You Can't Go Home

"You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time…"

Thomas Wolfe

“You can’t go back to Parkhotel Planac.”

No Crowds

Every year since 2005, we have skied in a wonderful, undiscovered region of the Dolomites called the Alta Badia. The advantages are many. It is a massive area of dramatic scenery, easy skiing, few lines, excellent food and comparatively low prices. For most of those years, we stayed at a brilliantly positioned hotel on the slopes outside the town of Corvara called the Parkhotel Planac. A comfortable 3 star with good food and charming staff, we were happy as clams and if you care, you can read about those halcyon days here.

But how it pains me to write the next sentence. Reader, they sold it. Yes, our hotel was sold and is under new management. All the things that made the place convenient and charming – the shuttle bus into town – gone. The gala dinner where the chef paraded something on fire around the dining room – gone. The carnival party (even during Lent) when we danced the night away with Chez Guevara and Scooby Doo – gone. What is left is a rather soulless place, desperately in need of renovation.

In fairness, the new staff tried to make us happy, the food was still pretty good, the rooms were clean and the position on the slope still fantastic. But now that the shuttle bus has been axed, you really need to bring a car if you are going to stay at Planac. As far as No Crowds is concerned, this was our last year.

As for Corvara, we still love it – for all the reasons we written about over the years. So we are searching for a new ski-on, ski-off 3* hotel in the Alta Badia filled with good food and good cheer..If you know of one, please do get in touch.

Photo Credit: Dubai Gary