Did I Ever Know How to Fully Relax?
Holzhotel Forsthofalm, Leogang, Austria
August was all about holidaymaxing in every sense, but I've realised that it's not always a beach or pool holiday in Europe that helps me relax. So I decided it was finally time to tap into wellness travel.
Around three years ago, I completely changed my life for my mental and physical health. If you'd told me back then, "do you want to go on a hiking holiday in the Alps for a week, with sauna, walking, gym and whole foods?" I would have politely passed and chased another night out in London instead. Oh, how times have changed, for the better. So when my friend (who happens to be the founder of The Well Edit) asked me to join her at Holzhotel Forsthofalm, I jumped at the chance to experience the alpine lifestyle hotel at 1,050m. Move over Dolomites, Austria can do it just as well.
Wellness has become a big part of my life over these past three years, so I packed my carry-on, tapped into my inner "gorpcore," and finally put my Salomons to their actual purpose, rather than just my 10k daily steps around London.
Arriving in the Mountains
We started our journey in Munich, arriving from London before setting off on a four-hour train journey into the mountains - cue "The Sound of Music," the hills are alive.
Upon arriving at Forsthofalm, a family-run hotel, the first thing that struck me was stillness. As someone working in a busy, highly social corporate job, stillness is rare. It's something I've been practising over the past few years, finding moments of peace within a busy life. Usually it's the gym that gets me there, but in August it was Leogang, it was everything Forsthofalm had to offer.
Inspired by the power of nature, the hotel is a striking wood-built property that transports you into a real mountain world. Every room is built from sustainable moon wood, and ours overlooked the mountains under a sky so blue it almost looked like AI.
Our Daily Routine
Our days quickly settled into a routine. Mornings began with yoga outside, shoes off, in the crisp morning air, grounding, settling, a moment to express gratitude and reflect. This was followed by a fascia pilates session (new to me but El told me all about how beneficial it would be for my aching body, held tension and my face structure), all flowing movement that left me feeling genuinely refreshed. On mornings we couldn't quite drag ourselves from sleep (the blackout curtains were serious), we'd head to the on-site gym instead, which looks straight out onto the mountains, the perfect backdrop for an upper body session.
Next came breakfast, and an impressive juicer we used daily with locally sourced ingredients. We were really channeling our detoxification so we freshly pressed celery, carrot, ginger and cucumber every morning as a way to get thing in motion. That was followed by fresh fruit and our usual order of poached eggs, avocado on toast, finished with a coffee because as London girls, we'd never drink coffee on an empty stomach but it’s a part of our morning routine and ritual that we weren’t going to part with completely.
Each evening brought a nutritious, thoughtfully put-together menu, and we always opted for the fish. No alcohol the entire trip, just a Coke Zero, the occasional ginger beer, and a lemon-and-ginger tea for me and a fresh mint for El to close out the night before a 9pm bedtime. This was part of the 80:20 rule that El puts in place: we were working on our 20, and having a proper detox.
Hiking Up, Up, and Up
Each evening we'd plan the next day's hiking route with recommendations from the staff. Being tucked away, the hotel gave us the chance to be truly at one with nature, and we spent hours up in the mountains. We'd start by walking from the hotel down into the small town, before taking the cable car up to the start of our proper walk and the views that came with it. Bandana on, fruit in the bag, Salomons at the ready, we trekked for five hours, up and up and up. Our ears popping at the altitude whilst we took in the views and surroundings. Truly like something we’d never seen before.
It was genuinely refreshing. It gave us space to take everything in, to spend time consciously with a close friend, and to do something different from the London walks we do together every week. There’s something about being at altitude, climbing and getting tired for five hours with someone that makes you bond and come closer together. On our final day, we even took a little note of all the things ‘on our minds’ to the top and released them. I told El, “we’re leaving that anxiety at the top of a mountain, not bringing it back to London”.
Slowing Down in the Sauna
The herbal saunas became our go-to after a long hiking day, something I rarely make time for back in London. On our first visit, we saw the sign: “please enjoy our sauna’s without textiles”. Polite as it sounded, we quickly realised it wasn't a suggestion, it was the rule. As true Brits, stiff upper lip intact, the idea of getting fully undressed and walking into a sauna felt deeply wrong at first. We’d told ourselves we were going all in and once you saw the views inside the sauna, you would too.
Something about the hotel's carefree, natural atmosphere made it easier to let go, and we did. Having mundane conversations about life, completely bare, in 90-degree heat, has a funny way of bringing you closer to a friend. The hotel's ethos is about experiencing true luxury by letting go - we took that quite literally.
The Sky Spa
The Sky Spa was pure serenity. I booked in for a full-body massage with a view I genuinely can't do justice to in words (image below). Distant sheep and cows, the quiet hush of wind, red curtains drifting against the window as every knot in my body slowly let go. Afterwards, a dip in the pool, a lounge on the deck, and I finally finished a book I'd been trying to get through for two months. I finally relaxed.
The Takeaway
Maybe this was exactly what I needed to feel more carefree, more at ease, to actually understand what it means to relax. People always tell you to "just relax," and I'd always insist I was. But deep down, I don't think I ever really was. It wasn't until I came to Forsthofalm that I learned the foundations for a slower, more time-conscious way of travelling.
https://www.forsthofalm.com/en/home/
Perfect for a girls trip, a couples holiday - ideal stay would be 5 days, to ensure you can fit more walking into the schedule.
Closest airports - Munich, Leogang
Transport - pre-book train tickets, recommendation to download City Mapper to navigate the transport systems - easy if you’re from a city to navigate.
Words by Alicia Slym for The Well Edit.
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