Regardless of our passion for skiing in the Alps, Austria is not just for winter. It is just as beautiful in the summer with its landscape of lakes and mountains and the great outdoors has just as much on offer, too. The Zillertal region of Tirol is one of the prettiest and best connected areas and its extensive series of ski lifts mean that long walks in the mountains are a piece of cake (well, at least getting to them is). Then there’s mountain biking, climbing and it’s a place renowned for paragliding – look up on a summer’s day and you’ll see dozens of brightly coloured sails in the blue sky. Once up in the mountains, you can visit everything from adventure theme parks to glaciers, castles to yoga platforms.
Given the increasingly uncomfortable high temperatures in the traditional Mediterranean resorts these days, the mountains are becoming a much more attractive summer option. Of course, Austria doesn’t have a coastline but it does have – in abundance – lakes that offer all kinds of water-based activities. And you don’t even have to worry about falling off your paddleboard. The water in Austrian lakes is drinking water quality – an idea almost unimaginable to us Brits used to getting e-coli if we venture to close to our own rivers.
The mountain air is, of course, sparklingly clean and it’s hard to be anything but healthy around here. It’s even true for the animals. Zillertal cows live in the mountains during the summer and feast on 1000 plants and herbs which is used as fresh hay (they don’t have silage) in the winter. The local Erlebnis Sennerei dairy has done some investigations and their milk has twice the levels of Omega 3 than regular milk (and more than a mackerel). It also means their cows don’t suffer from flatulence. Who knew?
Having spent all day doing an energetic Heidi impersonation you might, though, need a bit of R&R. You can find it at Platzlhof, a cosy family run hotel in Ried im Zillertal. The family in question is the Wimpissingers and they offer traditional Austrian hospitality that includes generous breakfasts, afternoon snacks and an excellent five course dinner every night – so not a spa hotel where you can expect to lose weight. There is, though, a small spa with a big Jacuzzi, a heated indoor/outdoor pool, sauna and steam room and a relaxation area that opens out into the garden with its mountain views. They also have a treatment list that combines the local (quite literally with the honey massage) with a more hi-tech approach (including microneedling).
I wanted a massage but also a deep moisturiser for my skin that was definitely looking dehydrated. So I started with an exfoliation that was a massage in itself and Elif (originally from Turkey) went slowly and deeply (this turned out to be her MO generally, in fact) over the whole body taking an unusually long time for this kind of treatment – I think it was about 20 minutes. Then when I came to showering off, the oil content of the scrub turned out to be very high – so I washed off the salt but the oil stayed on. A good thing given my dry skin. When I came back to the bed there was a sheet of thin plastic on it and Elif applied the body balm that was the basis of my wrap. It was rich, creamy and dense – so just what I needed and once it was well massaged in, I was wrapped up first in my cling film, then covered with a blanket. I thought that was it for the next 20 minutes but Elif suggested a foot massage and there’s only one answer to that.
In fact, like many people I have quite sensitive feet but I had nothing to worry about here. It was not a reflexology massage – this can sometimes be quite painful – but it was also strong enough that it didn’t tickle either. It was intensely relaxing and a perfect warm-up for the massage itself.
I’d opted for a hot stone massage, particularly good for relaxation given the heat melts the muscles before the massage itself even begins. Interestingly enough, it began with my feet. I began lying on my back and the first stones to come my way were the ones Elif placed between my toes. This was a first for me but, given how relaxing the foot massage itself had been, I was more than happy to continue the process. I hadn’t showered after the wrap and Elif applied oil on top of that rich body balm, so she was really getting on top of that dry skin. There followed a blissful hour of massage, both with hands and heated stones and a scalp massage, too.
The next day it was back to the spa for a facial. I was quite tempted by BB Glow, not least because it was a new one to me. However, I steered away from that in the end partly because I’m not a big fan of needles and also felt maybe a bit more research was needed before I decided to plunge into semi-permanent make-up. But if I was expecting the usual cleanse, serum and moisturise, I was profoundly mistaken.
Elif took me into a new room – this one with a bed spread with sheepskins. This was, though, the only homely mountain touch around because the facial itself was as hi-tech and top-of-the-range as it gets. She showed me bottle after ampoule of serums and amino acids, minerals and vitamins and hyaluronic acid and – was that plasma? Then after a quick cleanse, she began to apply them, patting one after another into my skin and then I heard a faint buzzing and all those goodies were given a bit of help to absorb fully. Every now and again, Elif would pause, apply more products and then off we buzzed again.
There was a mask made up with a powder and cold water and then covered with muslin until I was wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy. During this Elif gave me a shoulder, arm and hand massage. Then, having dried out, it was removed, more serums and moisturisers were applied and then a high-powered stream of oxygen was played over my face. Just for good measure, Elif gave my lashes and eyebrows a bit of colour and my lips a touch of gloss. When I finally looked in the mirror I was delighted. My skin tone was evened out, dark circles were minimal and my skin looked plumped and lifted. It may not have been the most relaxing facial I’ve ever had but, boy, did this one deliver.
For more information about Platzlhot, including details of offers, activities and ‘trip tips’, please visit www.platzlhof.at.
