There are two "Doug's" within this outer "Doug"….. both deeply rooted in my soul, and all my friends assume these 2 Doug's are in opposition to each other…..far from the truth.
There's Doug #1, Mister "Eco-Friendly", "All-Organic", the "So healthy, it's almost irritating" guy, if you read my blog you already know who that Doug is.
There's Doug #2, Mister "Style Points", "Ultra Modern Man", "Mr GQ", the "bought a $1100 Hugo Boss suit just in case I ever get need wear it" guy (come to think of it, I'm sure that Doug comes out in my blog also).
Nothing like a "Lovely, Perfect Storm"
Every now and then, when browsing the web, there is a "Lovely Perfect Storm" for those Two Doug's, and their peaceful coexistence within me.
Last time I had my "Lovely, Perfect Storm", I packed my $200 Foti sandals and visited the
Upscale Sustainable Tropical Living community at Oil Nut Bay, in the British Virgin Islands (I still declare I will either be living there or die trying).
Another "Perfect Storm", right on schedule
It always happens every 2 years give or take, and now, its a little "Posh but Quaint" joint in Austria, called the Wiesergut Hotel, that immediately pushed its way past everyone on my queue of "Dream Vacations that nobody but me understands why I would drop $8000" .
I look at this stage of my life's game as if I'm coming out after "halftime", and in the second half, I'm playing my game. I go where the "coach" within tells me to go………….
The "Organic" Vision
Two generations ago, [owner] Sepp Kroll's great-grandmother was the first to transform the old property into a guesthouse with a working farm. His parents ran it as a farm and a 100-bed, 3-star family hotel.
Now age 40, Sepp grew up absorbing this legacy, first by simply living with it, then by undertaking formal training in gastronomy and farming by working with local masters through Austria’s apprenticeship system.
Everything is customized……
Every piece in the hotel, from the steel door handles to the one-of-a-kind metal sinks, is customized.
Sepp and wife Martina even did a “sun study,” which is why garden suites have higher ceilings on one side to maximize light and the rooftop is covered with "green technology" green plants. For all the spatial savvy, the hotel still feels like it reflects the best of a very traditional culture.
Going back to the land…..
"Our earthiness isn’t pompous; it’s more like how things used to be".
"We use the handmade straw stars [for decoration] that are so typically Austrian…,” explains Martina. “… and we make our own straw angels,” adds hubbie Sepp, finishing her thought.
“We’re going back to the land. We want the traditional.”
"Slow Food" (now that's what I'm talkin' about !!! 🙂 )
……. As Miguel de Cervantes expressed it so well: "Time ripens all things”. In the fast-moving world we live in, it is so good to find a place where time moves more slowly, calmly and back to nature.
In the kitchen, chefs combine Austrian classics with experimental cuisine, all-seasoned with fresh-herbs grown in an outdoor garden grown literally within arm’s reach of the Wiesergut’s state-of-the-art kitchen.
"Pi·az·za" (noun, plural: pi·az·zae …A roofed and arcaded passageway; a colonnade, a veranda.)
All meals are provided in accordance with the "philosophy of slow food” with many freshly harvested regional products or hand-plucked from their own cottage garden with added aromas from the herb garden. Selected wines and fine spirits, but also, pure spring water direct from the source.
A restaurant for cozy dining, a piazza for a nice cappuccino at any time, a bar with a quiet library section, an inner courtyard with a herb and vegetable garden.
Sunday brunch, my second {chuckle} favorite thing in the world…….
Brunch lovers [like me] will enjoy a fine selection of delicious specialties to meet that "mental brunch vision", you know, that "this two hours of the week is all mine" vibe that all Sunday brunch lovers covet.
From hand pressed juices, crusty and aromatic local breads, home-made conserves, smoked hams and freshly made egg dishes, served of course with coffee and tea varieties or hot chocolate from the finest cocoa beans…….
Only thing missing would be my Michael Franks Sunday morning music, note to self …."don't forget to pack the iPod".
Glemmtal Spring Water? whatever that is, count me in…..
Watching the baker as she takes the rustic, freshly baked bread from the oven, yeah buddy!!! Their bread is still made in the original way, with natural stone-milled flour, pure salt and fresh Glemmtal spring water (sounds good to me!).
The bread is kneaded and formed by hand and baked in the wood-fired oven on the piazza. Served with fresh home-made spreads or butter from the mountain farms.
Real luxury? Fresh bread……..
"To me, luxury is fresh bread," Ms. Kroll explains. "It’s knowing that the chickens in the stall laid the eggs you ate for breakfast. Easy, and still beautiful."
In the kitchen, chefs combine Austrian classics with experimental cuisine, all-seasoned with fresh-herbs grown in an outdoor herb garden grown literally within arm’s reach of the Wiesergut’s state-of-the-art kitchen.
"Farm to Table", Local Harvested Goodness
…..from freshly harvested natural products, where cooking with wild herbs is special, and where enjoyment is with the awareness of the bounty of the region.
The generations old Kroll family tradition of "farm to table" continues today at the Wiesergut with locally-sourced foods and fine ingredients. All in a posh eating environment, the restaurant is in fact several cozy rooms, where comfort is the key word.
Below: Making Fresh Marmalade at Wiesergut (Not in English, but you'll get the message 🙂 )
Below: "The Art of Tea" at The Wiesergut (not in English, but tea lovers will feel it just the same 🙂 )
About the Owners….
His family experience in the business prompted Sepp Kroll to pursue formal training in gastronomy and farming, which he parlayed into his acclaimed mountainside restaurant Wieseralm.
After meeting and marrying Martina, the two began to formulate their vision for a relaxed, restorative hideaway that emphasized traditional quality and contemporary innovation, while retaining its earthiness and traditional ties. ‘
Sepp and Martina and their "Homespun Luxury"
They transformed a 14th-century family estate into a modern retreat that exudes organic warmth and comfort. A sanctuary of light, nature, and fresh air, this alpine hideaway keeps alive the Kroll family tradition of "farm to table"……with a unapologetic posh-chic twist.
Homespun luxury prevails. Bespoke furnishings by Austrian designers commissioned exclusively for Wiesergut adorn the hotel’s private quarters, from hand-blown glass chandeliers right down to the steel door handles, and locally sourced wood abounds.
My "Doug #2" gift to a lady, a luxurious spa session……
….but I guess that's really my Doug #1 and #2 working together. It's cool if you dudes steal my moves, it part of the gentleman's code, but the spa treat is that moment where you give her time to unwind by herself, recover from the long flight, and adjust to the new clock, and you go do your thing with your own "guy time", like maybe try some real German Beer……
The Wiesergut Spa promises to take all comers into the "Zen Zone", with Swiss Pine Baths, Aroma Oil Massages, an even a Men's Spa Package {hmmmm}, and everything in between.
My special gift….
…though it has no real value to anyone but me, is that I can look at a web brochure and I can tell if its gonna be a "dream trip" or a "Carnival Cruise Gone Bad".
Whenever I open the doors to my room at any of my "Lovely Perfect Storm – I gotta go there cause it calls my name" getaway destinations, my senses are always heightened, my excitement builds, I wanna unpack ASAP, to go do…..well basically nothing, but eat and enjoy the scenery.
A little bread, a little cheese, a little wine….
…..and a little onion and olive oil…… and a view.
That's all I really need in a vacation (a pretty girl never hurts either), along with a place on the planet that has a sense of "earthy" holistic living, but not afraid to be a little chic, a little posh, a little trendy.
Very few can master the art of going "back to basics", that is, back to the best of the way things were, but at the same time, move boldly into an new, fresh vision of holistic living in a modern future.
The Wiesergut, a "Lovely Perfect Storm", that will no doubt satisfy both of those "Doug's" within 🙂
Life Well Played, Wiesergut, LIFE WELL PLAYED!!!!!
Some descriptive text and photos from the Wiesergut website.
~stay healthy~
you might also like……
Babylonstoren Organic Farm and Hotel, South Africa
The "All Organic" Tropical Resort, Kittitian Hill, St. Kitts West Indies
Sustainable Upscale Living, Oil Nut Bay, British Virgin Islands
click here or photo for all my articles in
"Sustainable Eating, Living, and Gardening" 
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