A cryogenic chamber at −85 °C, a six-storey sauna tower, six pools of seawater, a spring at 37.5 degrees: at hotels for golfers the spa can be a very different thing from one place to the next, and it pays to choose before booking.
After eighteen holes, the spa should be an extension of the round, not an activity to squeeze in. Italian golf hotels, however, have very different spas: some focus on saunas, some on seawater, some on a thermal spring, some on a medical programme lasting several days. For any health effect of the treatments, it is best to consult the professionals at each property.
Before choosing: five useful questions
- How much does golf matter compared with the spa? In some hotels the course lies beneath the windows, in others it is a quarter of an hour by car or more: the spa weighs differently in the balance of the day.
- Are there age limits? Many upmarket spas are reserved for guests over 14 or 16 (or, at adults-only properties, for everyone): if you are travelling with children, this is the first thing to check.
- Swimwear or none? In Central European-style spas the sauna areas may be swimwear-free; the Hotel Preidlhof, for example, states this for its saunas and rooftop spa.
- Do the opening hours work with your tee time? Many spas open at 10 am: after a dawn start there is no problem, but before a morning tee time there is.
- Is access included? It depends on the hotel and the rate: at the Grand Hotel Fasano spa access is included in the stay; elsewhere (as at Il Picciolo) entry is included when booking on the hotel's own website; in other cases it is paid separately. Always ask when booking.
The comparison in a table
| Hotel | Where | What sets the spa apart | The golf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andreus Golf & Spa Resort | Passeier Valley (BZ) | 8,000 m², ten saunas, cryogenic chamber at −85 °C | 18 holes of Passeier.Meran on site |
| Preidlhof | Naturno (BZ) | 5,500 m², six-storey sauna tower, adults only | discounts on four South Tyrolean courses |
| Quellenhof Passeier | San Martino in Passiria (BZ) | 10,500 m² in areas for different ages | four holes of its own and Passeier Meran 5 minutes away |
| Hohenwart | Scena (BZ) | VistaSpa 16+, panoramic pool at 34 °C, seven saunas | Golf Club Lana and discounts at South Tyrolean clubs |
| Terme di Saturnia | Manciano (GR) | thermal spring at 37.5 °C | 18 holes, par 72, in the resort |
| Villa del Parco, Forte Village | Pula (CA) | Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa, six seawater pools | Is Molas, booked through reception |
| Grand Hotel Alassio | Alassio (SV) | Thalassio Medical Spa, 1,500 m², Ligurian Sea water | Garlenda about 10 minutes away, according to the hotel |
| Verdura Resort | Sciacca (AG) | Irene Forte Spa, 4,000 m², four thalassotherapy pools | Kyle Phillips's courses in the resort |
| Argentario Golf & Wellness | Porto Ercole (GR) | Espace Wellness, 2,700 m², indoor saltwater pool | 18 holes, par 71, in the resort |
| Il Picciolo | Castiglione di Sicilia (CT) | Ætna Spa, 940 m², 90-minute circuit | 18 holes, par 72, in the resort |
| QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga | Calvagese della Riviera (BS) | seven pools, twelve relaxation rooms | 27 holes of Arzaga on the estate |
South Tyrol: the spa of saunas
If your idea of a spa is dry heat, steam and Aufguss infusions, South Tyrol is the natural choice. The style is Central European: long circuits, many saunas, schedules set by the infusion programmes.
At the Andreus the wellness area measures 8,000 m², of which 2,500 are devoted to saunas: the most spectacular, the DOME, covers 85 square metres and is five metres high. There are seven pools, including a 33.33-metre sports pool and a saltwater infinity pool reserved for adults. The course, Passeier.Meran, lies directly on the resort and can be played from March to December.
At the Preidlhof in Naturno, reserved for adults aged 16 and over, the spa covers 5,500 m² with 8 saunas and 7 heated pools; the thermal water comes from a depth of 200 metres. The Sauna Tower, from 2013, has six floors and 18 saunas, steam baths and relaxation rooms. There is no home course here: the hotel is a partner of Golf & Country Südtirol, with green fee discounts at four courses, and guarantees a tee time if you book at reception.
The Quellenhof Passeier is the choice for those travelling with the family: its 10,500 m² of wellness are divided by age, with a rooftop spa for adults aged 16 and over, the Vital-Spa from 14 and a Family-Spa for children from 6. At the Hohenwart the spa has two souls, the VistaSpa for guests over 16 and the FamilySpa for all ages, with three pools and seven saunas.
Those who prefer a more intimate spa have other options: at Castel Fragsburg, 20 suites above Merano, the Castellum Natura Healing Spa works with ointments and tinctures prepared in-house, and the courses of the Passeier Valley and Lana are, according to the hotel, about 30 minutes away. The Parkhotel Marlena, for adults aged 14 and over, has 1,000 m² of wellness and seven types of sauna; the family that runs it, according to the hotel, also founded and manages Golf Club Lana.
Thermal springs and thalassotherapy: hot water or seawater
If what you want is water, there are two routes. The first is thermal: Terme di Saturnia stands on the spring which, according to the resort, emerges at 37.5 °C after about forty years of underground travel from Monte Amiata. The Ronald Fream course, an 18-hole par 72 of 6,316 metres, is in the resort, and the Golf Inclusive offer provides one 18-hole green fee per day for each player. The course is also tended with spring water, sprayed every week.
The second is the sea. The Forte Village, in Pula, gives guests of Villa del Parco direct access to the Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa, a circuit through six seawater pools; reception arranges departures and rentals for Is Molas. In Alassio the Thalassio Medical Spa is fed with water from the Ligurian Sea, is run by a medical director and is open, according to the hotel, from March to January, including to non-residents. At Verdura, in Sicily, the Irene Forte Spa has four outdoor thalassotherapy pools.
Resorts with a course: the spa after the last hole
If the aim is not to leave the resort, few addresses remain. At the Argentario, where the 82nd Italian Open was played in June 2025, the Espace Wellness Center covers 2,700 m² with an indoor saltwater pool and a MediSpa area; the course is in the resort. At Il Picciolo, on Etna, the Ætna Spa occupies 940 m² and the 90-minute circuit includes a Turkish bath, Finnish sauna, reaction pool and hydrotherapy pool; entry is from age 16 and the clubhouse of the course is two minutes' walk from the hotel.
On Lake Garda, the QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga has a QC Terme group spa with seven pools, twelve relaxation rooms and seventeen experiences, on the estate of the Arzaga course. At Verdura the courses, Performance Centre and spa share one resort: a combination for those staying several days.
Spas with golf nearby
Not every spa needs the course around the corner. The Grand Hotel Fasano, on the Brescia shore of Lake Garda, has the Aqva Spa with five pools, from the outdoor pool at 34 °C to the cold one at 15 °C, and includes access in the stay; the hotel recommends the courses of Gardagolf, Arzaga and Bogliaco. At Villa Cipriani, in Asolo, the panoramic infinity-edge pool and the Sothys area (sauna, steam bath, sensory showers) sit alongside the 27 holes of the Asolo Golf Club some 12 km away, according to the hotel. In Franciacorta, L'Albereta hosts the only Italian venue of the Chenot Method, according to the hotel: programmes of 3 to 7 days.
How to organise the day
- Round in the morning, spa in the afternoon. This is the simplest pattern; check closing times (the spa at Il Picciolo closes at 7 pm, those at Alassio and Torre Maizza at 8 pm).
- Active rest the next day. At resorts with several days of golf it pays to slot a spa day between two rounds.
- Book treatments on arrival. Treatment rooms are few (nine at Alassio and at the Almar) and fill up at weekends: at the Grand Hotel Rimini, for example, treatments must be booked 24 hours in advance.
- Respect each spa's rules. Swimwear or none, silence, infusion times: they differ from one property to the next.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotels in Italy have a golf course and a spa?+
With the course in the resort or a few minutes away, for example: Andreus (Passeier Valley), Terme di Saturnia, Argentario Golf & Wellness, Il Picciolo, QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga and Verdura Resort.
Where are the spas with the most saunas?+
In South Tyrol: Andreus declares ten saunas, the Preidlhof eight plus a six-storey Sauna Tower, the Hohenwart seven, the Parkhotel Marlena seven types.
Is the spa included in the room rate?+
It depends. At the Grand Hotel Fasano access is included in the stay and at Il Picciolo entry is included for those who book on the hotel's website; elsewhere the spa or treatments are paid separately. Ask when booking.
Can you go to the spa with children?+
It depends on the hotel: many areas are reserved for guests over 14 or 16 (Il Picciolo, Almar, Hohenwart VistaSpa), but others have family areas, such as the Quellenhof Passeier, with a Family-Spa for children from 6.
Which spa should you choose after a day of golf?+
There is no single answer: it depends on what you are looking for. For saunas, South Tyrol; for hot water, Saturnia; for the sea, Sardinia, Liguria and Sicily. For data on the physical effect of treatments, consult the medical staff at the property.
Do you need to book the spa in advance?+
For treatments, yes, it is best to do so as soon as you know your dates; for the wet areas (saunas, pools) access is generally free for guests.
