Abbey of Piona

What can I say….5 stars all round. We had an exceptional stay. We have been travelling Europe for the last month staying is some stunning hotels along the road….nothing compares to the Sonus Alpis. The beds wow, service is spot on, views to die for and possible the best breakfast selection anywhere in the world. I will be back. Plus parking is FREE 😁

The hotel has a very interesting layout. It was buiilt in 1937 and is similar to the Gugenheim museum in NY, in a sense that the rooms are arranged around a spiral corridor that goes up from the first floor all the way to the 8th. Advantages: the breakfast was very good, a lot to choose from. The hotel is very close to ski lifts - about five minutes drive and the hotel provides a shuttle bus. It is also a 2 minute walk to the center of the little town of Sauze d'Oulx where shops, restaurants and pubs are. There is a ski/snowboard rental on hotel premises (in the basement) with efficient with an efficient employee (thanks Randy). There are also lockers to keep the skiing equipment. Disadvantages: The hotel is really overpriced in the winter. I'm not sure why they call themselves VIP, as the hotel and the rooms are pretty basic. Furthermore, the hotel does not have its own swimming pool, but rather the spa complex is in a separate building next door, a short walk across the parking lot. We got two vouchers for free entrance, but we were there for five days. The entrance to the pool and spa are around 18 euros per person per day. The hotel does not have landline telephones between the rooms, nor do rooms have any kettle to make tea. The two elevators constantly malfunctioned. To summarize - not a VIP hotel, probably something like 3 stars, but the stay was still very enjoyable due to the hotel's location, nice staff, great skiing and the general athmosphere.

They had to many guests to have dinner in the restaurant on sight. We were driven to a pizzaria nearby :-(