Life & Soul Magazine’s Travel Guide to Eco Spas will whet your appetite for a vacation that brings healing to holidaymakers in accommodations that work in harmony with the planet.
6. Vigilius Mountain Resort, South Tyrol, Italy
Vigilius Mountain Resort is an eco-chic mountain hideaway with jaw-dropping views of the Dolomite Mountains whichever vantage point you are at on the premises – be it one of the luxury suites, at the infinity pool or bathing in the spa’s al fresco hot tub.
Such a simple and natural pleasure’n’treasure, this mountain retreat near Merano, South Tyrol in Italy is so at one with nature that the Vigilius Mountain Resort, at 1,500 metres above sea level, is accessible only by cable car as there is no road that leads to the resort.
With its mountain top setting, the Vigilius Mountain Resort captures the imagination in different ways for its visitors and admirers. Some have likened it to a tree house, akin to a child’s secret hiding place, and others to a mother hen who perches on her nest, placing a protective wing on her nest. To architect Matteo Thun, who designed the “green hotel”, it is simply a “luxury playground for adults”.
Owner Ulrich Ladurner has had the hotel in his sights since he was a child, remembering it as the mountain hotel known as the “Vigiloch”. Teaming up with the Milan-based architect Thun, the pair went about creating a hotel based around “eco not ego” principles. “A refuge where nature and not man is understood as the ‘creator’,” according to Ladurner.
Constructed out of renewable resources, including larch wood and glass, Vigilius Mountain Resort is functional and inspiring in design. Sleek wooden beams, two storeys high, stretch around in a slight concave making up this 5-star hotel. There’s no airs and graces – just simple, minimalist yet stylish design. The museum-like corridors display no artwork.
The no frills Nordic style rooms are also minimalist – big on wood floors and natural materials. The earth tones and colours exude warmth and character, while the breathtaking views of the woods, South Tyrolean mountains and Dolomites, are the pieces of art work in and of itself. Vigilius Mountain Resort is about embracing nature right down to the simplicity in design.
The “ode to nature” streams throughout Vigilius Mountain Resort – from the clay walls, fabrics made from natural materials, locally-produced organic ingredients used in the kitchens, to the springwater-filled infinity pool.
The Vigilius Mountain Spa is home to saunas and a steam bath, as well as signature treatments including the reflexology Plantar Massage and a Silver Quartzite Stone Massage for grounding. Simply being within the natural surroundings may be enough for you to be at peace.
This quiet and peaceful retreat is ideal for those seeking inner peace, harmony and balance. Kids are welcome but there’s not a lot for them to do. A perfect retreat for those that simply want to be at one with their inner being within nature. And for any drivers, the fact that this would be a car-less vacation, means you can really unwind without the pressure and stress of having to jump in the driver’s seat. Bliss for all!
Images: © Vigilius Mountain Resort
Rosalind Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She is a writer who specialises in sustainable life & style, music, entertainments and wellbeing. Rosalind also works as a spiritual life coach and intuitive advisor helping people to become who they truly are and manifest their heart & soul’s desires into their lives: www.rosalindmedea.com
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