For my 40th birthday in December we booked the brand-new AKI Family Resort in the Dolomites, Italy and it was everything I hoped it would be.
Last year we’d been converted to the idea of snow holidays (even though we don’t ski!) by the wonderful experience we had at Feuerstein Resort in South Tyrol. We were charmed by the Italian Alps in winter and fell in love with the concept of family spa hotels.
For my 40th, however, we made a conscious decision to book a family-friendly hotel that felt adult-centric. I wanted our 5-year-old to have fun but not be overwhelmed by the number of activities on offer. It was important to me that we got the balance right between family time and some adults-only R&R – I mean, you only turn 40 once, right?!
I’m pleased to report that AKI nailed the brief.
(Just in case you are wondering, our trip was self-funded and the hotel didn’t know we’d be reviewing them. This is my completely unbiased opinion.)
What to expect at AKI Family Resort
AKI is the first family resort by ADLER who operate a number of beautiful spa hotels and resorts across Italy. It only opened in November 2024 so everything is immaculate and freshly finished. Being a part of the Adler brand, however, meant that the service and experience overall felt established, consistent and exactly what you’d expect from a luxury hotel. Based on our experience, you’d never know that they’ve only been operating for a few weeks.
The hotel’s design is absolutely beautiful. 70 guest suites are spread over 2 storey blocks that are nestled into the hillside. Taking centre stage is the huge indoor/outdoor infinity pool that offers sweeping views of the valley and has more than enough space for guests to enjoy a reflective moment to themselves.
The hotel lobby is one of the coolest I’ve ever seen. Not only do the check in desks have steps so little guests can join in the process, but just in front of them is a huge cargo net and slide that takes you to down to another play area on the ground floor.
From the moment we arrived our son was in heaven – climbing, exploring and riding mini Vespas – and so were we, as the car was unloaded and parked for us and we sat sipping a welcome drink while hearing all about what the resort offers.
What's included at AKI Family Resort
Aside from staying in very calm, considered and child-friendly surroundings, a holiday at AKI Family Resort comes with:
* Complimentary childcare from 9am to 9pm daily
* All meals and non-alcoholic drinks
* A programme of family activities including crafting at the wood workshop/ painting studio
* Adults-only spa access
* A mini farm with resident alpacas
We stayed at AKI Resort for 4 nights and these were the highlights of our stay:
AKI Water World
Aside from the stunning infinity pool mentioned earlier, what I loved about the AKI Water World was how many different areas there were to relax in. Huge comfy couches surround the main pool but in addition to that you also have relaxation spaces with cosy beds and blankets to snuggle up with a cup of hot tea.
Watch this reel for a tour of the hotelThe family spa is excellent too. We really enjoyed trying out the sauna and steam room at child-friendly temperatures; our 5-year-old even gamely cooled down in the outdoor snow shower.
For younger children there is a baby pool and slide in a separate room, and for thrill seekers there are waterslides including an adventure tyre slide that my husband and son did about 20 times!
Meanwhile I curled up with a book and herbal tea in the silent room that overlooks the snow-capped mountains.
AKI Kids World
We were really impressed with the kids club at AKI. Usually, the kids club is not something we’ve utilised on holiday as our son isn’t interested, but at AKI he could see through the windows to the Montessori-style playroom with lots of different role play areas and was keen to go in.
We found the staff really welcoming and spoke excellent English. As we were often busy at the spa or out sightseeing, Miles only attended for a few hours at a time, but often he had someone playing games, crafts or puzzles with him one on one.
His favourite afternoon was when they went on a forest walk around the hotel grounds. I was just on my way to collect him when the kids club called me via WhatsApp and asked if I’d be happy to let Miles join them on an outing as he didn’t want to miss out. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever gone to collect my son from somewhere and been sent away again!
We also really enjoyed the free family activities. There is a daily changing programme of seasonal activities you can sign up for during your stay. Whilst there in December we made Christmas decorations at the wood workshop and decorated cookies in the kid’s restaurant. We booked all our activities once we arrived at the resort and there was always lots of availability.
Due to the time of year we didn’t use the outdoor play areas but we loved the cosy games tables near a roaring fire, utilised the play barn with climbing ropes and suspension bridge that can be accessed anytime, and hung out in the teen lounge playing air hockey and ping pong.
There is evening entertainment in the theatre consisting of games, movies and dance parties but we were often too tired to attend these! One evening Miles took part in a memory game and another he asked to go to Kids Club until closing. Mostly we enjoyed movie nights under the duvet back in our comfy suite.
On our final day we signed up for a mini farm tour and were delighted to discover it involved taking the alpacas out for a morning walk. Miles absolutely adores animals so we had popped into the mini farm most days to say hello to the alpacas, goats, rabbits and chickens, but it was brilliant to have such a hands-on experience too.
Overall, we loved that there was a mix of bitesize activities we could do as a family but not so many options that it felt hectic. The Kids World is all contained in the main hotel building so there isn’t far to walk between each activity either. While we did a lot it didn’t feel rushed as everything ran seamlessly and was close together.
We made up plans as we went along, depending on what everyone fancied. Miles surprised us by sometimes dropping into Kids Club both before and after dinner, leaving us parents to enjoy a quiet drink in the bar and feel 10 years younger!
Adults Only Spa
Our first morning at the hotel my husband and son went to the wood workshop and I snuck away for a massage at the adults-only spa.
Tucked away in a stand-alone building in the forest is the absolutely idyllic spa cabins that are connect via secluded footpaths to the forest saunas, outdoor plunge pool, firepit and yoga pavilion.
I had an amazing full body massage followed by some down time in the relaxation area and the setting was as spectacular as the treatment.
Unlike in the family spa, the forest saunas are traditional, which means you can’t wear any clothing. I’m afraid to say, I’m too much of a prude to enjoy this style of recreation, but maybe one day I’ll pluck up the courage!
AKI Full Board
All meals are included in your stay at AKI and the food was honestly incredible. I also loved how sophisticated the restaurant felt even while catering to families on every table.
Dinner was a particular highlight with a generous buffet of antipasti, live cooking stations and a daily changing 5-course a la carte menu. The Italian dishes were spot on but we also really enjoyed trying regional specialities like Alpine pork and venison.
The dessert buffet never failed to impress. The pastries and mousses we’d watched get prepared in the kitchen earlier were always a delight (there’s a huge window into the kitchen and steps for kiddies to peer in), but our favourites were the strudel and gelato that made a regular appearance.
Children have their own buffet sections as well as a kid’s restaurant if they want to eat with their friends. Miles is a fussy eater but never went hungry here. His particular favourites were pancakes for breakfast, the salad bar at lunch and pasta ragu cooked on demand every evening!
For those with babies, I thought it was really handy that there are stations in the restaurant and lobby with a microwave, bottle warmer, formula and purees, available free of charge whenever you need them.
Family Suites
The rooms are a fabulous, modern traditional mix of pine cladding, plaster, comfy seating, underfloor heating and thoughtful amenities.
We stayed in a Family Suite that was generous and cosy, had heaps of storage (so important for winter travel), a huge bathroom and separate children’s bunk room.
The Family Suites sleep up to 5 guests but the hotel also offer a Family Home that has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and accommodates up to 7 people – so perfect for larger families.
There’s a fridge with complimentary soft drinks in your room as well as a coffee machine, kettle, microwave and some basic crockery.
I loved the informal seating area where we could relax and play and appreciated that the TV had Netflix so we could snuggle up and watch Xmas movies at bedtime.
Our room had a beautiful unobstructed view of the pool and a generous terrace with daybed that would be great to lounge on in warmer months.
Housekeeping were great and everything from the robes to toiletries were of the highest quality. I honestly could not fault anything; it was the cosiest stay ever.
Winter Activities
The nearest ski resort is Plose, which is approximately 6 mins drive from the resort. The hotel offers ski hire, a shuttle & children’s ski courses. There’s also a small slope on the resort for kiddie practise.
We don’t ski but visited Plose for the family-friendly toboggan runs, winter hikes and the Plosebob bobsleigh ride that my son loved so much we did it twice.
What to do in the local area
We also used the hotel as a base to explore some of the famous Dolomites viewpoints.
We took the cable car to the top of Seceda to enjoy panoramic views and a schnitzel at 2500 metres.
We also enjoyed exploring the picture book town of Ortisei, which is connected to the Seceda cable car by a series of tunnels with moving walkways in them.
Before flying home, we also headed to Santa Maddalena in Val Di Funes, which has one of the most beautiful panoramic views in the Dolomites. There is no public access to the church by car so we parked in the village and hiked up there following a well signposted path. You get an even better view if you continue walking up past the church and get a photo with it in the foreground, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go any further.
Getting to AKI Family Resort
The nearest airport to Aki Family Resort is Bolzano (approx 50 mins drive away).
We found more flight options from Innsbruck so flew there from London Gatwick with Easyjet. It was an easy 90-minute drive from the airport to the hotel and the car hire process was very swift and pain-free. We booked via Discover Cars and paid €333 for 5 days, which worked out much better value than taking a taxi or hotel transfer.
Read next:
Feuerstein Review – Magical 5 star family hotel and spa in South Tyrol
I hope that answers any questions for those planning a visit. You can also check out my highlights on Instagram for more information about this trip.
