tables were close together and it sometimes involved two people standing up, to allow a third to exit. If you can go a bit later you would miss the rush. The food was varied and of a good quality. Wine and beer also good and sparkling or still water freely available. As a vegetarian, I would have really appreciated individual labels for the salad section and clearer labels for the hot food. I took a tomato pasta dish, which ultimately had pancetta in - this wasn’t on the label by the dish. Breakfast was fine, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, bread, meat, cheese, croissant and muffins. Plus boiled/scrambled/fried eggs, omelette, beans, sausage and bacon. Same each morning. My only quibble is that on our departure morning there was no bread or yoghurt and fruit was very limited. It’s a shame the hotel doesn’t adequately cater for the final breakfast. This was the only instance when the staff were not excellent. The dining room manager told me that it was the end of the season, so nothing to be done… A poor response and not typical of our experience otherwise of the hotel. Location wise, the hotel is at one end of Passo Tonale. This worked well for us as it was away from the hotels with all the school groups. However if you use Evolution ski school, you need to get to the other end. This is possible traversing across the slopes, but harder if you have complete novices or very small children with you (we thought Evolution ski school was excellent though). Lovely hotel and we enjoyed our week.

Took a last minute ski trip here last week through I-Ski and Crystal. Hotel is just lovely. Great setting right on the slopes and easy to ski right to the hotel. A two minute walk up some stairs and you're on the slopes. There are two apres ski huts there but the music does not impact the hotel and stops early. The hotel is not in the main part of the village itself but it is only a 10 minute walk to get to the other hotels, bars, shops and pharmacy. Hotel exceptionally clean, room was immaculate, the cleaning staff are fab, room cleaned daily. Some people complained their rooms were very tired and we saw this but the hotel is refurbishing all the rooms but obviously cannot do them all at once, our room was great, recently refurbished, comfy huge bed, big screen tv with several English channels and fantastic views. Bathroom fab with lashings of hot water from the rainfall shower. Clean towels daily. All rooms have a small fridge and safe and some (but not all bizarrely) had tea and coffee making facilities. Some rooms have small balconies our room did not, but to be honest that makes no difference. Dedicated ski room with lockable and heated lockers for your skis and boots. Ski/boot hire next door if required and we got our own skis fully serviced there for €30 each. Food was amazing. Buffet style but my god plenty of it and really high quality. A mix of English & Italian dishes and all cooked perfectly. Loads of starters and typical Italian antipasti. Children catered for very well. Fantastic desserts. Fresh bottle of good quality red or white wine every nite on your table. Breakfast an array of cold meats and cereals and fruits and full cooked breakfasts as required. Fried eggs, delicious scrambled eggs and omelettes. Coffee machines made excellent varieties of coffee. We could not find fault with any of the food either breakfast or dinner and it was better food than we've had in many a high end restaurant. Lovely bar open from 8am till midnight serving all drinks and snacks (pizza, toasties etc) and free snacks on the bar at 4pm. Plenty of places to sit and unwind. Also a lovely snug pizza/pasta restaurant next to the bar. There is a wellness centre, jacuzzi type pool and sauna/stream room and you can get treatment's like massage etc. The wellness centre is not included in the holiday price but very reasonable we thought. All the staff we spoke to from the cleaning, bar, restaurant and reception staff were very friendly, helpful and went out of their way to make our stay just right. All the staff spoke very good English and some spoke several languages and nothing was a bother for them. We have to single out a few for their exceptional service: Simone the reception manager who sorted our room and was very patient and friendly, Eleanor on reception who was just lovely and helpful, Camellia the bar manager who was so nice and always made time to chat no matter how busy she was (and she made the best latte macchiato we've ever had!) and Riccardo the head chef (and his fantastic team) who was so friendly and made sure nothing was a trouble. Overall we really could find nothing to fault, well okay, one thing maybe, the food was so lovely I think I put on a few pounds! We would give an overall 10/10 for this hotel and would not hesitate to return or recommend it for a holiday. (We have noticed some reviews saying the hotel is marketed as a five star hotel, we were told clearly when booking that it was a four-star hotel. Also some reviews have said the food was only average, we don't know why as the food for us was exceptional and high quality every day. Also breakfast and dinner were not "chaotic", the staff were very helpful and it did not feel rushed at all and there was minimal queuing despite the hotel being full. Yes, there were numerous children but it is clearly marketed as a family hotel).