Our first experience of wellness here in Slovakia was courtesy of our wonderful landlord, Luboš. The Hotel was built in 1933, but the original building has been modernised and considerably extended over the years and is now a beautiful modern and stylish hotel. The hotel is near the small town of Modra, famous for its wine making, in the Little Carpathians. The journey from our home was about 45km, so this is a place that we can get to quite easily.
Whilst Nicci enjoyed a massage, due to her twisted ankle, our day started with a walk in the hills, which turned out to be longer than expected due to the enthusiasm of our host. There is a whole host of paths through the hills, and in places the access was very steep. However after about an hour of hard walking we arrived at one of the summits, to be greeted by a rather precarious looking viewing tower. We were told that the tower had just recently been strengthened, and could now take 5 people at a time! When our time came, we made the ascent up the wooden steps and as we got higher we became aware of just how much the tower was moving in the light breeze. We eventually made it to the top though to see wonderful views across towards Bratislava, and the Tatras. A gust of wind, and a rather disconcerting wobble of the wooden edifice prompted us to make a quick descent.
The wellness facilities at the hotel were superb, all manner of sauna and steam rooms in a beautiful modern setting. Luboš delighted in initiating us into the plunge pool, which was apparently as cold as the water that the Titanic sank into. All in all a great day and without doubt a hotel to return to. The hotel offers a stay in one of its log cabins in the hills as well, definitely something to look forward to!