From pyjamas to ski suit? It’s possible, because a skiing day at Gradonna starts right outside the hotel door. No tedious lugging of equipment, no long journey: the 4-star mountain superior resort is nestled in the heart of nature and just one step away from the slope. You can put your pyjamas back on straight away when you come back and let your gaze wander over the nearby three-thousand metre peaks in the evening.
Imagine waking up one morning, getting out of your cosy bed, pulling aside the curtains and being surrounded by majestic mountains. So close you could almost touch them. The striking horizon separates the vastness of the sky from the silent blanket of snow. Instead of cars, you can see skiers swinging past and, with a bit of luck, perhaps an ibex in the distance. It is as if you are enchanted into an idyllic winter painting when you open the curtain.
Are we still dreaming?
No, we are at Gradonna****s Mountain Resort, a multi-award-winning hotel with chalets that merges magically with its surroundings. It nestles against the mountain like a natural amphitheatre. Those who go outside can do so in ski boots, as the piste is right on the doorstep. So your skiing day here doesn’t start with a look at the ski bus timetable and tedious transfers. After all, we are at an altitude of 1,350 metres on the Blauspitz descent of the Großglockner Resort Kals-Matrei. And right in the middle of the largest ski area in East Tyrol with 44.6 kilometres of pistes and 17 lifts and cable cars, which is also guaranteed to have snow from December to April.
At Gradonna, we consciously opt for environmentally friendly alternatives: our resort is not only car-free, it also generates the energy it needs itself using a bio-heat power station.
Maximilian Schultz, Co-owner of the Gradonna
And after a day outdoors? We take off our ski boots and slide gently into our spa slippers to leave the active part of the day behind us with a soothing sauna session. The natural living atmosphere with a view of 30 three-thousand metre peaks through the glass front fills us with gratitude. The Gradonna****s Mountain Resort is a model of sustainability. It gently brings nature inside, seamlessly captures its essence and allows it to live on in every detail. We look out once again and mentally follow the tracks in the snow as it gets darker outside, close the curtain again and look forward to another fantastic day at Gradonna.
Gradonna****s Mountain Resort is a member of Lifestylehotels
photos: Gert Perauer