Hotel Ansharius

The Ansharius is not in the centre of Roccaraso but in Pietransieri, the hamlet reached from via Gamberale, set at 1,359 metres of altitude on the slope that looks over the Cinquemiglia plateau. It is a position that changes the stay: the ski lifts are a few minutes away by car, but in the evening around you there is the silence of a mountain village instead of the traffic of the main road. The property is modern, of modest size, and receives adults only.

The wellness circuit, room by room

The spa is the reason it is worth climbing all the way up here. The circuit opens with the sensory shower, goes on into the indoor pool with a whirlpool and then alternates the dry heat of the Finnish sauna with the steam of the steam bath, which here really does exist and is not a given in a hotel of this size. The Kneipp circuit closes it, the pool at alternating temperatures that gets the circulation going again after a day on the skis or on the paths. Next to it is the area devoted to massages and beauty treatments, bookable separately, with packages designed for couples.

The rooms are divided between superior doubles and suites, many with a terrace or balcony facing the mountains, furnished with light wood and warm fabrics. Breakfast is prepared with fresh produce and remains one of the points the management insists on most.

It is the right address for two people who want the Abruzzo mountains without giving up warm water at the end of the day, and who are looking for a small house where the staff know your name. Anyone travelling with children must look elsewhere: the rule applies to the whole property, not just to the wet area.