Four words: rooftop cantilevered infinity pool. Head into the eaves of this kooky mountain guesthouse for an unexpected spa experience. Tucked between the roof tiles, you'll find a sky-high pool sticking out into the fresh mountain air, a soothing Turkish bath and a modernist sauna, where guests recuperating from après-ski woes can gaze out at the surrounding peaks.

No, it's not the altitude. The views (in all directions) at this suave refuge are truly breathtaking. Perched in the mountains above Merano and surrounded by fragrant pine forests, there's one word we'd use to describe Miramonti's sleek good looks and epic surroundings: cinematic. Bond producers thought so, too. This was a 007 hangout in the 70s flick The Spy Who Loved Me. Step inside the space-age building to find Nordic-inspired suites, a handful of relaxed dining options and a superb spa. Head here in winter if you're a skier looking for a design-focused stopover close to Merano 2000.

This eco-conscious Italian hotel does not skimp on design details: fashioned to look like a log of wood cut in half, the unique exterior blends seamlessly into its wooded alpine location. Perched 1,500m high in the Dolomites, the 41-key stay is accessible only by cable car or on foot (via meandering mountain hiking paths). Take yourself to the spa for a swim in the outdoor heated pool to soak up the natural vistas. The breakfast buffet is worth setting your alarm for - a feast of cheeses and hams sourced from local producers.

Clad in blackened larch wood, the modernist extension to this family-run hotel cuts a striking silhouette in its lush valley location - all asymmetrical angles mimicking the rugged mountain topography of the Valle Aurina area. Inside, spacious rooms are pared back and minimalist: untreated wooden floors, simple furnishings and acres of off-white walls face off against picture windows looking out across the Dolomites. The owners, Michaela and Matthias Haller, are on hand to offer hiking advice and will lend you walking gear if you've arrived unprepared.

Hotel Weisses Kreuz might be 800 years old, but it's still looking sleek, thanks in part to its seamless blend of heritage quarters and contemporary design. Across three properties (built in 1236, 1871 and 2013), you'll find clean lines juxtaposed with alpine cosiness. Check into a gothic farmhouse, a 19th-century family home or an angular and light-filled contemporary stay.

Most visit the Dolomites to practise their parallel turns in the white stuff, but it's worth bedding down at this architectural gem tucked between the peaks in the summer, when snow time is swapped for sunshine and spa treatments. Start in the Finnish sauna - fashioned from the trunks of ancient Arctic spruces - then head to the mud baths to get dirty. Upstairs, starkly minimalist suites pair stone-hued linens with pale-wood walls.

Run by the same family for three generations, this hotel has a familial feel. Traditional Tyrolean exteriors blend sympathetically into the chocolate-box town of Schnalstal, providing a cosy, colloquial backdrop for your South Tyrol retreat. Staff are happy to help organise hiking tours and other outdoor adventures, but we'd strongly recommend staying put and enjoying the generous hospitality of owners Stefania and Paul Grüner. Curl up with a book in the reading room, explore the ample treasures of the wine cellar or head out into the kitchen garden for a nosy at what's likely to be part of your five-course evening dinner, served in the hotel's wood-panelled, candlelit dining room.

Tucked between vineyards, apple orchards and the exposed rocky spines of the cream-coloured Dolomites, this 1925-built vintage pad - two hours from Verona - pairs prim and proper alpine architecture with quirky interiors cherry-picked from Europe's bountiful crafts heritage. Think terrazzo floors, Murano glass light fixtures and well-polished wood furnishings made in a local workshop. The 10-key stay feels more like a home than a hotel: breakfast is taken in the cosy, wood-panelled stube and there's an honesty bar outside the bedrooms for midnight snacks. Borrow the hotel bikes for a ride through Lana's cobbled streets, or hike over to the nearby town of Merano. Post-walk aches can be soothed in the town's famous thermal waters.