Preidlhof Hotel is an Italian luxury world of wellbeing. And there is no keeping its delights under wraps. Fiona Adams reveals all
michael huber | www.huber-fotografie.at
We British are the prudes of Europe. We frown over the flirty French and harrumph at the daring Dutch, while the idea of using a sauna naked – as the Germans, Austrians and Scandinavians like to do – has us all steamed up like a hothouse.
So picture, if you will, a group of five female journalists from these shores, all clad in demure towelling ‘kilts’, enjoying a musical ‘sauna maestro’ performance by an athletic Italian wearing only a waist towel. As the maestro, Markus, theatrically added fresh aromas – lemon, mint and eucalyptus – to the coals, all the while swirling a handtowel around the room to diffuse them, we could scarcely meet each other’s eyes.
We were guests at the Preidlhof resort in Naturns, about two hours south of Innsbruck, in the Italian South Tyrol, and the sauna experience was intrinsic to our stay. Having trailed around after Markus on a tour of the sauna tower like a gaggle of giggling geese, earning a mild reproof for so doing, we were already somewhat hysterical. Now we learned that, whereas in some saunas (there are seven) it’s fine to wear a towel, in others it’s most definitely “Free Willy”.
Still, we demure British ladies held firm. We’d already fallen in love with the Preidlhof, and by the end of our stay we were all strolling around the sauna tower in the buff without a care in the world. After all, it’s not easy to keep one’s clothes when all about are losing theirs.
Set in stunning mountain scenery, with the newly built sauna centre –incorporating salt lounge, Finnish, olive and wine saunas – an extensive spa and matching range of treatments, a fitness suite with daily classes and a fantastic restaurant serving seven-course dinners (with one calorie-controlled choice per course for dieters), the Preidlhof offers the ultimate in adult wellbeing holidays. It’s a special, relaxed place where you can book in for days or weeks and do as much or as little as you want.
1 of 9
Lorenz Masser
2 of 9
michael huber | www.huber-fotografie.at
3 of 9
Lorenz Masser
4 of 9
Lorenz Masser
5 of 9
Lorenz Masser
6 of 9
michael huber | www.huber-fotografie.at
7 of 9
michael huber | www.huber-fotografie.at
8 of 9
Lorenz Masser
9 of 9
michael huber | www.huber-fotografie.at
Some guests use it as a health farm, detoxing mind and body with menus and treatments designed to cleanse. Me, I wanted to cram in as much as possible. My three days included Nordic walking, gong meditation (a lovely snooze-filled hour of relaxation), FUNctionalFIT (like high-intensity CrossFit), swimming (there are three pools, including an indoor one with a wall-mounted ‘fire’), two massages and an assessment by the in-house complementary medical expert, who told me from my resting heart rate that I was certainly fit, but that I needed to sleep more.
In fact, sleeping in Naturns was easy. As well as the sumptuous double bed with squashy pillows and pouches of dried lavender to encourage rest, my room also boasted a double bed on the balcony. And an unwinding cup of herbal tea while watching the sun go down before dinner was almost literally what the doctor ordered.
But it wasn’t all health, health, health. Local wine and gin were on offer and the food was a fabulous foray into the unknown: pineapple cream soup with curry, smoked trout strudel with apple and horseradish, fruit minestrone with exotic sorbet, plus a Saturday breakfast buffet that included mini desserts and a chocolate fountain.
On our last night, still giggly from the sauna and the wine, we went to the Deep Sea Relaxation Room – the world’s first, apparently. Here one reclines for 15 minutes on a beanbag, experiencing sounds and vibrations and watching 12,500 LED lights dance across the sides and ceiling of the hermetically sealed room in different waves and colours. Contentedly, we lay back and enjoyed the show. We even got to keep our clothes on.
- Seven nights from 1,050 euros per person (two sharing a luxury suite, full board). Rates include activities such as exercise & wellbeing classes, use of sauna tower, daily guided hikes and bike rides. Free shuttle service from Naturns station; transfers arranged from Innsbruck and Verona international airports. Tel: +39.0473.666.251; preidlhof.it
Looking for another great travel piece? Click here
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on our latest articles
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000
