Alpin Royal - Kritiken
Insider-Tipps von Mystery Inspector
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19 April 2010
Die 3 wichtigsten Gründe für einen Aufenthalt im Hotel:
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The ‘full’ name of this delightful property is: Wellness Refugium & Resort Hotel Alpin Royal. As the name implies, the owners and staff place a high importance on the comfort and wellbeing of their guests. Alpin Royal’s commitment to guests’ satisfaction is probably most evident through the investments that they have made to develop an excellent spa. In addition to massage and beauty treatments you will find a pool filled with massaging jets, an excellent sauna and hammam, an ‘infrared sauna’ (I never knew what this was until staying at the Alpin Royal, but apparently it has several associated health benefits), a Laconium (another first for me – basically a very warm, fragrant and comfortable room where you can quickly fall into a deep relaxation), an ice bath, aromatherapy-type showers and, one of my favorites, a relaxation room with heated waterbeds! My wife and I live near several thermal baths in Switzerland, so we have several benchmarks to refer to when making the claim that the Alpin Royal has done a nice job. It’s also worth considering the following: you will be able to enjoy the wellness center in relative peace and quiet at this ‘small’ luxury hotel (vs. having to deal with crowds at some wellness centers) and unlimited use of the wellness center is included in the cost of the room.
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The focus on wellbeing carriers over to the kitchen as well. My wife and I really enjoyed eating a 3-course gourmet dinner that didn’t leave us feeling completely ‘stuffed’. The restaurant does not sacrifice on flavor or quality. Thanks to inventive combinations of fresh ingredients and reasonable portion sizes, we were able to walk out of the restaurant completely satisfied and feeling great. Imagine returning from your next vacation to find that you haven’t gained an ounce! In fact, you’ll probably return home fitter if you factor in the great skiing, hiking and cycling nearby.
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The staff at the Alpin Royal treated my wife and I like ‘guests’ and not like ‘customers’. Everyone was extremely warm and kind to us. The special treatment began weeks before arriving when the hotel sent us a personalized welcome email and we started corresponding about local mountain bike trails. When we finally arrived at the hotel, Kathrin remembered us and was prepared to discuss all of our requests. We also received special recognition as SLH members, such as a free room upgrade, a welcome letter from the manager accompanied by a bottle of Champagne and fresh fruit. The following experience probably best sums-up the kind of hospitality you can expect: the hotel offers an excellent afternoon buffet to its guests until 4pm, except I arrived 10 minutes too late. I was hoping to grab a bite to eat before having to begin the long drive home. Even though all the food had been put away, when a member of the staff noticed that I was looking for something to eat, he stopped what he was doing and disappeared into the kitchen. He reappeared moments later with a delicious plate full of food for my wife and me!
übersicht:
Upon arriving at the Alpin Royal we were greeted - by name - by Kathrin. The check-in process was extremely efficient as the hotel was already aware of our interests, for example reconfirming our dinner reservation and providing me with information about the local mountain bike trails. It was also pleasant to be recognized as Small Luxury Hotels of the World members as we were given a complimentary upgrade to a beautiful suite with a bottle of champagne and a plate of fresh fruit waiting for us (just like I stated in my profile)!
After the long (but scenic) drive from Switzerland all we wanted to do was relax in the wellness center, where my wife had a spa appointment waiting for her. The afternoon was spent floating in the pool, taking turns between the various massage jets. I thought it was a very nice touch when a waiter arrived with a plate of complimentary snacks, even though my wife and I were the only guests in the pool area at the time. Later, we moved across the hall to enjoy the spa, hamam and other relaxation rooms. When it was time for my wife to leave for her massage I attempted to read a book while relaxing on one of the heated waterbeds in the relaxation room; which didn’t go so well as I was so thoroughly relaxed I fell into a deep sleep almost immediately!
After a shower, it was time to get dressed and head back downstairs to the restaurant for dinner. I made a second attempt to start my book in the lounge with a glass of regional white wine while waiting for my wife to come down. This time I was able to make it through a few pages before being escorted to our table (which was decorated with a delightful personalized plaque for ‘Family Murphy’). To be honest, we were skeptical about taking dinner at a wellness resort (when I hear words like healthy I immediately think of tofu or bland food), but the chef was able to totally impress us, and changed my mind about healthy + gourmet cuisine. As previously mentioned, we thoroughly enjoyed our 3 course meal (including dessert and wine) and were surprised at how satisfied, yet ‘light’ we felt walking out of the restaurant.
The next morning we were welcomed back to our same table (Family Murphy) for breakfast. I’m not sure if it’s the intimacy of the hotel, or a Tyrolian custom, but all of the guests seemed very relaxed and laid-back, wishing each other a hearty ‘good morning’ when entering the room and ‘auf wiedersehen’ upon departure.
We must sound boring, but after breakfast all my wife and I wanted to do was head back down to the wellness center for more pampering (it should also be said that we weren’t too lucky with the weather – which can be a blessing at the Alpin Royal)! The hotel was very gracious in giving us a late check-out, allowing us to leave our bags in the room and allowing us to use the wellness center until we were ready go get back on the road.