Stop smoking with a spa treatment in Germany

Want to quit smoking for good? Fed up with trying everything from sticking a plaster behind your ear and still feeling the urge to light up? In Oberstaufen, Germany’s only official “Schroth” spa in the Bavarian Allgäu region, doctors and therapists have developed a new concept to help all those desperate to give up cigarettes that is based on detoxification combined with sport, dancing, spa treatments or acupuncture.

The Schroth treatment that was developed by Johann Schroth in the 19th century is a naturopathic treatment aiming to detox the body and activate the body’s own self-healings powers. The special “non-smoking package” includes, among others, seven nights accommodation and full board, Nordic Walking lessons, reflexology, breathing therapy, acupuncture and oxygen therapy and starts from EUR 732 (approx. GBP 497) per person.

In terms of wellbeing and activities, the Allgäu region in the southern part of Bavaria, one of Germany’s most favourite holiday destinations, and its main tourist centres have more to offer. Oberstdorf, the place where visitors can engage in 101 different sports activities, offers “Summit Weeks” until 30 September, individual all-inclusive tours focusing on different themes such as hiking, mountain biking or well being.

The packages include seven nights at a hotel in Oberstdorf plus a free of charge activity programme such as guided mountain bike tours or tickets to the “Oberstdorf Therme” (Oberstdorf spa). The “Hiking Summit” package, for instance, starts from GBP 230 per person.

For visitors who want to watch rather than engage in sportive activities themselves the Allgäu region has something special to offer: The traditional “Viehscheid” from 8 to 29 September sees the cattle being brought down from the alpine pastures after the summer season to their stables in the valley in a cow train. This event is the highlight of the year for the local community and turns the whole area into one big party.

A great opportunity to witness a “Viehscheid” is in Bad Hindelang, about 20 km from Oberstdorf, on 11 September. The town is located in a nature reserve and in one of the most beautiful valleys in the Allgäu. A special “Viehscheid” package for seven nights half-board including a cheese making class from 8 September to 15 September starts at EUR 330 (approx. GBP 225) per person.

Further Allgäu autumn specials can be found in the ”Kleinwalsertal”, an Austrian enclave only accessible through Germany where three nights including breakfast in a three-star hotel and mountain lift passes cost EUR 120 (approx. GBP 82) per person in a double room. The “Kleinwalsertal” sits at an elevation of between 1086 m to 2536 m and promises an enjoyable holiday for every taste. Neither transit traffic nor noise disturb the intact and as far as possible unaffected nature.

The “Hörnerdörfer”, a group of five villages situated only a few kilometres from Oberstdorf and the Kleinwalsertal, offer an early bird skiing package for a three day trip at EUR 149 (approx. GBP 100) per person in a double room including accommodation and breakfast and a three day ticket for the five skiing regions of the “Hörnerdörfer”. On top visitors can enjoy water park Wonnemar with a free 4-hours ticket any day of their stay. The package is available from 1 of December 2007.

How to get there:

The Allgäu is easily accessible via Munich, Stuttgart or Friedrichshafen airports with transfer possibilities by bus and train. Allgaeu.info

Further information on the special Allgäu autumn packages:

For Oberstaufen: Oberstaufen.de

For Oberstdorf: Oberstdorf.de

For Bad Hindelang: Bad-hindelang.info

For Kleinwalsertal: Kleinwalsertal.com

For Hörnerdörfer: Hoernerdoerfer.de