Mr and Mrs 50 Plus visited The Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort in South Tyrol! Here’s what they thought of it ….
We’ve just returned from a holiday in what’s without doubt the best spa hotel we’ve ever been to! Preidlhof is an adults only spa hotel, the like of which we just don’t have here in The UK.
Comfort Room Romantic Fire
After an uneventful lunchtime flight from London to Innsbruck, we checked into the hotel within a couple of hours. We had the Comfort Room Romantic Fire and what a gorgeous room it was. Plush grey decor with pops of pink in all the right places. The views were exceptional and we had not one but two private outside areas.
The striking contemporary room had all the mod-cons going including a Nespresso and tea desk, patio heaters on the outside decking, aromatic herb pillows to aid sleep and much more. Preidlhof really have thought of everything. In the wardrobe we found a rucksack for hiking, a money belt, an umbrella, a spa bag each, bathrobes, slippers … We slept like the proverbial logs while we were there. A combination of being so chilled from the relaxing spa days and the luxury box-spring bed with ‘Sleep-Fit Health System’!
The Dolcevita resort also has Vespas which they loan out free of charge. And not just ordinary Vespas either but cute yellow Vespas! Book when you arrive though as it turns out they are extremely popular.
Preidlhof DolceVita Resort
At Preidlhof there are many indoor and outdoor pools of varying temperatures, three spa baths, a wellness garden with lemon and olive trees aplenty, a meditation pavilion, a white silence lounge, relaxation rooms, vitamin lounge (!?), a salt room and saunas galore! Feel more comfortable in a swimsuit then that’s fine but if you want to go naked then that’s ok too. There are naked and clothed floors in the huge and impressive Spa Tower and there are some mixed floors. It’s entirely up to you. If you really don’t want to be faced with some randomer’s meat and two veg first thing in the morning, then do the British thing and wear the Spa Kilt that Preidlhof provides. It’s not really a kilt but it preserves your modesty if that’s what you want so who cares about the semantics.
Before our arrival, we’d talked through a few treatments with Claudia the Spa Manager who made us feel very comfortable when showing us the private SPA Suite. We’d booked a Serail Beauty Bath for the two of us. A herbal steam bath with all manner of different healing muds and a fab sea-salt exfoliation.There was a lovely relaxation room for afterwards with a refreshing and indulgent Prosecco. What a treat! Our skin felt so soft afterwards!
Preidl Spa
I then had the Phyto-5 Anti-Ageing Facial with Marion. It wasn’t one of those dark room, candles and whale music sleepy facials. I really felt that my skin was being ‘treated’.Marion had a good look with a magnifying glass before identifying the main issues. She even managed to find a couple of blackheads I didn’t know I had! Perhaps we should all examine our faces with magnifying glasses now and again. It was a totally holistic facial and I have to say my skin felt energised and looked kind of plumped-out afterwards. No I didn’t look twenty again but I did look brighter, fresher and I felt great.
Nigel had the ‘Free Your Mind’ Treatment. Acupressure points on his head, neck, face and arms were stimulated to release any muscle tensions. He said it felt like a good muscle workout which he surprisingly enjoyed.
Deep Sea Relaxation Room
Ok so next we went in the Deep Sea Relaxation Room … twice! Each time Mr 50 Plus managed to get in ‘the zone’. Me, however? Nah, it didn’t work for me at all.
Several people had told me to have no preconceptions and to go in with an open mind. I swear I did everything I could to relax. In the white room before we entered the Deep Sea room, I practised every exercise in mindfulness that I knew. In the actual Deep Sea room, I drifted from mindfulness to mindlessness but to no avail. From the comfort of my huge squishy beanbag, I watched the 24,500 coloured LED lights flitter across the walls and ceiling. I listened to the relaxing music, but NOTHING. Mr 50 Plus was in a zen-like state but I was just left puzzled by the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very pleasant experience but I reckon I’m too much of an overthinker for this sort of thing.
Preidlhof is built into the hillside in a little Italian town called Naturns. We both found it really strange how German/Austrian the place was. The vast majority of people we met were German speakers and there was a big German influence on the food. The unfailingly friendly staff seemed to be comfortable speaking German, Italian and English and a few smatterings of other languages too.
Michelin Gourmet Food
And talking of food, there was an awful lot of it. A huge buffet breakfast led into a varied lunch buffet with the best Apple Strudel ever. And the 7 course a la carte gourmet menu in Preidlhof’s Michelin starred restaurant in the evenings was something else. We genuinely found it difficult to choose from the menus as there were so many delicious options. There’s even an option to detox if that’s what you want from your spa break. For us however, the food was way too good to even consider depriving ourselves and opting for ‘the grape diet’!
Preidlhof is most definitely a couples hotel although we did see a few groups made up of couples who clearly met up every year there. It’s always a good sign when you see returners to a place. Repeat business means you’re basically ‘getting it right’ after all.
Would we go back? Oh yes, we love travelling! We’d go next week if we could. And this time we’d try the hiking and Nordic Walking!
Great fun while we were there and relaxed and refreshed when we got back. What more do you want from a spa break! Now back to the house renovation in Barry …..
We flew with Easy Jet from London Gatwick to Innsbruck. So that we were completely relaxed we booked an overnight hotel and all our parking with HolidayExtras.com . It’s always incredibly good value and it means that you’re not worried about traffic jams and all the hassle of being late for your flight! We stayed at the Gatwick Crowne Plaza and the price with Express Parking at Gatwick Airport goes from £79 for eight days.
