A bit out of the ski loop these last few years (our last trip was before Gus was born!) I had no idea where to start looking… But discovering that Susanne Kaufmann (whose organic skincare range I was trying out last autumn) ran her own spa & wellness hotel in the Alpine village of Bezau made things a lot easier…
With a focus on wellbeing – you can make an appointment to be advised on your diet, herbs and associated treatment needs on arrival – Hotel Post Bezau* (in the Vorarlberg Alps) seemed like the perfect mix of health and cosy hygge… sheepskin throws and candles galore!
The menus are designed to cater too all health needs – so you can choose from the regular menu, vegetarian or the detox menu drawing on Traditional Chinese Medicine principles and designed to support cleansing with gluten free and dairy free options. I adored the morning warm cereal dishes; I’m now officially hooked on millet with berry compotes! The evening salad buffet was second to none with fresh sprouts, sauerkraut, black sesame seeds and more; I piled up on this every night before our main course.
Originally one of the village’s Post hotels five generations in, Suzanne took over from her father and added a glorious pine spa extension with saunas, whirlpool and steam room as well as Susanne’s beautiful in white minimalist design spa. As I learned from fellow guests (many repeat customers, some 15 times over!) coming for the food, vibe and spa alone is quite normal, forget about the skiing!
If only 😉 Each morning found us with the fellow ski heads waiting for the number 34 bus (wonderfully at 9.34!) to take us to the nearby village of Mellau where we installed Gus in ski school – 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm and we picked him up for lunch at midday; super relaxed, we turned up on the day and got in him that morning for the 10am session – and headed up into the mountains ourselves.
*We received press rates for our stay.Â
The Hotel
Super Relaxed
The hotel vibe was so friendly and relaxed, the guests really chilled out and everybody intent on eating well and having a nice time. Extremely kid friendly with at least three playrooms with toys for kids to play in! We didn’t investigate the babysitting services but they were available.
The Factory
On our first day at lunch I nipped back to the hotel to visit Susanne’s nearby factory, where all her products are made. All organic, with ingredients from the area’s Bregenzerwald forest, the quality is exceptionally high and the products really beautiful to use. I’m hooked on the body cream and rosemary bath oil – you can find these here in the UK at Cult Beauty and Liberty.
Family Suite
Our room was a balconied family suite – with a comfortable pull out sofa bed for Gus with partition doors – and special Samina free swinging slats to enhance a good night’s sleep. And of course, gorgeous Susanne Kaufmann products in the bathroom – I managed to fit in a relaxing bath most nights too!
Ps. Carry on by Briggs & Riley and handbag by Loewe.
The Skiing
Gus was tremendous for his first time on skis and it was a delight seeing him so bravely embrace the lessons. Having learnt to ski at a young age I couldn’t have been happier!
Late afternoon after our skiing was over we would rush back to the hotel to get cosy in the lounge area for the daily afternoon tea – tucking into cakes and hot chocolate (there was also a hearty savoury option too, like millet stew!). And then time for a swim and sauna. Well Gus and Myles splashed around while I heated up in the steam room. Although I took a dip in the outside whirlpool, I totally missed out on the outside plunge pool on the spa deck. And epic fail on the early evening yoga classes too, I must confess!
The Beauty of Skiing
There’s something so wonderful about the routine of ski holidays. Getting all trussed up in your ski gear, fuelling up at breakfast, spending the day in the fresh air and then cosying up in the evenings, satisfied that you couldn’t have spent the day better!
The Chill Time
Skiing for me is by far one of my favourite holiday activities and for a family I would say works fantastically structure wise – much better than a sun holiday where beach & splashing aside you might find the chill time not so chill with a five year old to entertain. Skiing is a brilliant physical focus leaving everyone happily exhausted at the end of the day.
On our last day, with pretty intense weather conditions, we just chilled at the hotel and I went for some treatments in the spa. A wonderful body massage, and a facial which I think has brought the best results a facial ever has to my skin. Yes, there was extraction and I’m such a wimp when it comes to that! But the rtreatment left my skin looking newer and fresher, which I hadn’t expected! The therapist also used a fantastic PH balancing hair treatment which I definitely need to add to my arsenal.
As you can probably tell, I adored this trip. The hotel and location couldn’t have been more perfect (we got a car transfer for the just-under two hour drive to and from Zurich airport). The food was just right for me and made the experience so much less stressful than I usually find eating in hotels; breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner were included in our package.
Such a fantastic hotel, you could spend all day chilling out in the spa and having treatments which I gathered some families were doing. I would also love to return in the spring or summer time – a wealth of non-winter sport activities like hiking, cycling, golf and fishing are the focus!
A big thank you to Hotel Bezau and Susanne & her brilliant team for such a wonderful stay! Find out more about packages and rates at hotelpostbezau.com
2 responses to “Family Ski Trip | Hotel Post Bezau, Austria”
Wooowwww!!! Beautiful post Julia.
Wow thankyou so much! :))