A two-night stay at Naturhotel Lüsnerhof, a wellness and hiking hotel in the Lüsen Valley at the gateway to the Dolomites, offered breathtaking scenery and plenty of surprises, but one thing took some getting used to: the silence.
Travel writer Taila Nichole Thompson flew from Gatwick to Bolzano with SkyAlps, an airline she was unfamiliar with. The aircraft was tiny compared with what she was used to, almost with the feel of a little private jet. Once on board, any apprehension quickly disappeared. The aircraft was comfortable, the cabin crew were attentive and several spoke multiple languages. She also liked the small touch of being served snacks connected to the destination.
Around two hours later, she found herself glued to the window as the plane descended towards Bolzano, watching the mountains get closer. The airport itself was another surprise – it was tiny. After Gatwick, everything suddenly felt very intimate.
Into the Lüsen Valley
A driver collected her for the journey to Lüsnerhof, which took at least an hour. Normally, a transfer that long is something she wants to get through, but this time she spent most of it staring out of the window. The further they travelled, the greener everything became. Mountains rose around them and houses appeared ridiculously high on the slopes.
Set around 1,100 metres above sea level, fresh flowers spilled from balconies and the surrounding landscape filled the backdrop, while guests returned on bikes. Check-in was warm and straightforward, although the wooden, almost silent corridors initially felt slightly eerie. It reminded her of films where everything is almost too serene and you're waiting for something to happen.
Used to a busy city, a chaotic working week and constant chatter, she found everything here was the opposite. It took her a few hours to stop noticing the silence and relax into it.
A completely different pace
Her room was spacious and cosy, with plenty of wood and a balcony overlooking the landscape. One favourite detail was that the duvet wasn't tucked impossibly tightly beneath the mattress, meaning she didn't have to wrestle with hotel sheets before getting into bed. There was also a television with English-language options, which she didn't turn on once. Instead, she read.
By 7pm, the journey had caught up with her, but she wasn't missing dinner. White tablecloths and candles made the restaurant feel elegant without being stuffy. She had told the hotel beforehand that she was pescatarian and was given a menu with suitable choices that she could tick before handing it back. After years of scanning menus to work out how limited her options were going to be, it was a thoughtful touch. The fish dishes she chose were full of flavour and didn't feel like an afterthought.
The following morning, she stepped onto her balcony at around 7am and properly took everything in. Below, she could hear the quiet chatter of guests already having breakfast. Houses were scattered across the landscape, with the surrounding peaks beyond them. She had never been here before, yet somehow it already felt homely.
The challenge I swore I'd never try
Breakfast was a generous buffet of fruit, pastries and pancakes, with freshly squeezed orange juice that she kept going back for. Afterwards, she explored more of the hotel's wellness areas. She eventually settled on the sauna and steam room and spent around 20 minutes letting the outside world disappear.
Before heading out on an electric mountain bike, she asked reception for a map. A member of staff calmly talked her through the routes and signs until she understood where she was going. Soon she was on the bike and spent at least two hours exploring, gradually building up the courage to go higher. She didn't reach the top, but she made it high enough to look back and see Lüsnerhof reduced to what looked like a tiny dot below.
She still had one part of the experience she wasn't quite so relaxed about: the ice bath. Standing over a natural stone tub filled with freezing water and chunks of ice, she wondered whether she was genuinely going to get in. With her instructor guiding her through breathing techniques, she repeated "I can do this" to herself at least 10 times. Eventually, she did. The initial shock was every bit as unpleasant as she'd imagined, but concentrating on her breathing helped. She lasted less than five minutes.
Two nights at Lüsnerhof went quickly and there was plenty she didn't get around to experiencing. She had arrived thinking a wellness break meant a spa, sauna and a couple of days doing very little. Instead, she cycled alone through the landscape, left the television untouched, swapped Spotify for the sound of running water and voluntarily climbed into a tub of ice. For someone used to noise, deadlines and always having something happening around her, what she appreciated most turned out to be much simpler: for a couple of days, there was nowhere else she needed to be.
