Where is it? Perched alongside a dramatic tree-covered gully at an altitude of 1,500 metres, Vigilius is located in the heart of the South Tyrolean Dolomites. It overlooks the spa town of Merano and the valley's vineyard-covered floor, and offers vistas of snow-capped peaks.
Contemporary or classic? Designed by area native Matteo Thun, whose eco-friendly structures are lauded for their clean, organic ethos, the low-slung enclave is arch-modern. It is constructed largely from larch and slate that, together with bare clay and raw cement walls, quartz stone floors and unbleached natural fabrics, are in complete harmony with their rugged surroundings.
What else is different about it? Accessible only by a vintage 1912 cable car, the remote five-star bolt-hole is a therapeutic retreat unlike any other. The hotel, which features 41, television-free rooms, eschews Alpine chintz and cosiness - as well as the clamour and dissonance of motor vehicles - in favour of uncompromising minimalism. The hotel is nestled among serene foothills, which in spring, summer and autumn are bathed in wildflowers, and in winter blanketed by snow.
What is there to do? With countless trails zigzagging across the forested hillsides, many of which lead to bare mountain tops that even novice hikers can reach, most guests awake early to challenge nature - on foot or on one of the hotel's selection of top-of-the-range mountain bikes. Others make for the spectacular spa, which features a sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows, a steam room, a spring-fed infinity swimming pool and an outdoor quartz-tiled whirlpool cantilevered 10 metres above ground into a thicket of pines. Those in need of restorative remedies can indulge in a range of holistic treatments: everything from massages doled out with medicinal oils to the regional speciality - haybaths, featuring fermenting hay, clover, arnica and local flora. Daily group activities include yoga and archery.
What's on the menu? At the atmospheric Eda Stube dishes trade heavily on home-grown fare (liver dumplings for example), whereas at the Ristorante 1500 it's all inventive light Mediterranean rations, such as cheese-crusted lamb with olive gnocchi and venison steak in lavender pepper-honey sauce with shiitake mushrooms.
What's the bottom line? Rooms start at Euro290 (HK$3,050) a night.