KAY FRANCES reports on how she became a spa convert in southern Sicily at Adler Spa Resort. Views of The Mediterranean from Thalasso Pool (Image: Supplied)
KAY FRANCES reports on how she became a spa convert in southern Sicily
A COLD shower under a moonlit starry sky and I’m feeling rejuvenated and relaxed in equal measure – the Adler Spa Resort in southern Sicily is beginning to feel very much like my kind of place.
I’ve just experienced the hotel’s twice-daily ‘Aufguss’ ritual, a multi-sensory wellness experience. It’s memorably performed by Liborio, our bronzed ‘Aufguss Meister’, in the Panorama Sauna with stunning floor to ceiling views over the Mediterranean ocean.
Iced water mixed with herbal oil is poured over hot stones, and with skill akin to a Samurai warrior, Liborio wafts a small towel around his back, circling it in front of each guest in turn. With each gyration the heat intensifies, and the accompanying music by Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi (you may recognise it from the Gladiator movie) builds up to a crescendo. I am hit with a sudden rush of heat and an intense aroma of rosemary swooshes up both my nostrils. Finally, a welcome handful of ice is offered around, calming rising heart rates.
Adler Spa Sicily was launched this summer by the seventh generation of Sanoners, a South Tyrolean family who have been running hotels in Italy for 150 years. Mention the Adler name, which is German for Eagle, to any Italian, and they’ll know the brand is synonymous with wellness, stylish architecture, and nature. But not so in the UK, a tourism market this family run business is keen to reach. The concept is all about freedom and getting back to nature with a good dose of pampering thrown in.
Architect Hugo Demetz’s concept was to create a holiday experience with the least impact on the environment and it seems he’s done just that as the low-level hotel structure melds seamlessly into the hillside. Cedar wood adds warm comforting tones to interiors, tuff volcanic rock clads exteriors, while Agave plants stretch across the rooftops. Sustainability is, we are told, at the core of this resort, with Sicilian clay being cleverly used to control humidity levels. Creative landscaping adds to the overall effect, with sweet smelling white jasmine, blue plumbago and tangerine trees planted across the spa’s gardens.
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