Early season in the Alps
Wellness with a view of the mountains
Good food on the table, the mountains in view – that’s how spring wellness works. Here on the terrace of the fine dining restaurant “Maxi” in the hotel “Das Freiberg” in Oberstdorf.
© Frithjof Kjer/Das Freiberg
From Oberstdorf to Berchtesgaden: In these places you can enjoy spring in the Bavarian Alps.
For ski vacationers and the resorts that specialize in them, the news of the past months and years has ranged from sobering to frightening. The winter season is getting shorter and shorter, and spring is arriving earlier and earlier in the Alpine tourist regions. But for those who feel more comfortable in hiking boots or on the saddle of a bicycle than in ski or cross-country ski boots, things are completely different. In the otherwise rather quiet time after Easter and before Pentecost, many regions in the Explore the Alps on foot or on two wheels. And that’s before the number of visitors increases again from mid, or at the end of May at the latest. Here are three suggestions for relaxing days close to nature in the Alps.
The Freiberg, Oberstdorf: Completely different than expected
When you think of Oberstdorf, you primarily think of ski jumping – and a relaxed Allgäu atmosphere, with wood on the walls and meat on the plate. The 4-star hotel “Das Freiberg” has both to offer, but rather on the sidelines. On the one hand, the pleasantly small hotel with just 27 rooms on the outskirts of the town boasts its own ski jumping legend: Max Bolkart, who collected gold medals mainly in the 50s and 60s and is now enjoying retirement at the hotel bar. On the other hand, the in-house restaurant “Das Jagdhaus” serves exactly what tourists expect: “brutally local” cuisine.
But even in this first of the three restaurants of the member of the AllgäuTopHotels you notice the special and refreshing philosophy, which is further developed in the other two locations: noble, but still calm with À la carte and changing daily menus you will be in the fine-dining restaurant. Dining restaurant “Das Maxi” spoils you. “Das Fetzwerk” is modern and with exotic and vegan influences, as well as a little more exuberant. Monkfish medallions or braised milk veal cheeks are served just a few meters apart in the “Maxi”, and poke bowls and veggie smash burgers in the “Fetzwerk”. And yet it somehow fits together, the Freiberg concept, which initially seemed very colorful but soon became recognizable as very well thought out.
The Freiberg’s wellness area is relatively small compared to the restaurants, but is still sufficient, especially in the quieter early season, to avoid getting in the way of other guests. The hotel is located in such a way that you are just a few meters away from the first flower meadow and can recharge your batteries directly in nature. From here you can hike the surrounding valleys and rivers or the eponymous Freiberg (including the lake and ski jump) on leisurely tours lasting 1.5 – 3 hours.
Werdenfelserei, Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Lots of wood, lots of views
Like Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also nestled in the Alps. Only 150 kilometers as the crow flies further east and therefore in Upper Bavaria and no longer in the Allgäu. And what the Nebelhorn (2,224 meters above sea level) is to Oberstdorf, the Zugspitze (2,962 meters) is to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The local mountains also attract tourists who don’t (don’t want to) make it to the top, but just appreciate the view of the impressive mountain scenery.
This is perfect, for example, at the “Werdenfelserei”, which claims to be the first all-wood hotel in Bavaria, located right next to the spa park and correspondingly green. The natural material also dominates inside, whether in the approximately 1,000 square meter wellness area with a roof terrace pool, two saunas and steam bath or in the 51 studios in suites, all of which have a balcony or even garden access. And in every direction, when you look out the windows, there is a mountain waiting for you, including sunrise or sunset, be it the Zugspitze, the Alpspitze or the Kramerspitz. The suites also score points with their free-standing bathtub, private sauna or fireplace.
From a culinary point of view, guests should feel in good hands in the hotel’s own restaurant “Wurzelwerk”, which serves creative, modern dishes with a regional flavor. Of course, caviar and oysters should not be missing from the menu of an upscale restaurant, but the regional delicacies such as tartare from the alpine ox, the Kranzbach char or the Krüner mountain lamb are much more worth a look and a bite. Hiking enthusiasts can then work off the regional pounds on the way through the Partnach Gorge (approx. 3 hours) or to the Eibsee below the Zugspitze (approx. 5 hours).
Berghotel Rehlegg, Berchtesgaden: Traditional but sustainable
Around 200 kilometers further east, but also nestled on the border with Austria, the Berchtesgadener Land beckons – here with a view of the impressive and dangerous Watzmann (central peak 2,713 meters). Spring tourists, especially inexperienced ones, are advised to stay at lower altitudes and perhaps make their way as far as the Watzmannhaus. In the valley itself, tours through the Wimbachklamm or around the Hintersee tempt you. The mountain hotel “Rehlegg” in Ramsau is a good starting point.
At first glance, the 4-star superior hotel is clearly Bavarian, with deer antlers, turned chair legs and heavy cast-iron candlesticks. But at second glance you can see the attention to modern detail: the hot water bottles in the rooms, the meditation and yoga sessions, the homemade herbal and flower cosmetics, the sauna hut with a glazed front facing the mountains. Another highlight: a room that isn’t a room – on the mountain meadow plateau, guests can sleep under the open sky from May to September.
The restaurants are sustainable: Lichtmannegger’s, which is named after the hotelier family, and the à la carte restaurant, the Almstüberl. A lot of homemade food is served (bacon, jams, herbal salts), otherwise predominantly regional products, often directly from the neighboring farm, mostly from species-appropriate husbandry.