Summer hotel news update from South Tyrol

South Tyrol 1 June 2010

Recession-battered, election-weary Britons will need some reviving this summer. And anyone looking for sun, style, stars and spas will find more luxury hotel openings and ways to enjoy Michelin-starred food and award-winning wines than they could ask for in Italy’s northernmost province. Located between Verona and Innsbruck in Austria, South Tyrol will offer holidaymakers a range of stylish and idiosyncratic places to stay, with two new luxury mountain lodges - offering everything from emotion showers to colour therapy – as well as a new Philippe Starck-inspired lakeside all-suite property, an all-organic national park-based bolthole and a stylish new farm.



THE PINNACLE OF LUXURY – NEW MOUNTAIN BOLTHOLES
The four-bedroom San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge is a nature-ensconced retreat, which only opened its doors in December 2009. Nestling amongst forests and meadows in the small town of San Lorenzo di Sebato / St Lorenzen, about 50 km northeast of Bolzano / Bozen and in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Dolomites, the luxury lodge bills itself “a world away from the world.” It offers jaw-dropping mountain views from every room, as well as soft furnishings, vaulted rooms and wood-panelled corridors. Since opening the lodge in December, owner-managers Giorgia and Stefano have striven to create the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of a private home, combining contemporary décor with traditional craftsmanship and fitting the lodge with everything from an open fireplace to a traditional tiled stove.

Guests can opt to self-cater or enjoy South Tyrolean cuisine prepared by a renowned local chef, washed down with award-winning local wines from Stefano’s wine cellar (a swankily converted goat shed). Real wine aficionados will enjoy the professional sommelier’s weekly wine-taster oenological sessions. Sybarites can work off the wine in the lodge’s outdoor lounge – replete with panoramic Jacuzzi – or retire to the indoor spa area for an “emotion shower” or chromotherapy (colour therapy) session in the Turkish bath. Eight- and four-hour spa packages are available.

Price from 900 euros per day for the entire lodge (includes a Champagne welcome, complimentary spring water, free Internet access, daily cleaning and exclusive “Trehs” cosmetics).


Opened in December 2009, Mountain Chalet Obertreyen is a 200sqm three-bedroom luxury chalet in the steep wooded slopes of the northern town of Campo Tures / Sand in Taufers, the “capital of the Aurina of Tures Valley”. A self-professed “oasis of peace in pure Alpine style”, the 300-year-old chalet has received a makeover with super-stylish alpine-inspired interiors by Alexander Huber at Brunico/Bruneck-based design company Berg&Tal who added hypoallergenic mattresses and iPod docking stations whilst retaining the tiled South Tyrolean stove and large living room with fireplace.

Guests will find literally nothing to distract from the glacier-packed vistas, with a complimentary daily laundry service taking care of clothes, linen and bathrobes and the option of a dedicated chef and stress-banishing babysitter. From ski instructors and guides (mountain or ski) through to mountain bike and ski rental, massages and private transfers, the owners can arrange everything. Like all South Tyrolean properties, Obertreyen also boasts a knockout mountain spa, including a Finnish “Biosauna” and aromatherapy steam room, plus relaxation area.

Price from 2,000 euros for seven nights (47.60 euros pppn based on six sharing)


Situated amongst the vineyards of Caldaro/Kaltern, the four-star Gius La Residenza opened in July 2009. The hotel’s nine suites are super-spacious - all between 70sqm and 140sqm – with private balconies, lounge terraces or Jacuzzi/outdoor pool-boasting gardens from which to enjoy the oxygen-heavy air and views over the vineyards or Lake Caldaro (the warmest lake in the Alps). The Philippe Starck-designed kitchen, Jasper Morrison lighting and Missoni casa furnishings have been constructed out of predominantly locally-sourced natural materials, from South Tyrol-grown oak to locally mined stone. And the eco-conscious will appreciate the breathable, biodegradable plaster and hotel-wide energy-saving insulation. All fabrics are made from pure cotton or linen, without so much as a whiff of a chemical compound. The suites’ kitchenettes come equipped with everything from espresso machine to satellite television and WiFi.

The highlights of the hotel are a “VINERIA” vinotheque, home to a range of the best South Tyrolean wines, and “BalanceSpa” with its masseurs and therapists, panoramic roof terrace, free herbal tea and fruit, “AZZURRO” indoor pool and “TEMPERATA” sauna.

Guests can spend their days sailing or windsurfing on the lake; mountain biking or experimenting with the popular local sport of Nordic Walking. There are also five golf courses within 30 km of Kaltern. For an escape from the countryside and urban fix of nearby designer of boutiques Vespa scooters are on hire from hotel (the provincial capital of Bolzano is just 15km away).

Prices from 115 euros pppn on a bed and breakfast basis, including complimentary daily afternoon snack of South Tyrolean antipasti and non-alcohol beverages from the minibar.



AFFORDABLE ALPINE LUXE
The three-star Hotel Tannenheim opened in the west South Tyrolean village of Trafoi on 19 December 2009. Ensconced in the mountainous 1,000,000-acre Stelvio national park, the hotel has been constructed using as few materials as possible with an emphasis on untreated local wood, slate and steel, from spruce and larch furnishings in the bedrooms, bar and dining room to slate walls, raw steel stairs and signs to the extensive use of exposed black sand concrete (so-called Prader Sand) which is washed into the valleys from the glacial waters of the Trafoi stream. Rooms are vast - 30sqm – with panoramic views, 32-inch television, Internet access and huge windows, whilst the spa boasts a Finnish sauna, steam bath, Jacuzzi, infrared room, solarium and so-called “wellness” affusion shower which creates a fog and tropical rain experience.

Prices from just 52 euros pppn on a half-board basis (50 per cent discount for children between five and eight years and 30 per cent discount for children between nine and 14 years).


The Residence Aqualis opened in Marlengo/Marling on 28 of March 2010 near South Tyrol’s 12km “Marlinger Waalweg” irrigation channel. Run by the Egger family, the apartment residence has been designed around the theme of water and takes its name from the Latin “Aqualis” (“stream”). From the sound of the stream in front of the residence through to the Finnish sauna and Aquosus indoor pool (with its own sun terrace), reminders of water are omnipresent throughout the Residence Aqualis. Accommodation ranges from the 20sqm Amnis residences through to the 50sqm Najas family apartments (designed to accommodate six people) and 70sqm Super Family apartments (for families of eight). Residences have their own mountain-view sun terraces and fully furnished kitchens with Italian coffee machine. The 1737-built Marlinger Waalweg, which was constructed upon the request of vineyard-owning Carthusian monks, offers a great start for alpine hiking with eye-poppingly pretty views.

Prices from just 43 euros pppn on a bed and breakfast basis (in an Amnis residence).



STYLISH SPACE – SOUTH TYROL’S NEW FARM
The Gapphof is a new farm, built amidst the orchards of Lagundo/Algund, 4km outside of Merano, with views over the Adige/Etsch valley, local parkland and a natural swimming pond. Guests staying on the Gapphof will be able to enjoy seasonal fruit, vegetables and herbs from the farm’s own garden, a spacious terrace arranged with tables and chairs, barbecue facilities and sun loungers. The mountainous local area around Merano offers a multitude of outdoor activity opportunities from biking and hiking to paragliding above the Dolomites.

Prices from just 65 euros pppn on a bed and breakfast basis (based a seven-night stay).



GETTING THERE
British Airways (www.ba.com, 0844 493 0787) flies twice a day from London Gatwick to Verona from just £97 return including taxes, fees and charges. easyJet (www.easyjet.com; 08717 500 100) flies to Innsbruck from London Gatwick with prices from £37.99 one-way (incl. taxes). Bolzano in South Tyrol is approximately a 90-minute drive from both Verona and Innsbruck. Low-fare transfers run from Verona Valerio Catullo, Milan Orio al Serio, Venice Treviso, Venice Marco Polo and Brescia Verona airports to Bolzano in South Tyrol from 22 euros each way. Visit www.suedtirol.info/fly for general access information.

For more information about South Tyrol visit www.suedtirol.info.

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