In late October, my fiancĂ© and I were graciously hosted for a few days at Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort and experienced their exceptional wellness retreat with some Glowing Flow sessions. The resort is operated and owned by the Ladurner family who have a proud heritage of farming organic apples in the region. The owners are very hands on, and were often visible in various areas overseeing operations during the course of the day – a testament to the level of service and attention to detail – always surpassing expectations.
We had a warm welcome on arrival, with a swift check-in whilst taking in the vibrant decor of the reception area, and were very well looked after with our car being parked for us and our luggage brought directly up to our room.
The resort is nestled on the slopes above the Italian village of Naturno in the Dolomites of South Tyrol. This magnificent location is famed for receiving the most year-round sunshine in the region, we enjoyed perfectly mild Autumn weather and were comfortably able to enjoy swimming in the outdoor heated pools. Close to the Austrian border, it blends the best of German and Italian cultures and is surrounded by majestic mountains that create an atmosphere of pure serenity.
Our stay included some wonderful healing retreat treatments, the first of which was a Sound Healing session, perfect to set the tone of connecting to your inner calm and embrace some time with yourself to indulge in relaxation. The sounds carried us in and out of a drifting state of semi-sleep, which afterwards leaves you feeling completely rejuvenated. Soon after that, I was blessed to meet Stefano Battaglia internationally renowned holistic Master specialized in trauma healing, for a “Glowing Flow” session. The time spent with him was a groundbreaking experience for me, something that has encouraged me to start a new journey of finding more joy in life, and with that, inner peace.
In the morning on our second day we were pampered by a couples “Happy Massage” in a scenic room out on the rooftop garden. Later on I received the most incredible facial, I was so impressed with the results that I wanted to purchase the Face Mask—one of the exclusive products formulated and created especially for the Preidlhof Spa. I was also privileged to visit the Med Spa and meet Dr. Alexander Angerer, who in a short assessment managed to offer some excellent remedies for stress and sleep deprivation which I am duly implementing and am happy to report that it is definitely helping.
Our dinner and breakfast meals were served in the comfortable Spa VIP area at a table reserved for the duration of our stay. Breakfast and dinner had à la carte menus, and were also accompanied by choices from the expansive buffet. Since we took a later start on our days we didn’t quite have the space to fit in the sumptuous lunch buffet!
The breakfast buffet was by far the best I have ever experienced, with a full selection of breads and rolls, croissants, real fresh honeycomb, cereals, yogurts, bircher meusli, all types of cheeses, cold meats, smoked salmon, fresh fruits, a juicer, and even different types of butter. The chefs were at hand to serve up eggs whichever way you preferred with sides of other hot items, such as our favourite which was their perfect crispy bacon.
The dinner menu was very flexible by offering 2 set menus as well as a variety of traditional main courses which could all be enjoyed and interchanged per your preference. Every dish we tried was beautifully presented and oh so tasty, in short, all the food was just fantastic!
Our waiter, Peter was very friendly with a keen sense of humour and great attention to detail, he made our short stay even more memorable by chatting with us here and there between taking care of his other guests. On our second evening, a musician was playing in the bar, so we settled onto a comfy couch in a cozy nook meant for relaxing or playing board games with friends. We enjoyed a drink and soaked in the warm atmosphere.
Another highlight of our stay was the time spent enjoying the saunas and bathing areas. We indulged in the smorgasbord of options for an entire afternoon. We tried all the fabulous saunas (from as hot as 90 degrees); there was a sunset sauna, an event sauna – both offering stunning mountain view’s, an olive sauna, a wine sauna, a steam room, a snow room, an icy plunge pool, jacuzzi, heated infinity pools, fabulous shower rooms and even a musical light relaxation room, all were simply marvellous fun!
Everything was nothing short of perfect, except knowing that we had to leave far too soon! The setting, the food, the spa, the activities available were all next-level awesome. Activities available include yoga sessions, fitness classes and even aqua gym. On top of that, the hiking and mountain biking trails are a big attraction in the area – these appealed especially to my super-fit running and biking fiancĂ©, due to an injury he could not take advantage this time. He’s already determined to return when he can explore those trails properly—and make the most of the gym. The gym’s fabulous setting, with its panoramic views, sits right beside the beautiful main outdoor pool which even has a direct indoor entrance.
There are 5 star resorts and then there is Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort, a destination beyond 5 stars. Collectively both my fiancé and I have travelled extensively, and this is by far the best experience we have ever had, quite simply it exceeded all expectations.
Thank you to Patrizia, Wellness Designer, for showing us around, and for being so thoughtful with organising the perfect treatments for us; thank you to the warm and welcoming spa managers, Alessandra and Sabrina, a very special thank you to Carmine for organising everything from the start, and for that huge smile always exuding happiness.
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the Ladurner family for creating such a special place to relax, re-connect and take an incredible well-being journey whilst enjoying the finer things in life.
Reviewed by World Luxury Awards Representative, Linda Cooper.
For more information or to make a booking at Priedlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort, visit: https://www.preidlhof.com/en/
