We stay in hotels about half of the nights of every year – so you can imagine, that we have seen a lot by now 🙂 But there’s some places, which are exceptional, memorable and absolutely one of a kind. The San Luis Retreat Hotel & Lodges in South Tyrol is one of those places. We plan to return here – as often as possible!
There’s hotels and then there’s something else. While driving the winding road up to Avelengo we didn’t really know what would await us. We take a small path up away from the main mountain road and there’s a plain gate closing off another private street. The entrance to the lodge proves to be unspectacular – through the garage – but little hints give away the wonderland that awaits us. The garage is already decorated with alpine elements, some candles are lit – even here in the car park the San Luis hotel is trying to create a cozy atmosphere.
The lift takes us up to the main wooden lodge building, with it’s reception desk, hotel shop, bar and restaurant area. We get treated with some South Tyrolean delicacies and already fill out our forms with our breakfast order for the next day. It turns out that breakfast gets served to your private lodge here every morning – it doesn’t get more intimate and cozy than that. Finally no need to get out of the robes for breakfast! 🙂
Our private chalet
From the main lodge building we walk a couple of steps outside along the gravel paths to arrive at our private chalet in the woods. We are located a bit away from the main lake, where a couple of chalets are assembled at the shores.
From our elevated position we overlook the pond and the mountains in the background and we kind of appreciate the more private location. The asset of the lodges at the lake are their private decks and direct access to the water (where you can swim in summer). The advantage of the other chalets are that you feel a bit less exposed to the views of other visitors.
Inside the chalet
The door opens and there’s a small hallway, a kitchen and a small dining corner (which we never used). And then the main room opens up – which is about 70 square meters large. The soft grey couch is where we ate breakfast and spent most of our time inside the chalet, right next to the fireplace. The free-standing bath tub is another highlight and then the chalet also offers a private spa zone with our own sauna. Guess what we used right in the first hour!? 🙂
Huge glass doors open up to the terrace, which doesn’t only offer lounge chairs, but also a private outdoor hot tub. Needless to say, that we understand why families also love this place – you can rent your own private chalet and never leave it for days.
A most magnificent pool
The only reasons to leave your private retreat are the main spa area and the restaurant. We have never seen a pool like the one at San Luis before and it remains one of our favourites since then. The wooden structure of the lodge opens up to a high ceiling and a complete glass front separates the pool from the pond.
There’s a small glass sliding door connecting the heated indoor with the heated outdoor infinity pool. So if you don’t want to jump into the pond, you can also swim outside. The spa also features a huge fireplace and cozy lounge chairs – there’s nothing to be missed here.
The perfect traveller type for San Luis Retreat Hotel & Lodges
This hotel is definitely top of it’s kind, so it’s prizes also match the offering. This is something for either a special occasion or if you have the necessary budget to spend. But what you’ll get in return is so worth the splurge – we have never felt so protected, secluded and spoiled before. Everything is designed to perfection, every details is just right here.
I actually couldn’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like it here, but you should definitely be in the mood for some serenity and relaxation. Switch off your mobile phone once and just immerse yourself into nature and let go – the staff of San Luis will probably anticipate any wish you might have before you even know it 🙂
Our plan for the next visit
Now comes our biggest regret: We only stayed one night at San Luis! This definitely wasn’t enough and we plan on returning (actually this was an exception as there’s a minimum stay of 3 nights here – and we do understand why).
Read more about a summer holiday in South Tyrol here:
Find out more about the San Luis Retreat Hotel & Lodges here!