A Carinthian weekend devoted to well-being

We are not particularly fond of the classic “snow holidays”; we wanted something different from the classic chalet but, above all, to unplug from the daily frenzy. So I and two other friends got in the car and set off for Carinthia, a place that everyone said would suit us perfectly. We are from Friuli, so we have the border just a step away. We decide to leave early in the morning and, after about two hours, we have already arrived. We booked the weekend at the Hotel Ronacher in Bad Kleinkirchheim, category 5-star superior. We won't hide it, the choice was almost forced given that it has one of the most beautiful spas in Europe with 4500 square metres of wellness area and a thermal spring of its own! The property is one of the most beautiful Austrian hotels, as it is completely immersed in the beautiful Carinthian mountains of the Nockberge nature park.

As soon as we arrived, while we were waiting for the room keys, the staff seated us in a beautiful little lounge, offering us a hot tea. The first impression is without doubt the one that counts, and they know it. Having finally dropped off our luggage, we notice that, although there are three of us, the room is very spacious: mostly in wood, with a terrace overlooking the wonderful valley, large comfortable beds with a warm duvet. After a short nap following breakfast (there it is outrageously good, so rich that it makes you forget lunch) we decide to treat ourselves to a lovely afternoon in the spa. We enter the most beautiful and largest thermal area ever seen inside a hotel. At the entrance they explain that it is divided into two parts: the part where you go in swimwear and the nudist one. We decide to visit both, to get an idea of the place.

The first has two large pools, indoor and outdoor (heated in winter), while in the second we find the Turkish bath and the different types of sauna. Here too, an embarrassment of choice. The outdoor pool immediately catches our attention as it is very atmospheric: the thermal water at 30 degrees, being surrounded by snow, gives off that classic steam that makes you want to dive in immediately. In fact we decide to stay there and, within half an hour, the “stress of the early-morning wake-up” has completely vanished? Having left the pool we visit the classic Finnish sauna, inside a wooden chalet, on two floors. We are surprised when, on the stroke of the hour, the Aufguss master arrives who, with classical music, essential oils and the classic movement of the towels, manages to relax you even more (as if it were needed?) Very beautiful and intense, lasting about 15-20 minutes.

Another very appreciable feature of this hotel, which you cannot always find, is the large number and variety of relaxation areas: often, when spas are full, there is a risk of not finding a free lounger to lie on; at the Ronacher we never encountered this problem (+ 100 points for them). Our favourite was without doubt the Toscana area: large mattresses arranged around the central fireplace, chaise longues and king-size water beds with headphones and iPod connections available for listening to music — in short, a dream.

But we also tried what they call “the chalet of silence”: a completely wooden chalet on two floors, where on the upper floor we found wooden chaise longues both inside and on the terrace outside, ideal for sunbathing (in winter while staying under the duvets), while on the lower floor there are large Swiss pine beds and special king-size rocking loungers, suspended off the ground… you read that right, suspended off the ground. The following day we devoted ourselves to every beauty treatment possible and imaginable, and, with the purchase of the spa package that offers a 10% discount on services, we let ourselves be pampered with massages, peels, masks… in short, everything a woman literally goes crazy for.

We returned home with a little tear; what we were looking for was not just a beautiful mountain residence but a place able to combine warmth and hospitality with the refinement of a chic place, and, what can we say, this hotel did not disappoint our expectations. I hope this review of mine can be useful to all the women who want to take a nice weekend to devote solely to themselves (perhaps in the company of the right friends;) ).