Golf Lodge (Andreus Resorts) – Adults Only

The Golf Lodge sits directly on the 18-hole Passeier.Meran course, which also has a driving range, putting and chipping greens and a 3-hole short course. Thanks to the mild Merano climate the season runs from March to December. Guests pay special green fees here and at a number of partner courses across South Tyrol, from Lana to Petersberg.

For the rest of the year, and for wet days, there is the Boom Boom Room: an indoor course inside the Lodge with a putting green, bunker and simulator, which the hotel bills as "365 days of golf in South Tyrol". Bags stay in a video-monitored caddy room, the golf school's PGA professionals teach paid lessons, and a cart of your own can be hired. The weekly programme includes trips to other courses and regular guest tournaments.

One useful extra: the hotel publishes its own assessment of the local courses on its website. Passeier and Lana, it says, are generally sheltered from the wind, while Eppan and Sarnonico can be more exposed when the weather turns.

The Lodge belongs to the Fink family's Andreus Resorts, alongside Andreus and Sonnenalm. Suites measure 55-60 m² and come with either an infrared cabin or a freestanding tub; the De Luxe suites add a whirlpool on the terrace. At the top sits the Infinity Chalet, 275 m² with two bedrooms and a rooftop terrace holding a private infinity pool, sauna and hot tub. Solo travellers can book the new 25 m² single rooms.

Every room has its own assigned space in the underground car park. The hotel arranges shuttles or private taxis from the airports on request: Bolzano is about 45 minutes away, Innsbruck an hour and a half.

The Lodge's 4,000 m² wellness area is for adults only. It has a 28-metre infinity pool heated all year, a natural swimming lake and a salt-water pool on the roof. Among the saunas are a two-storey loft sauna, a herbal bio sauna and an outdoor sauna with daily Aufguss sessions, along with a 50 m² outdoor whirlpool. Treatments are booked at the Nature Spa. Guests can also use the spas at the other two hotels, 13,000 m² in all.

Chef Tobias Nikolussi runs the kitchen at the Infinity restaurant, where breakfast and a gourmet dinner are included and can be taken on the lake terrace. The Outdoor Kitchen cooks dishes in front of guests, and afternoon classes teach dumplings and Kaiserschmarrn. For a supplement you can book dinner at the Chef's Table, in the kitchen itself. The house sommeliers run weekly tastings featuring the FINKI'S Selection wines.

• Two tables per guest: each guest has one reserved on the terrace and one inside the Infinity restaurant, so where to eat can be a last-minute call.
• Palms in the Alps: the garden follows the tradition of Merano's spa-town gardens, with olive trees, cypresses, rhododendrons and palms.
• An old-school bar: a white piano, a cigar room, a fireplace and a billiard room that doubles as a library.
• The sommelier is family: Michael Fink, the owners' son, has been a fixture at the Golf Lodge since 2017.
• Tennis and pickleball next door: the Sports Area beside the hotel has two tennis courts, padel, pickleball, minigolf and beach volleyball.