On the large wooden veranda in the birch forest, four young women are sitting in a whirlpool and are competing with the gurgling water. The wind sways the trees in front of the wellness hotel and whirls delicate birch scales around. No car noise disturbs. All you can hear is the blustering wind, the chirping of birds, giggling and now and then a pleasurable sigh.
Poland’s finest 5-star hotel is located south of Ostróda (Osterode) on the edge of the Krajobrazowy Wzgórz Dylewskich nature reserve on the Kernsdorferhöhe, in the midst of forests and meadows. A house with an excellent wellness oasis, cosmetic institute and two restaurants. dr Irena Eris had it built here in West Masurian Warmia. Irena is a celebrity in Poland and a queen when it comes to skin care cosmetics. The chemist studied in Berlin and was already mixing her own creams in socialist times. Today she runs numerous cosmetic institutes throughout Poland.
Water lilies swim in the pond in front of the Hotel Spa Dr Irena Eris. Next to them, Arabello, Lancaster and Resztka are standing on the pasture in front of their stable, pawing their hooves impatiently. Full of energy, the horses wait for the next ride.
Here, just 160 kilometers from Gdańsk, the land is hilly and the green is a treat for the eyes. Stress-plagued minds intuitively relax and come to rest. Neglected bodies are nourished healthily, sweat in the herbal sauna and in the brine steam bath or recharge your batteries with one or more treatments in the beauty salon.
The golden ambience of the hammam smells of fresh lemons. With sugar and honey, guests can let Ewa give them a rub down, for example, or drift off into nirvana for a while during an extensive Ayurvedic massage. The house with its 97 rooms and apartments is quite quiet despite its size. 160 employees trained in English and German take care of the guests.
In the morning, coach Daniel gave us a lesson in Nordic Walking. Nothing easier than that, I thought. Have I forgotten how to walk? But my attitude – a disaster. Please breathe! Then I forget the sticks and just let them drag behind me. Walk a long way, commands Daniel. Don’t tense up your shoulders. Ease down. Focus. Breathe. And all of that at the same time.
Of course, you can also just stay seated and fritter away the whole day, splash around in the pool or just ride the in-house horses. I cycle through the Warmian countryside with Piotr, a freelance tour guide. Every now and then we come through a village, see manor houses from another time. Pyotr tells how it used to be and how it is today – and asks a priest to unlock his wooden baroque church for us. Then we sit in the sun for a while in the truly heavenly forest cemetery.
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Das “Stara Skola”
At noon we eat in the “Stara Szkoła”, the “Old School”. The owners Ewa and Marisia process almost everything that their garden has to offer seasonally. The guests sit together at a large table and eat their botwina, a beetroot soup. There is also oven-warm, delicious bread. Those who tire of their Montignac diet can feast to their heart’s content in this restaurant, which is only a stone’s throw from the spa hotel – a cozy change from the local cuisine.
Also highly recommended: Poland’s first and only slow food restaurant, housed in the spa hotel. Head chef Michal Mamorski, who is assisted in the kitchen by experienced Polish housewives, can be seen sizzling the beef cheeks. He has his hands full sourcing the best produce from local farmers. Slow Food may still be in its infancy in Poland, but everything that is served here can certainly compete with the competition in Western Europe.
The next morning I am awakened by the clattering of the storks. I had the windows of my bedroom wide open to the forest. I quickly slip into my jeans and walk barefoot down to the pond to watch the big birds having breakfast before meeting my Pilates trainer.
warm up. Very slowly. And relax. Oh, that’s me for a long time. And ahead of me lies a glorious day in the Masurian nowhere. It doesn’t bother me that a few raindrops fall. I sit in the gallery above the foyer and can’t get enough of the wonderful pictures of the village and portraits by the Polish 1920s painter Janina Dobrzynska.
At some point I’ll get back on my bike, cycle up the hills and rush down the linden avenues. Not a drop of rain hits me, its green roof is so dense. On the way I pick a bouquet of wild lupins for my room.
When I get home, I sip a homemade smoked plum liqueur to keep me warm and quickly place myself in Joanna’s hands. She will pamper my face. Clean. Massage. Warm hands and cool orders – every wrinkle is smoothed out. In addition to the gentle, spherical music in the treatment room, I suddenly hear something else: migratory birds are flying over the roof. geese. cranes. Always more. I jump up and open the window to watch her move south. The absolute idyll in the middle of Masuria.
Vita Travel Plans
- Hotel Spa Dr Irena Eris (awarded by the German Wellness Association): ‘ Wzgórza Dylewskie, Wysoka Wies 22, 14-100 Ostroda/Poland, Tel. 00 48/89/6 47 10 00, double room from 121 euros, DrIrenaErisSpa.com
- Slow Food Restaurant: “Romantyczna” Open from 5 p.m., closed on Mondays
- Hotel Galery 69: Dorotowo 38, 11-034 Stawiguda / Polen, Tel. 00 48/89/5 13 64 80, DZ ab 105 Euro, hotelgalery69.pl
- Hotel Młyn Klekotki Resort & Spa: 14-407 Godkowo / Polen, Tel. 00 48/55/2 49 00 00, DZ ab 80 Euro, hotelmlynklekotki.pl
- Polish Tourist Office: Kurfürstenstraße 71, 10709 Berlin, Tel. 0 30/2 10 09 20, poland.travel
- Getting there: Wizzair and Lufthansa fly to Gdansk. From there by rental car approx. 160 km to the hotels in Warmia
- Hotel and Restaurant Stara Szkoła (Old School): ‘Wysoka Wies 27, 14-100 Ostróda / Poland, tel. 00 48/89/6 47 15 23, dylewska.pl
- Guide: Piotr Lisowski (speaks German), via guidepolska.pl
