Hello lovelies, we're back from our summer holidays and I'm so happy to tell you about our varied days and the wonderful time: South Tyrol for families and vegan foodies. We traveled to beautiful South Tyrol* as a family, but of course I'm always out and about as a foodie too, so we put special focus on those two points, and I can tell you already: we weren't disappointed.
But now from the beginning, namely with the journey, which surprisingly went much faster from Zurich than expected and, above all, led us through corners of Switzerland we didn't know yet. So the way there was already wonderful, and at the latest when the road is lined with apple orchards on the left and right, you know: now we've arrived in South Tyrol.
Hotel Schwarzschmied
We stayed in the lovely little town of Lana at the Hotel Schwarzschmied, and it thrilled us right away. The hotel places an incredible amount of value on design, and accordingly everything is furnished with great attention to detail — exactly to my taste. Lots of green, natural materials combined with design elements and art. Everything incredibly aesthetic, you feel welcome right away.
Our room was on the ground floor with direct access to the pool — the ladies were of course very happy about that. The rooms are beautifully designed, the attention to detail is reflected there too, and they're bright and cozy. We had a room with an extra sleeping area for the girls, a great bathroom area with a tub (which sadly we didn't use at all), a sleeping area for us parents, and also a little terrace and even a small garden.
Besides wellness and beauty treatments and a lovely sauna area, the Schwarzschmied offers daily yoga and relaxation classes, which I can highly recommend. I got to take part in 2 wonderful classes; at the moment you simply have to register the evening before, and before the class your temperature is taken. Great retreats also take place there regularly, so definitely always check what's currently on.
I treated myself to a wellness treatment, namely a combination package with a scrub, massage, and facial, and all 3 were very relaxing and definitely worthwhile. The children of course extensively tested the indoor and outdoor pool and found both very good. The pools were also never particularly full.
Cuisine
We ate breakfast and dinner at the hotel every day. Breakfast is a mix of buffet and an à la carte menu to choose from. I especially loved the selection of fresh fruit, berries, but also hummus, vegetables, and, on request, vegan yogurts too. You could also order vegan porridge, which was very delicious. I'm of course always won over by a juicer you can use to press your own vegetable and fruit juice — I love it when a hotel provides that.
For dinner there was a 4-course menu every day, either vegan or classic. That thrilled me — finally a hotel where a vegan menu is a given and, as I noticed, was also chosen by lots of people — bravo! Of course there was also the option to swap individual dishes, and there's a children's menu too. Seasonality and regionality take center stage in the Hotel Schwarzschmied's slow food concept.
Getting to enjoy 4 courses every evening that were refined and balanced without being boring is really wonderful, and not a given for me as a vegan.
Of course we didn't spend our holiday in the hotel, though, even if that would have been easily possible — we wanted to explore the region, after all.
Naturns
The next day we headed to Naturns. There we explored the Partschins Waterfall — a 97 m high waterfall that plunges down a rock face with an impressive volume of water. You can choose between various parking options; we parked a bit further down and then walked an approximately 40-minute footpath to the waterfall. The path isn't particularly demanding, but it goes over hill and dale and through a little forest, so children should already be able to walk well.
The waterfall is really impressive and you get a little wet too — sadly it was cloudy for us, because when the sun shines, it's said to sparkle beautifully in rainbow colors.
La Vimea - Vegan Hotel in Naturns
Do you still remember my cooking video and the recipes from this post here? Exactly — I got to cook there with Luca Sordi, the head chef of the La Vimea, and he'd provided some wonderful recipes. Of course I didn't want to miss the chance to stop by the vegan hotel in person. By the way, you can stay at the La Vimea with children from age 12, in case you're wondering why we didn't sleep there too.
But we got to enjoy a delicious lunch there. A delightful colorful salad from the in-house herb and salad garden and really delicious vegan gnocchi. So at the La Vimea you can definitely treat yourself culinarily and enjoy the wonderful peace in the garden, the forest sauna, and the naturally furnished rooms, all in harmony with nature.
Meran
The next day took us to beautiful Meran, a spa town in the heart of South Tyrol. With the mountains in the background, the town of course offers an impressive backdrop, and the sweet little alleys of the old town invite you to stroll. We made use of that right away, for as long as that goes with impatient children, because right in the middle of town lay our actual destination for the day: the Therme Meran thermal baths.
The baths are very central, so you can use the parking garage there to first walk into town and then go straight to swim afterward. The baths have both an indoor and an outdoor area, and several saunas are available for adults. It lies in a gorgeous park, is very spacious, and offers several pools for swimming, relaxing, and of course splashing for every age group.
A visit is absolutely recommendable in any weather — we really liked it.
Seiser Alm
On our last day in beautiful South Tyrol, another real highlight awaited us: the Seiser Alm. It lies in the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the vastness of Europe's largest high-altitude alpine meadow simply blew us away. What a wonderful and magical place. Don't miss a visit to the Seiser Alm under any circumstances, you won't regret it. The landscape is simply unique; out hiking you'll meet friendly cows and can marvel at the beautiful fauna.
You can only drive all the way up by car if you're staying overnight there. Otherwise there's also the Seiser Alm cable car or a bus connection. You can find more information here.
We were able to drive all the way up, because we were on the Seiser Alm not only to hike but also to visit the Hotel Paradiso Pure Living. The Paradiso is not only the sister hotel of the La Vimea, but also the 1st vegetarian hotel in the Dolomites, with a very large selection of vegan dishes.
Our lunch then really didn't look at all like what you'd normally expect on an alpine meadow. We got to enjoy delicacies like homemade pumpkin-seed "cheese," almond mayonnaise, grilled vegetables with delicious vegan dips, and, as a highlight, an incredibly good vegan pizza. I can tell you, I wasn't just really full, but above all super thrilled!
But that wasn't all — the great kitchen team of the Paradiso then gave me a look into their kitchen too, and in a little cooking workshop I prepared a pizza sandwich together with them. With turmeric mayonnaise, grilled vegetables from the outdoor grill, and freshly made bread from the pizza oven. Just this much: I was in foodie heaven.
It was really a shame that we didn't spend the night at the Paradiso this time, because I'm sure that waking up high on the alpine meadow in this beautiful hotel is a very special experience. By the way, you'll recognize the hotel right away by the blue snails on the building, because besides its ecological approach, the hotel also supports a number of exciting art projects.
Sadly our stay in South Tyrol was already over again the next day, and it was time to say goodbye. That wasn't easy for any of us, and we're quite certain that we'll definitely come back. There's still so much to discover, and the family-friendly region has such a big offering that 4 days were of course far too short.
I was very surprised by the great selection of vegan dishes we got to enjoy during this time. Of course our program was geared toward that too, but you can see that it's wonderfully possible to experience a vegan gourmet holiday with the whole family in South Tyrol with a little planning.
So for me it was really the perfect combination of family and foodie holidays!
Have you ever been to South Tyrol, and if so, what did you especially like?
Love, Verena
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*We were invited by IDM South Tyrol on the trip — the blog post reflects my own opinion, though.
