Following my last post on mountain retreats I’m looking at skiing honeymoons this week.
Whilst most of us imagine a beach holiday as the stereotypical honeymoon, sun, sea and sand isn’t for everyone. A ski honeymoon could be the perfect alternative for those who don’t enjoy the beach. This type of holiday could be particularly good for those couples who enjoy a bit of action, love being in the fresh air and like to be active. There is also a luxurious side to a ski honeymoon, with après ski, roaring log fires and secluded private ski lodges.
So here are a few snowy suggestions!
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Canada
Honeymooners will marvel at the natural beauty of Fairmont’s mountain ranges. Complete with raged peaks, high cliffs and blue lakes that are overlaid with snow dazzling in the sunshine.
The Rocky Mountains provide fantastic skiing at three separate resorts set in the unspoiled wilderness, only a short drive away from the hotel. Skiers can choose between the drama of the Rocky Mountains in Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise, the rolling Laurentian slopes of Tremblant and Charlevoix or the inspirational setting at Whistler, which has been voted America’s best skiing destination. There are waist deep powder and black diamond runs or bunny hills, with hundreds of marked runs, short lift lines and a huge selection of cross country trails. Ski enthusiasts from across the globe come to experience the fantastic skiing at the Fairmont Resorts.
For novices or those wishing to improve their skills and confidence on the slopes, there is the Fairmont Snow School. The School will soon have you enjoying skiing safely and advancing to a higher level before you know it.
After an action packed day on the slopes honeymooners can retreat to the luxury of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, a stunning hotel built in the style of a baronial Scottish castle. Relax and unwind at the hotel Spa – Willow Stream – with a massage or soak in the whirlpool, tantalise your tastebuds in the hotel restaurant or visit the casino at the nearby Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu.
The hotel’s Presidential Suite is the perfect setting for honeymooners. Located in the top tower of the hotel, it can only be accessed by a private glass lift. The suite has a marble foyer, wall covering fireplace, baby grand piano, Czechoslovakian crystal chandelier and a spiral staircase up to a loft library. Fantastic views of the surrounding mountains are offered by the wrap around windows, whilst honeymooners can snuggle up and keep warm in front of the fire or in the canopy bed with original European tapestries.
Salzburgerhoff Hotel, Zell Am Zee Austria
Zell Am Zee is one of the most famous ski resorts in Austria. The region offers a variety of slopes for all abilities such as glacier skiing, at a local beginner’s hill – the Maiskogel at Kaprun – and more varied terrain below Schmittenhohe. The tree lined skiing is generally better suited to beginners and intermediates but there are also some black pistes for more advanced skiers. The area offers spectacular views across Lake Zeller and also the glaciers towards Grossglockner.
In addition to skiing you can ice skate or walk over the frozen Thumerbach for a warming mug of gluwein. You can go snow kiting, Nordic walking or for a romantic sleigh ride.
At the end of a long day on the pistes you can return to a little five star luxury at the Salzburgerhoff Hotel. Nestling at the foot of the Alps the hotel is furnished in an elegant and rustic Austrian style, with a central location in Zell Am Zee, close to the lake. The family run hotel offers honeymooners country-house styles comfort, gourmet cuisine and fantastic spa facilities at the hotel’s famous Wellness Castle, which boasts 5 Turkish baths, a sole dome, whirlpools and saunas.
Honeymooners can enjoy champagne breakfasts, partner treatments at the Wellness Castle, which includes a jasmine petal steam bath, a floating session in the salt water dome and a Lomi Lomi Nui which is described as the ‘queen of massages’.
Balmes De L’Ours, Val D’Isere, France
The lively ski resort of Val D’Isere combines fantastic skiing with a little chic and a famous après ski scene. Beginners can enjoy easy runs and there are a whole host of ski schools to get you up to speed and feeling more confident on the slopes. For more advanced skiers there are blue, red, black (including the famous ‘La Face’ black run), tree runs and on powder days fantastic off piste skiing.
In addition to cross-country and downhill skiing there are plenty of other mountain activities for honeymooners to enjoy. These include snowshoeing, ice-skating, ice-climbing, husky sleigh rides, helicopter rides and paragliding.
The hotel I’m suggestion for a honeymoon in Val D’Isere is situated at the foot of the infamous Face de Bellevard piste, which is only 100m from the resorts main ski lifts. This luxurious hotel caters to all tastes with its rooms and suites decorated in four unique style: Loft, Chalet, Nordic and Lodge. Double rooms and suites over look the piste or village. Honeymooners would love the L’Ours suite which has its own romantic open fireplace, projector screen and open plan Jacuzzi, or they may prefer the Alpine Chalet which is located on the top floor of the hotel offering fantastic views of the mountains and resort.
The hotel’s main restaurant La Table de L’Ours is the only gastronomic restaurant in Val D’Isere to be awarded is ideal for a romantic dinner for two and the hotel has a spa facility offering a whole host of treatments including seaweed and body clay wraps. The sumptuous 800m2spa has a heated indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, fitness room, massage rooms, hydro massage, balneo therapy, hairdressing salon and a full range of beauty treatments.
So what do you think has this tempted you to take to take to the slopes for your honeymoon? My last bit of advice would be that if you’re looking to escape to the snow covered mountains then you need to pick a resort with stunning scenery and romantic restaurants. After all it’s not just about the skiing it’s about the two of you starting your married life together with a little romance and passion!
