Green oasis in the German Alps
Where can you get everything that is on everyone’s agenda at the moment in one place? If hiking and outdoor activities, family holidays including kids entertainment, value for money and free public transport plus clean air and an intact environment mean anything to you, head for the Allgäu region in Southern Bavaria.Outdoor and wellbeing
Enchanting hiking holidays are to be had, for instance, in one of the so-called “Horn Villages” (“Hörnerdörfer”). Bolsterlang is offering special four to seven night packages until the end of May for visitors wanting to experience the mountain meadows while they are being transformed into a yellow sea by dandelions in bloom. Four nights start at EUR 284 for two persons including a special “dandelion breakfast”, sauna visit and other goodies at the “Silberdistel Hotel”.
Anyone interested in herbs and healthy living, should put the village of Ofterschwang, the so called “green heart of the Allgäu”, on their agenda. This holiday resort, another of the five “Horn Villages”, has dedicated itself to everything around the topic of herbs and their benefits for the human organism. Specialised hotels and restaurants only use home or locally grown organic herbs.
Visitors can sample homemade bear garlic pesto or try handmade lavender skin creme, go on special herb tours and hikes, learning from “herb women” how to produce cosmetics and ointments, and visit the big local herb garden.
Let the kids run free in unspoilt nature
From May to October, the “horn villages” are also offering special kids programmes including anything from experiencing the mountains on hikes off the usual tracks, spending a day with the regional ranger or going on mountain bike tours (without the parents, of course).
In addition, more than 200 hotels are offering a special “kids inclusive” package from 10 May to 20 July and from 27 September to 9 November 2008. During this time, children up to 14 years accompanied by two full-paying guests are free of charge. Apart from accommodation, entry to swimming-pools, museums and use of mountain railways is free as well.
Save money and get more – unique visitor card
More special offers can be found in Oberstaufen, where the “Schroth treatment” was invented over 180 year ago as a naturopathic treatment aiming to detox the body and to activate the body’s self-healing powers. The spa town has put together the “Oberstaufen Plus” card which is unique in Germany leaving visitors with more pocket money left to spend during their holidays:
More than 230 accommodation hosts offer their guests free travel on all mountain cable cars, guest buses, free entry to museums and other attractions such as the summer toboggan run and an adventure pool.
Furthermore, the “Oberstaufen PLUS Golf” campaign enables keen golfers staying in one of the 16 “Oberstaufen PLUS Golf” hotels to check out the two local 18-hole courses and the 6-hole training course without any extra charge for green fees and as often as they like. This means that holiday makers, for example, could save 70 EUR per person during a long weekend and over EUR 250 during a golfing week with four days spent golfing and two days hiking.
Haven for allergy sufferers
Anyone suffering from hay fever or other allergies will get a real break in the climatic spa of Bad Hindelang, a typical mountain village which has managed to keep its original charms by engaging in sustainable tourism. Bad Hindelang does not only have a low pollen count but is virtually free of house dust mites and particulate matter comparable to the climate of that of Davos in Switzerland.
The location in the nature reserve of the “Allgäuer Hochalpen” (Allgäu High Alps) guarantees sunny high terraces, slope forests, mountain meadows carefully tended by organic farming, waterfalls and Germany’s only high mountain sulphur spring located in the “Hotel Prinz-Luitpold-Bad”. Bad Hindeland also features “allergy free” hotels and a special allergy clinic for children.
For more information visit:
Allgaeu.info
Bad-hindelang.de
Hoernerdoerfer.de
Oberstaufen.de
English.kuhle-kids.de
Getting there:
Ryanair flies to Friedrichshafen (Lake Constance). Onward journey either by rental car or by bus with the “Allgäu-Walser Express” (allgaeu-walser-express.de) from the airport directly to the hotel. Other suitable airports are Stuttgart and Munich, served by Lufthansa, Air Berlin and other airlines.