Newly renovated farmhouse, sunny location, great hiking opportunities nearby

On narrow rural lane about 1 km outside the charming village of Ega, lies the lovely Villa Thaler. The owners live on the bottom floor and on the upper level are two apartments. Ours was bright, modern and very well equipped with lots of personal touches and everything you might need (including a dishwasher!). The bathroom was fresh and very modern, and the bedrooms were of good size. Well actually it was more like one giant bedroom, with a wide opening in the wall between two sleeping areas, one with a double bed, the other with a double bunk (which our boys loved). There was no living room as such - it sorted of melted into the kitchen/dining area (it did have a sofa though). This I would say is the only downside of the apartment. Leading off this room is a small but gorgeous and sunny balcony overlooking the garden, and the grassy hillside and forests dropping down into the valley below, with views to snow-capped mountains down the valley. My wife and I spent many lazy evenings reading and drinking wine on this balcony after our boys went to bed. There is no washing machine, but there is good WiFi - using Google you will discover 3 laundromats in the centre of Bolzano. We used ECOmatic Lavanderia Self Service Laundry (Via Antonio Rosmini 39) with the largest and fastest washing machines and driers I have ever encountered (the washer even inserts its own washing powder and fabric conditioner - you needn't supply this)! We really enjoyed staying in this apartment, and the walk into the village is very pretty. A great little restaurant and pub awaits there (with the nicest waiter I have ever met!), and there is a fantastic little shop with a really good deli counter and fresh bread daily (which opens at 7 am). The village is wonderfully positioned to explore the nearby Dolomites and Bolzano. You are really in the middle of everything here, but you would never think so sitting on the balcony! This is well recommended for a couple or a family with 1 or 2 pre-teens like us. It is also very well priced considering the quality. Beware though - the owners only speak German (and possibly Italian), but they are immensely friendly and helpful when/if needed. Highly recommended!

We had a very enjoyable stay in Eggen which is a beautiful location, well placed for both high and low level walking. The city of Bolzano is well worth a visit.The apartment was spacious, clean and well equipped. The view from the balcony was excellent. However, the host was away for the week and had left her teenage son in charge. He was extremely pleasant but spoke only German and therefore was unable to communicate with us. We could not get queries answered and found this frustrating. We tried to phone the host when we arrived in the village, as per instructions, to meet us and show us to the farmhouse but got a text back saying she was in the cinema. She made no effort to contact us at any time. The road from the village to the farmhouse was closed during the week of our stay due to workmen laying fibre optic cables. There was a notice in the foyer informing guests of this but it was in German, no effort was made to provide information in English for guests. I believe that the majority of guests are German speaking and have no problems but if the host wants to attract English speaking guests she needs consider their communication needs.