Hotel Chalet Diamant Review, Kronplatz, Italy

When the snow was falling across Europe in early November the signs were good, but this proved to be a false start as Europe was then treated to unseasonably mild weather and the snow had all but disappeared by the time the resorts were officially opening.

The Dolomites in Italy were no exception and as our transfer bus climbed higher into the mountains, the scenery was more green than white and by the time we had arrived at the Chalet Hotel Diamant in the small village of San Martino, we even discussed ditching the snowboards and hiring mountain bikes.

The nearest lift is at Piculin which is only a free 3 minute shuttle bus ride away, but because of the lack of white stuff in the area this was closed. We needn’t have worried though, as were only a short journey (20 minutes) away from the Kronplatz resort, which amazingly was one of the only areas in the Dolomites to have opened for business (the only other resort was Cortina). Officially, there was only two runs open, but both run parallel with each other with a wide area in-between that could be skied / snowboarded on, with fun off-piste areas at the sides where some kids were spending their morning building kickers. Although hardly the vast, seemingly endless runs that I would associate with the Dolomites, we made use of the situation and used every inch of the terrain available. The only sour note is that Kronplatz were still charging full whack for lift pass tickets while they only had the two runs open!

On the slopes of the Italian resort of Kronplatz, in the Dolomites..

For those who regularly visit the Alps for their ski/snowboard fix and have never experienced the Dolomites, then a visit really should be on the bucket list. This magnificent mountain range is arguably the most beautiful in the world and an amazing sight at sunset, when the light from the sinking sun highlights the imposing rock faces in a vast array of orange, red and yellow shades. Believe me, no photo can ever do the Dolomites justice.

The Chalet Hotel Diamant surprisingly withholds a chalet charm despite of its size and this has a lot to do with the camaraderie and friendliness of the staff. They were all very welcoming and attentive from the moment we stepped in the front door. This tight-knit, well organised team have obviously gelled as a group and the customers are better for it. One of the team members, Andy, an obsessive snowboarder who also owns the Minus-Nine website, sorts out all the hire equipment and acts as a board/ski technician. Andy was incredibly knowledgeable and would service or repair our snowboards at the drop of a hat. Some of the staff even spent some time skiing and snowboarding with us on their day off.

The small village of San Martino is only about an hour’s drive from Cortina, but feels a million miles away from the bustling town. San Martino is typically Italian and as of yet, not been swept up with the wave of commercialism. There is a pizzeria which is only a short walk from the hotel which serves up the most incredible pizzas that are so big, they don’t even fit on the plate! The pizzeria also doubles up as the village’s only bar, so is an ideal place to visit on the Chalet staff’s day off (a tradition with ski chalets). Also, you can stock up on the essentials at a Spa which is opposite the restaurant.

For all the other days of the week, the hotel will provide you with a 3 course meal and cheese board. The food was a good standard and varied, and although there isn’t a menu of choice, the next day’s meal is announced the night before and we found the chef to be very accommodating if you do not want, or cannot eat what is planned. Complimentary wine is served throughout the meal time and there was a very good choice of cheeses available on the cheese board.

With the average skier or snowboarder burning about 3,000 calories in a day, it is important to have a good breakfast. The Chalet Hotel Diamant provides a large and varied cold buffet with anything from cereals to cold meats and cheeses available, and also a hot option which is usually something simple like scrambled eggs.

Although half board, a packed lunch can be provided at an additional cost by the hotel. This is not a bad option as the restaurants at the top of Kronplatz are very basic and not cheap. If you are to eat at a mountain restaurant it is best to venture away from the top as there are some very nice restaurants on the runs further down and far less busy. If you are still feeling peckish after hitting that last run of the day you can have a (large) slice of homemade cake when you get back to the hotel.

San Martino is a very quiet village in the evenings so we got our Après-ski fix up on the slopes. The DJ’s start pumping out the tunes from 3pm when the restaurants at the top of Kronplatz turn into Après-ski parties. This was great fun but I do advise on getting that last Gondola down as the light disappears very quickly from the mountains and that last run down, especially if you have had a few pints, could be dodgy. The safe bet is to get the Gondola down at 4.30pm and head into the Après-ski bars at the bottom. The music is very Austrian style Oompa techno cheese, but great fun.

After our evening meals we settled ourselves in the hotel bar for a few pints and games of pool (the pool table is free!). The hotel prices are very reasonable and they do specials each day.

A great feature of the hotel is that you can unwind with a swim in the indoor swimming pool, or sweat it out in the sauna before chilling in a hot tub. Unfortunately the hot tub was temporarily out of order while I was there, but the swimming pool was well heated and a decent size.

My room was large with decent storage and a reasonable amount of radiators. Your snowboard/skis, gloves and boots can be kept in the dedicated basement boot room overnight to dry. The bed was welcomingly comfortable and the hotel quiet at night. The bathroom was a decent size with a large shower and no issues of the hot water running low at peak times.

Overall, I found the Chalet Hotel Diamant to be incredibly good value for money. I had a very enjoyable week’s stay and the staff were great company to be around and couldn’t do enough for us. For those who wish to experience something different from the Alps, the Chalet Hotel Diamant provides a great opportunity for you to do so.

For more information and for booking, visit Mountain Sun