Today was ear-marked to enjoy the hotel which is an oasis of calm. A lazy Sunday morning was enjoyed by all—mine started with an outdoor swim followed by as long as I could stand in the authentic Finnish sauna. I withdrew to read in the “relaxing room,” a solarium with upholstered chaise lounges, cozy lap blankets and floor to ceiling windows, which I had all to myself. One of the tag lines in the Schloss Elmau quarterly magazine, “Libretto,” that really resonated with me was “a liberating sense of space & privacy,” and it was hard to believe at that moment that the hotel was full.
At lunch, we encountered the violin maestro from the prior evening, chatted him up and sent a bottle of wine to his table. Still snowing steadily, it was the kind of weather that made you want to “tuck in” by a roaring fire for a long winter’s nap, but we instead braved the elements and went for a walk followed by the afternoon yoga session, led by Johannes, the spa & fitness director. We perused the hotel’s amazing old-fashion bookstore with 16’ high ceilings lined with book cases that require a sliding ladder to reach the upper shelves. There is a title to please every age and interest!
After much debate about what to do for dinner, we were irresistibly drawn back to the fondue restaurant for “round 2,” which was every bit as delicious as “round 1” and I discovered that little bits of soft pretzel are outstanding when dipped in the melted cheese.
Sadly, Monday morning brought Abby’s departure back to the States, but we kept up our early morning outdoor swim tradition, which she would later appreciate mid-way across the Atlantic. We were rewarded with a clear morning and watched the full moon give way to a pink-hued sunrise as we plied the salty water. I’d thought that the views from our room were amazing during the past two days of snow, but today was dazzling with blue skies and brilliant sunshine, which belied the single digit temperatures.
We had a big day planned today with an excursion to Innsbruck. Nikolai suggested we go part way by horse-drawn sleigh which sounded great so we donned all of the winter gear and got tucked into the sleigh under multiple layers of blankets and fur rugs which we later came to appreciate when we figured out just how cold it was! We threw in two bottles of Gruner Veltliner and plastic cups at the last minute and set off. It was a glorious day and I felt like Julie Christie in her troika in Dr. Zhivago, stepping back two centuries ago. We rode through the national forest that abuts the resort over the mountain and into the village of Mittenwald, which took almost two hours. The only people we passed en route were hearty souls out cross country skiing.
Half frozen, our driver who met us in Mittenwald was a welcome sight, and drove us the remaining half hour over the border into Austria. Strolling around Innsbruck’s cobbled main square, we opted for lunch at the venerable Goldener Adler Hotel whose charming Tyrolean restaurant did not disappoint. We ordered green salads and Weinerschnitzel for the table, served au natural with fresh lemons which was outstanding. Now ready for a bit of retail therapy, and in search of cute Tyrolean clothes, we tucked our heads into a little shop called Steinbock which was very fruitful and all of us indulged in boiled wool jackets and gingham shirts, all on sale! This was merely the warm up though because the plan was to return to Garmisch, the town closest to the hotel, and visit Grassegger, a Tyrolean clothing mecca, where Schloss Elmau guests receive a courtesy discount. We arrived in Garmisch after dark and the snowy lanes still twinkled with holiday lights. We even managed to find a gluhwein stand still serving its warm brew in Santa mugs during our mid-January visit! The staff was so nice and patient; they kept the store open for us and I decided to pop for a dirndl and was measured for the matching apron! Again, everyone had success and we returned to The Retreat, feeling like models for the Gorsuch catalog and wondering how we’d fit everything into our suitcases.
Our departure day was another blue bird sunny day and although it was sad for the holiday to be ending; the memories burn brightly and we know we’ll be back! It is a perfect venue for families (which entirely separate family spa, pool and children’s facilities), romantic retreat for couples, ideal destination spa for mothers & daughters or a girlfriends trip and let’s not forget that great outdoors that beckons the sports enthusiasts with two downhill ski resorts within 15 minutes, cross country skiing, snow shoeing! But it’s not just about winter… this is open year round and the wildflowers in the spring are rumored to be sensational as is the hiking during the summer.