We have begun an entirely new lifestyle phase in 2026. In addition to traveling 365/24/7, we are spending the winter living on the ski slopes with a whole new way of living. Cendevaves Hotel, where we stayed, was half board for three months, so no grocery shopping, no cooking, no washing dishes. We are well on the way to full assisted living (following our training for assisted living at the Four Seasons Vail).
Val Gardena got early snow, and it also makes snow on all pistes/runs, so everything was open. When we arrived, there was acceptable snow coverage, but the area desperately needed new snow. 2026 was our first ski season, after 17 years, without any skiing at all in Vail. As it turned out, both ski resorts were in dire need of snow in January and February. (We weren't missing anything by not skiing Vail, and Vail was worse off because it only makes snow on a few runs.) Not only did Val Gardena make snow on every run, but it also groomed the runs meticulously every night. Fortunately, it was just cold enough to make snow in Val Gardena (but never cold enough to provide Audre with her deep winter experience).
Our Alpine Silence Suite, with its 95 square meters (1022 square feet), had been prepared for our arrival and personalized by Noah Stuffer (966.89€/US$1139 per night all-inclusive with half board). All during our stay, Noah took very good care of us. Noah is one of the three sons of the family Stuffer that owns and operates the hotel and restaurant on land that has been in the family for generations. Anton Stuffer started the Hotel Cendevaves in 1960 and, with his wife, Maria, rebuilt and expanded it over the years. The whole family, Cristian, Birgit, and the boys: Noah, Rubin, and Ilias all were in residence during our winter stay. They and the rest of the staff were wonderful to us. In December 2024, the new building opened; when we first saw it during the summer of 2025, it really caught our eyes. We were really glad that they could accommodate us for 3 months, and it met all of our expectations.
As soon as we settled in, we went skiing on our Monte Pana slopes and then over to the Santa Cristina slopes. Everything was groomed every day. Without new snow, those slopes become solid hard pack and very icy. In addition, the cat tracks connecting one area to the other get skied off early in the day. We had to be very precise with our ice skiing--finding the snow with bumpettes and staying within that narrow belt. We waited two weeks before there was new snow, and we skied as soon as we could afterwards. The snow was light and enjoyable, but not enough. Unfortunately, Dimitri had severe left hip, groin, and knee pain after skiing. It just kept getting worse and adversely affected our skiing.
Birgit and Maria at the reception of Hotel Cendevaves arranged for Dimitri to see an orthopedic doctor at the Dolomiti Sportclinic. After x-rays and so on, the doctor said Dimitri's left hip was bone-on-bone, and he would be having referred pain to his groin and knee because of that. He prescribed physical therapy and painkillers. He said Dimitri could ski if the pain wasn't bad. When he did ski, he paid for it with pain the next day.
We loved our Alpine Silence Suite. It was very comfortable, with a separate living room and desk for Dimitri. The bedroom was large enough for a desk for Audre, so we were all set. (We only had one big bathroom that we learned to share without too much inconvenience.)
Off of both the living room and bedrooms were terraces, one with our private Jacuzzi that we could set at our desired 39 degrees. The views of the Sassolungo and Sasso Piatto Mountains were spectacular, even though they were cut off by the hotel's roof line. 
We had our very own ski room with drying lockers and a door that opened onto our private piste (with a little uphill climb of 15 steps to be honest).
Our entry hall was large and had a long bench with a hanging rack above for our coats. There was a window looking north with views of the spectacular Odle Range and the town of Santa Cristina. The views from our suite were really to die for, but we wished that there was no overhang from the roof to interfere.
There was so much closet space that we were able to fully unpack (summer and winter clothes) and put everything away. (We used the large sauna in our room for storage.)
With our half board, we started enjoying the dinners as well as the breakfasts provided. The food at dinner was diverse, tasty, and creative. While they did repeat, we were happy with the choices. Dimitri was very happy with half board. Audre struggled with her weight and increased inches—she cannot buy new clothes; it is too much trouble. She did find a seamstress in a nearby town to let out her pants. We could not finish the 4 course meals and took leftovers back to our mini-fridge. We had wonderful lunches at our dining table in our suite.
Before dinner, we would go to the lobby bar and have our glass of Cendevaves water with the nibbles provided by Dan or Amar. Dan and Amar, as well as the rest of the staff, were attentive to us, and we enjoyed getting to know them. Sometimes people talked to us, sometimes no one in the hotel came to the bar area before dinner--it depended on the guests in the hotel that week. We did have some enjoyable conversations with other guests. We met a very sympatico couple from Bavaria and had lovely chats with them. We hope to see them again during one of our road trips. Sometimes, grandmother Maria Stuffer would come to talk to us before dinner. With her we could practice our Italian. Everyone spoke such good English we had little opportunity to practice our Italian.
At breakfast, Harish, in the kitchen, made us the eggs we wanted (even using our poacher!) as well as porridge. They even made us French Toast the way we like it. Alessandra took care of us with Francesco's guidance in the dining room. Alessandra in the breakfast restaurant and Enzo in the kitchen were a delightful couple to get to know.
Francesco, from Puglia, was knowledgeable and professional at breakfast and at dinner. He and Rubin, the Stuffer's middle son, were in charge of the restaurant. They did a great job of organizing and orchestrating the meals. Rubin arranged for special orders of oysters for us; we truly enjoyed them!
The housekeeping team was great for us. Each midday and evening we would have lovely service. Mikaela and Lilly were delightful.
The hotel had an adequate gym and a wonderfully heated pool. We started doing laps, and it was really good exercise. The pool area had a large outdoor Jacuzzi that was set a temperature we could enjoy. So, when our private Jacuzzi was being repaired, we enjoyed the main one.
We didn't do much skiing because of the conditions and because Dimitri really could not (Audre did not enjoy skiing by herself). One day, we endured the awful bus to Alpe di Suisi (no lift access), and Dimitri was in great pain the next day (although not during the skiing itself).
What did we think of Val Gardena as a ski area? It was gorgeous--absolutely stunning. Over 60 or 70 years, the ski area has been cobbled together from parcels of private land. To this day, many of pistes are privately owned and maintained--we mean everything--the lifts, the grooming, everything. It is the opposite of a designed, purpose built ski area. In many respects the ski area is a "Rube Goldberg" creation. Ski Dolomiti that sells the tickets for the 12 or so different ski areas is a loose confederation. The one thing that unites the different owners is the Sella Ronda which is a world famous ski touring excursion and a huge tourist draw. Lifts have been built to facilitate doing it. It is a right of passage that we did about 30 years ago (with some buses instead of lifts). Even today, there are sections people have to take off their skis and walk. And then there is the snow itself. While the western Alps (and the Pyrenees) were being pummeled during the 2025-2026 season, the Dolomiti did not get much snow--including Cortina where the Olympics were held. The average snowfall historically has been far less than the western Alps. Over the years, Val Gardena has built the largest snow-making operation in the world. Every piste was open and groomed. We were amazed by the quality of the snow and how the whole area was kept open. But, after skiing the fabulous snow of Colorado, the Val Gardena ice skiing didn't cut for us.
In July 2025, while we were in Lyon, our friend Kent Christian came with his wife, Heather, so that he could have a hip replacement there. The famous Vail replacement doc had recommended to Kent a surgeon in Lyon. Kent was able to walk out of the hospital and up the stairs to his apartment near Lyon at about 4:30 in the afternoon after his morning hip replacement! His recovery was remarkable. Dimitri was able to get an appointment with that surgeon in June, with the surgery to follow quickly after that appointment.
Our plan was to stay in Monte Pana as originally planned until April and then, as previously arranged, go to Thailand and the Philippines for April and May 2026 (to eat mangos in season). In the meantime, Dimitri had physical therapy and a cortisone shot, hoping to salvage some of the ski season. We swam, went to the gym, and sometimes Audre skied alone. We liked our accommodations, we liked the food, and we liked the family owning the hotel and the staff. We didn't want to leave to go elsewhere.
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