OH TO SPA IN THE ALPS

A quest? Yes. Impossible? No. For up on the Gaisberg, Salzburg’s “housemountain” some 1,280 meters high, is the luxurious spa-hotel of Baroness Marianne von Buseck, the VitalHotel Kobenzl.

I dream of the refreshing mountain air, the flowers in the fields and spa serenity as I travel from Vienna to Salzburg. As the taxi driver wends his way uphill it quickly becomes a reality - there is lush greenery everywhere and flowers spill onto the ground silently as I gaze contentedly through the open window.

Immediately upon my arrival I am greeted with Champagne and orange juice and Mile whisks me to my room. At Hotel Kobenzl there are 40 rooms and suites, 15 with distinctive décor in each one, some with balconies and all with marvelous views. On the lower level the spa is dedicated to cosmetic and body treatments, massages, fitness and relaxation, available individually or as packages.

Four decades of love and devotion have made a mountain of dreams come true for Baroness

At first I opt for a garden view room with a gorgeous bathroom, but in a turnaround I’m ensconced in a suite. For selective indulgence, this is it. A bedroom, living room and balcony that open to swirling clouds wrapped around the mountain are nothing but divine.

I have to satiate myself with looking at Salzburg’s panorama at intervals as I am the drawn to the spa’s facilities as well as the indoor pool, solarium and light therapy. The Cleopatra bed is reserved for botanical, algae, mud, fango and hay packs, designed to purify, relax, detoxify and soften the body after 30 to 50 minutes of treatment.

Massage rhythms vary with choices of classical to anti-stress and brush to manual lymphatic drainage. Prepare for an awakening of the senses as each fleeting touch strikes a chord within your body as the oil permeates the skin and melts away. During reflexology, it may elicit a giggling fit or nothing but pure enjoyment that is so relaxing it induces sleep. The pressure points on the feet relate to specific parts of the body, which is said to reveal ailments.

Between the pleasures of the spa, I am literally and physically “on top of the world” exploring to my heart’s content. All natural surroundings, trees of the forest and grassy meadows, are a walker’s delight, or sit on the terrace and enjoy the scenery or read a good book. Indoors, the pool is lovely for an early morning swim followed by an inviting breakfast.

Soon enough the lure of the spa beckons irresistibly and before you know it you’re back to see Karin or Wendy. Sink deeper into spa heaven with a botanical facial that begins with a skin analysis and ends with suggestions for maintaining the wonderful results from this two-hour session. All the peeling (hands, face and decolletage) and cleaning will be quickly forgotten once the revitalizing packs are used from face to breasts. And by the time it’s over, the spirit of renewal from the massages overtakes every muscle in the hands.

The breast treatment is always a refreshing attempt to “firm” breasts, but it becomes more enjoyable each time I abandon my inhibition. Pate moussante, a very gentle soap and two soft brushes is part of the cleansing regimen, followed by steam-peeling. A massage is next, then a firming pack with Physobreste is applied, and finally a bust cream completes this 50-minute treatment.

The exceptional product line of Sisley of Paris allows the spa at the Kobenzl to care for our inner and outer temple with creations by Count D’Ornano. I could never bring home a lifetime supply of cosmetics but after trying Botanical Floral spray mist (eau florale), Wendy had me sold on a can. A few bursts of mist on my face helps to preserve the application – it’s made of rose extract, cornflower and witchhazel that smoothes, softens and refreshes the skin immediately.

What’s new at the spa? Magnetism. It is used as a natural approach to combat the effects of modern living such as overly tired bodies and weakened immune systems that offer little or no resistance to illness. You know it is working when energy levels rise, you no longer feel stressed out and you return to a state of overall wellness.

Using natural magnets in products such as kneepads, elbowpads and elbowpacks on affected parts of the body bring pain relief. A lingering bout of bronchitis prompted Marianne von Buseck to try a magnetic mattress after using antibiotics to no avail – a testament to employing magnetized sleep sytems.

For couples there are one, two and three-day packages or one and two-week programs, all allowing guests their personal massage preferences. Themes run from beauty (for her) to vitality (for him), weight loss or the most popular one – sheer indulgence.

Between the finest menus and the wonderful landscape just outside the restaurant windows I am able to engage my taste buds to the point of rhapsody for every meal. The 15 distinctive menus priced between Euros35.60 and Euros 68.30 feature fish, seafood, duck, lamb, veal, beef, deer, rabbit and guinea fowl.

Local favorites are among the tastiest on the menu, but there are also enough culinary creations to tempt even the most discriminating palate. Over the seven days in a week, lunch and dinner requests easily satisfy the appetite eager to eat Austrian delicacies Hotel Kobenzl prepares every day.

Altogether Hotel Kobenzl encompasses treasured memories based on a fairytale come true, one the baroness is always happy to share with her guests. Love brought Rupert and Theresia’s son, Rupert, and Bartholomaus and Rosina’s daughter, Marianne, together. Both named Herzog (no relation), they married in 1955 and moved from their mountainside village of Taxenbach to Salzburg.

In 1959 the Herzogs bought Hotel Kobenzl because they “loved it at first sight. ” They had survived the war and they were not afraid of hard work, but it was a challenge filled with uncertainties. Yet nine years later they built a panoramic restaurant and suites, and in the following years came additional suites, an indoor pool and conference facilities.

Both Marianne (Baroness von Buseck) and her younger brother, Peter, worked with their parents, but he later became a painter, while Rupert, the older brother pursued journalism. The vision had become a reality - within 20 years the once very small inn had achieved the status of a five-star hotel.

In1993 Baroness von Buseck succeeded her parents and by 1996 indoor and outdoor renovations were complete and the spa-hotel entered the realm of exclusive properties that win international recognition for extraordinary qualities. She believes it should be a quiet and beautiful place where people are free to breathe the air. “We try to make relaxing beautiful and romantic,“ she says, and if you are curious about the atmosphere, Baroness von Buseck has the answer, “It is the magic of the mountain.”

Hotel Kobenzl joined the membership of Small Luxury Hotels of the World in 1996 and a year later it was proclaimed “Hideaway Hotel of the Year” by romantic hideaway guru, Andrew Harper. Soon Conde Nast Traveler rated the spa-hotel among the best hotels in the world, and by 1999 the accolades included a nomination for the Gala Spa Award and the Austrian Award as a Wellness Hotel.

"People are in desperate need of beautiful places", ” Baroness von Buseck told me, and why not? We yearn to be surrounded by nature and to enjoy ourselves in luxurious comfort, and for me, Hotel Kobenzl is just perfect if you want to take a sojourn from everyday life ever so often.