10 Amazing Places for Winter Wellness
When it comes to winter, there are two types of people: some already look forward to the first snowfall in the middle of summer and can't wait to switch their shorts for long trousers tucked into snow boots. Others get depressed with the first fallen leaf and wish they could hibernate and wake up with the first spring flower. However, everyone loves moments spent in a wellness centre in winter (after Christmas, naturally). When else can you spend a whole day sitting in a hot tub, a heated sauna or snuggled in a fluffy robe, watching the snow outside, without feeling guilty?
The fact that a lot of amazing places can be found in the Beskids is indisputable. However, most people might be put off by up to five hours travelling from Prague and that's a pity. Take a week of paid time off and find your way to the Beskids. It's worth the drive!
Grandhotel Tatra can be your first stop in the Beskids. People often say that the bigger the hotel, the higher the chance that there will be a problem, whether with the staff or the services offered. But Grandhotel Tatra is a proof that any such issues can be easily prevented with a good management. No need to worry any more if you want to be sure you will get what you've paid for. The hotel has been recently transformed and only the name and the frame of the historical mountain hotel building have been preserved. Grandhotel Tatra easily compares with any hotels in the Alps. The same applies to the local wellness centre, one of the best in the country. The stainless indoor pool with a bar lets you enjoy your favourite drink after you've had a swim. But to be honest, we preferred having the long drink in the outdoor hot tub with a spectacular view of the countryside. The centre also includes a sauna world, and a private zone is also available in case you'll find the wellness centre too crowded for you.
Penzion Jurášek is another place in the Beskids that ranks among the best of Amazing Places. It is still a bit surprising that this place is a guesthouse considering all the services and luxury Jurášek provides to its guests. To us, it is a proper "mountain hotel". However, the word guesthouse mostly refers to the family atmosphere it provides. Penzion Jurášek offers generous spaces built from wood, stone and glass, a beautiful, landscaped garden, excellent cuisine and a luxurious wellness centre. You can stay at Jurášek at any season; however, winter is made for spending the whole day in the spacious wellness centre you don't have to leave at all. There's a beautiful pool with a glass wall offering a view of the garden. Enjoy the beds to relax and stretch, have a cup of herbal tea and indulge in the view of the snowy countryside. Warm up in the sauna, especially in winter. The hotel offers several saunas, including one situated outside. You can book a private hot tub on the terrace if a company of strangers in the wellness centre is not your cup of tea.
If you are wondering when the hype of luxurious lodging in the small Beskids village of Čeladná started, look no further. The Miura Hotel has held its primacy as well as the quality of the services it offers despite the fact that there are now other beautiful hotels and guesthouses in the neighbourhood. The concrete building might seem a bit cold at first sight but inside you'll find luxuriously furnished rooms, a fine dining restaurant and a stylish spa. The whole hotel is very stylish. Čeladná is popular with golf players during the season and if you stay at Miura, you'll be literally living on a golf course. You won't be able to play golf there in winter but you can spend a whole day in your bathrobe and no-one will think you are lazy. Besides the spacious hot tub, a dimmed relaxation room and the sauna world, you can also enjoy a salt or herbal bath, massage and a whole range of spa rituals. No unnecessary sensations will disturb you in this wellness centre, which allows you to completely focus on yourselves. You can spend hours doing nothing and relaxing.
There's one more place in Čeladná we must include on the list for the perfect winter wellness stay. Cattaleya! An original inconspicuous villa from the 1930s, surrounded with full grown trees. Other structures have been added around the villa to create a boutique hotel which today is more of a resort where you won't get bored, even if you decide to spend the whole day in. Cattaleya is one of the more luxurious hotels and yet it's not ostentatious. Here, luxury means privacy and quality. You will hardly meet the other guests; the villa offers accommodation in seven rooms. And they also paid attention to relaxation. To recharge, you can enjoy the beautiful and modern wellness zone with a salt and herbal sauna, a hot tub and plenty of relaxation nooks. However, there's one speciality: the KELO sauna log cabin made of unique wood from polar pines that grow in Lapland. And after the great relaxation, when you will feel reborn (also thanks to the non-invasive anti-aging skin care), you must visit the local restaurant. Just like the Miura Hotel, Cattaleya ranks among the top in gastronomy.
The ENDEMIT Boutique Hotel & Spa on the slope above the water reservoir in Horní Bečva, near Mount Lysá, offers a unique view of the valley as well as the endless peaks of the surrounding Beskids hills. By the way, the hills are definitely worth exploring. We recommend visiting the Wallachian open-air museum, climbing the Súkenická Lookout Tower, and if you really like beer, go on a tour of the Rožnov brewery. After the day trip, enjoy the relaxation zone of the Endemit Hotel, where you have free access to the pool, five different saunas or the hot tub during your stay, or have the Tibetan massage called Ku Nye. Two of their apartments even have a private sauna and a thirty-metre terrace with a view of the amazing countryside. You can also book a private wellness zone for uninterrupted romantic moments. The hotel staff will prepare a private hot tub with a breathtaking view of the Beskids landscape, a swimming pool with counterflow and a projection of the underwater world and relaxing music, accompanied with a bottle of Prosecco. The wellness centre offers massages and relaxation procedures.
Twenty minutes from Brno, right next to the Brno water reservoir, you'll find a resort that seems to have fallen out from a Pinterest gallery. An oasis of peace and a sauna world designed in cooperation with experts in feng shui indicate that this will be an unparalleled experience full of relaxation. It's no wonder that the Maximus Resort is extremely busy especially in winter. Firstly, you will really appreciate warming up in the sauna, but you can also jump into the outdoor cooling pool right from the sauna, with water temperature at around 5°C in winter. Maximus is one of the largest wellness hotels in the country; the resort covers an area of 4,000 square metres and so it's quite likely that you won't know where to start. Don't get stressed, though, but take it easy and enjoy yourselves to the full. Order a drink at the bar and take it with you to the outdoor pool with a great view of the Brno water reservoir. After that, nothing will stop you from enjoying the world of saunas. Many of them look like hobbit homes set in the rock. You can get warm in the honey sauna at a temperature of 80°C, or in the volcanic sauna that gets as hot as 115°C.
The beautifully renovated historical monastery in Luhačovice absolutely stands out among the standard spa buildings all around and so the Augustinian House is one of the best places to visit here. The hotel, including the spa service and approach to each individual guest will make you take a break, slow down and relax. It's especially great for people who are always busy and rarely find time to rest. Even though Luhačovice is beautiful and it's worth to visit the town where you can wander through narrow streets and enjoy cafés, it's likely you'll start looking forward to being back in the hotel and relaxing there half way through your cup. The local wellness centre is intimate and provides all the privacy you need. In addition to the pool, hot tub, several types of sauna and steam rooms, you can also try the professionally guided sauna rituals. The wellness follows the concept of four seasons. What does it mean? They find inspiration in local ingredients and use them creatively according to the current season. For example, the wellness offers detox in spring or recharging your energy and warming up your organism in winter. Come see it for yourselves.
In Pec pod Sněžkou, you will find an amazing four-star hotel, perfectly set in the surrounding mountain scenery. Aparthotel Svatý Vavřinec is like a tiny town on its own. You'll find everything there; from beautiful mountain apartments to a top restaurant where you will want to try everything, a shop with sport equipment, ski service shop, a pharmacy, a supermarket and last, but not least, a newly built spa. The spa also provides all the services you can think of. Get pampered in the hot tub, Finnish sauna with an outdoor cooling shower, an organic sauna with aromatherapy, a steam sauna, or in the adventure showers. Get a standard back and neck massage, or try something new, such as a face massage. You'll be perfectly relaxed. And one more tip: rent the duplex apartment for more privacy. It can host up to eight people and comes with an outdoor hot tub and a Finnish sauna. Nothing and no-one will disturb you and you can relax and enjoy a great winter wellness stay.
The Theatre Hotel on the outskirts of Olomouc is mostly known thanks to the Entrée Restaurant managed by chef Přemek Forejt. It's hopelessly booked for months in advance so don't hesitate with your reservation. All the enthusiasts come here namely for their tasting menu that regularly changes according to the seasonal ingredients. You might feel a bit tired after the delicious dinner; come relax in the splendid Scene Wellness Centre, designed as amazingly as the entire hotel. You'll find an oasis of peace with a very intimate ambiance. A herbal and steam bath, hot tub, Finnish sauna, adventure showers, a private zone with a dry and wet sauna, a water bed, or relaxation and sports massages: you can enjoy all of that. We recommend the pleasant hot lava stone massage or foot reflexology massage. A perfect indulgence and relaxation we recommend to everyone in winter. You will leave relaxed and full of harmony. If you'd like a bit of wellness in your room, book an apartment with the marble bathroom and a bathtub in the middle of the room.
An absolute novelty of this autumn. perfect for lounging during winter. The PECR consists of two four-star hotels, Deep and Well. Both can be found in the centre of Pec pod Sněžkou, which has been transforming into a very modern ski resort. The owners have managed to implement interesting and innovative structures offering fully equipped apartments. Guests of the PECR Well hotel can enjoy the wellness centre on the roof. You can enjoy some rest in an indoor or outdoor hot tub that offers an amazing view of the surrounding peaks. And as soon as it snows, which won't take long in Pec pod Sněžkou, you'll be rewarded with an unforgettable view of snowy landscape. After skiing for the afternoon, you will enjoy a Finnish or salt sauna, steam bath or other procedures. Or how about booking a massage or an anti-cellulite wrap (especially after Christmas)?
So, do you know where you'll escape winter this year?
