Hotel-Check: Aqua Dome Spa Resort Part 3

The night was very peaceful and we had a great sleep! Before breakfast I went to the public spa pool and it was amazing. At 8.30 am, I was the only one swimming in the large pool, which is open for public every day from 9 am till 10 pm. 

I then took a shower with the shower gel from the dispenser and went to the breakfast room or "hall"! The buffet war larger than my expectations were, so I was impressed. The service at breakfast was very nice although the cook was not able to prepare me some scrambled eggs, instead she advised me to take some cold scrambled eggs of the buffet. If I want freshly cooked scrambled eggs with ham I only want to get them and not to discuss with a not native speaking employee! Nevertheless  the buffet with the orange machine was excellent by 4-star standards!

The check-out was at 11 am, but we wanted to leave at 10 am so we did not have to wait in the typical queue. As a present, we got a nice cake, which is home-made. 

All in all this hotel/resort is not that perfect retreat for us! We think there is a large group of guests which love to stay at such spa resorts and to move around without any textiles as well as to lie to each other without any privacy! 

If you look for a luxurious wellness hotel in Western Austria, then check-in at the Grand Tirolia or the Kempinski Das Tirol in the area of Kitzbühel, where everyone seeks for privacy!

In my opinion, 380,00 Euros per night for the old Classic Room is more than impolite for the offered facilities!

Hotel-Check: Aqua Dome Spa Resort Part 2

Sorry for being offline the whole day, but it was more stressful than it should have been. 

 1 hour after my last blog, I wanted to pick up the keys for the reserved Alpine Room. Of course they tried to give me the standard room in the old wing! So I went the whole way to the room and then back to the reception to claim about the room. They did not apology and immediately called the housekeeping to prepare a new room. After 15 minutes waiting on the reception without offering a drink or a seat, they gave me the keys without any comment. 

The new room is nice, the smell is fresh, the balconies and bathrooms are modern and new, too! Although the bed sheets are dirty and used! YES - All-over Shampoo comes out of a dispenser - very exclusive :-(( ! They are not even branded ones!

Back to the Spa, some tyrolean citizens tried to get our loungers as they were not able to got some by theirselfs! We shouted at them and they left us alone - horrible if you're paying 380.00 Euros for that one night in the low season!

We went to a local restaurant as we are disappointed of the overall service at this property! This was probably the best decision we did the whole day - the Pizza was absolutely great!

To be honest, everything I wanted is to sleep, but this was impossible as the materess felt extremely cheap and unconfortable, a bit like in a youth hostel or in a boarding house!

After replacing the mattress protector, the beds felt more comfortable and sleeping was no longer a problem. :-)

We will see what tommorrow brings, we will for sure no longer stay the afternoon at this chaotic place! Sorry but this is a true hotel-fail for this price!

Hotel-Check: Aqua Dome Spa Resort Part 1

I am just sitting in the newly reopened "Spa 3000" in the Austrian town of Längenfeld, which looks more beautiful on the website than it is in real. The check in was okay but nothing more! The room was not ready at 11.00 and so we went to the Spa 3000. All in all there is no real pool, just one indoor Jacuzzi and 4 small whirlpools for up to 2 persons each! As the hotel is fully booked, the spa gets more crowded and the best loungers are occupied. We were lucky and got some at the window facing the town. Unfortunately, our loungers are more than uncomfortable. 

Personal opinion: The service is kind and does fit perfectly to their guests. 

                                                         
To be honest, this is not the type of guests which is found in the top-notch properties, so I feel a bit uncomfortable in here. Nearly all of them love to be naked and to lie next to each other. Privacy does not exist! 

First impression is not very impressive!

Time to escape the winter blues!

The weather in Austria could not be worse. Heavy rain, cold wind and temperatures of at least +8.00 celsius!

As I do not want to stay at home and enjoy the bedside, I decided to stay the bank holiday tommorrow at the Hotel of the Aqua Dome thermal bath in the Austrian valley of Ötztal. 

I also checked everything in advance, but they were not yet very flexible with early check-in and upgrade as I got a deal for up to 70% off the nightly room rate! 

To be said in advance, I do not expect a perfect service and a exceptional hotel. Nevertheless I am very looking fowrard to some relaxing days within one hour driving distance!

Have a great day!

Restaurant-Check Innsbruck - Part 1

It is not very hard to find a restaurant with a varied lunch menu, but restaurants with a good value are very difficult to find. Here are some of my favourite spots in the capital of the Austrian Alps:

1.) Die Pizzerei

My absolute favouirite place to have lunch or dinner! New restaurant with small lunch menu and huge choice of all kinds of Pizza for lunch and dinner. Although the restaurant isn't on the small side, getting a table on-site is nearly impossible. Make sure to reserve a table in advance when you are going to Innsbruck! Open for lunch from 11.30-14.00 and for dinner from 17.30-1.00. Closed on Sundays. http://www.diepizzerei.at

2.) Café Sacher

My favourite spot for All-day dining! A top notch Cafe with exclusive dishes and a Michelin Starred Restaurant open for dinner only. This is one of four Café Sacher in Austria while the main property with the Hotel Sacher is located in Vienna. If you do want to dine in tradition, then treat yourself with a piece of an original "Sachertorte" for 4,70 € (!!). My favourite dessert: the "Sacher Würfel" for 2 € only. This is the perfect spot to have a late lunch, in case you missed lunchtime in Innsbruck! Open daily from 8.30 am till midnight. Café Sacher Innsbruck

3.) Das Schindler Restaurant

Dazzling restaurant with a weekly changing lunch menu. Prices are average for lunch, while they increase bout 30 percent for dinner. The location is perfect for all shoppers, as it can be found next to the main entrance of the "Kaufhaus Tyrol". This is also my favourite spot for a lavish à la carte breakfast whenever I am in Innsbruck at the morning! Open for breakfast: 8.00-11.30 am, lunch 11.30-14.00 and dinner from 18.00-22.00. Closed on Sunday and bank holidays.

 Das Schindler 

Travel Diary - Part 5: Driving the night away!

Shopping was very interesting today with some real bargains and some excellent Prosecco! After having three degustations at different wineries, the best ones in the Valdobbiadene region, we are happy to find ourselfs in our own beds tonight! It was a nice trip and very interesting as well! We are now equipped for the summer holiday and are looking forward to visit Italy again in less than 3 months! Enjoy the weekend!

Friday evening on the A22 Modena-Brennero isn't as busy as yesterday!

Travel Diary - Part 4: Day 2

Good afternoon!

After a Vegas-like stay at the G Hotel Vicenza with a rich buffet breakfast in the Italian saloon and a purchase of some nice Malin+Goetz toiletries in full size, we went to another high-class outlet just 15 from Vicenza! We got some accessoires for 50 percent off the retail price.

As we know that also bargain shopping can be very stressful, we are just sitting in another local restaurant. 

After lunch we will be on the way to Valdobbiadene, where the Prosecco comes from!

Enjoy your meal!

Travel Diary - Part 3: Staying like a G6

After having a hard day with shopping, we are very happy to stay in Veneto's most sexiest hotel - the G Boutique Hotel on Piazza Matteotti!

The front office lady - Stefania, greeted us by our last name and we were impressed by the service and the interior itself from the first moment we arrived!

Rooms are on the small side, excluding the Wow Suite N.6, for which we got an upgrade! The bathroom is exciting with black tiles and a free standing bath tub, as well as a large window viewing to the bedroom! All bathrooms come with sexy Malin+Goetz toiletries from NYC. 

We just had dinner at the beautiful Restaurant Chris's and Co so we do not worry about the quality of the Hästens Beds! The table was reserved by Stefania and therefore it was the best you can get at Chris's!

After dinner we will pass by a high-end Gelateria on the main square! Pictures might follow tommorrow!

I hope your evening was as great as mine! Good night!

Travel Diary - Part 2: Get your Bargain in Veneto

After shopping at the Factory Outlet of Aeronautia Militare, we were hungry and went to a local bar.

We had excellent pasta and fabolous buffola mozzerella from Campania! The prosecco was as good as the delicious desserts! We paid about 7 Euros for one dish and 2,20€ for an excellent glass of prosecco!

Afterwards we were on the way to the next factory outlet of another renowned fashion brand!

Before we arrived in the town Trebaseleghe, we passed by Bassano del Grappa with its pretty city center!

Pictures of the following factory outlet are less impressive than reality. This is a real hidden gem under the outlets with savings of up to 50%:

Can you guess the brand? Well, as I can keep a secret, you'll have to be patient!

Now we're on the way to our exciting accommodation in Vicenza! The sun goes down and the sky over the Veneto and the city of Padova (picture) turns orange! Simply stunning!

Have a nice evening!

Travel diary - Part 1: Bargain Travel to Vicenza

Good morning everyone!

I am going on a bargain trip to the region of Veneto, where we will shop in some famous factory outlets.

After passing the Brennero at 6.40 am we arrived in Italy! Although we had no traffic jams yet, in the radio they said it's expected for 9-10 am. 

As we are now in Sterzing, I would say it's time for a cappuccino and a brioche con crema!

Have a nice morning!

Vienna to get a New Five-Star Hotel

It's now official, the Park Hyatt Vienna opens its doors.
Due to the fact that they had a large fire, they are not able
to open it in 2013, but there will be an exciting premiere
of Hyatt in early 2014!

Park Hyatt Wien

Summer is knocking on the door!

This weekend we will have blue sky and temperatures of approximately 25°c.

Have a nice weekend everybody!

Staying on the countryside at L'Albereta, Italy!

It's holiday and the weather is very bad in Tyrol! What to do before the easter holidays? Staying at home? No, it's time for another discovery. How about a shortbreak to Italy's Lago d'Iseo.

As I am always looking for a great deal, I got a really amazing one via a Private Sale Site, which is for members only! 
For about 200$ per night I was pretty lucky to be the highest bidder! :-)

The location itself isn't that stunning, it's anywhere between Milan and Verona! The weather wasn't good at all but the arriving was indeed more exciting! After arriving in Via Vittorio Emanuele, 23 in the little town of Erbusco, we were greeted with a very soft and dreamy corporate scent by several room diffusors.

As we were one of their only guests (mid April, the week before easter), they upgraded us from a Deluxe Room to a Tower Suite with a covered terrace and a picturesque view over Lake Iseo and the surrounding. The living room with the guest toilet en suite was a nice as the bedroom with an oversized marble bathroom with plenty of Etro Musk toiletries, a multi-functional Jacuzzi tub and a seperate Jacuzzi Shower (which is very difficult to handle - it ended up with water coming out of all sides!).

The main reason for our stay in navy Franciacorta region was the Henri Chenot Spa (costs 30 Euros per person and day). As special guests with benefits at a much reduced rate the access was free of charge on all days for all three of us! Although the whole spa area is a bit dated, the service and the products come up to high standards! With missing tiles, the pool looks a bit unhygienic in some corners, but overall it is a very nice spa with excellent tratments at affordable prices.

The breakfast was included for us, too and would normally cost about 30 Euros per Person. As we had breakfast included, I would say it is a beautiful restaurant with a well arranged buffe with a nice choice of itlaian food. Eggs, coffee an freshly sliced Prosciutto from Parma can be ordered. On two of three days we were the only guests in the breakfast room from 9 till 10 am. Maybe it's becuase the other guests did not book a special offer as we did.

Not to forget is the famous restaurant of Italy's Alaine Ducasse: Gaultiero Marchesi. He is well known over the borders of Italy and he has the reputation to be the best cook in Italy, so the prices which rank from 60-200 Euros! As we were on a bargain trip we skipped the luxury dinner and went on the lakeside in the beautiful town of Iseo, where we had great pasta, fish and sparkling wine for less than 70 Euros for all three of us.

Beautiful Easter decoration made out of wine boxes!

If I would have booked the standard rate via the hotel's website I would have paid the more than 400 Euros excluding breakfast, spa access and suite upgrade. To be honest, I would have claimed for a total price of 1500 Euros for 3 nights!

In fact, it is a charming resort in apeaceful setting in the mid of nowhere and therefore the perfect place to recharge your batteries!