24 Hours at the Chalet Mirabell, Merano
Nestled high above South Tyrol, Hafling is a place which has always been unknown to me (however a regular spot of family members). An interesting invitation via Instagram brought us to the idea to skip Castel Fragsburg for the Merano Wine Festival and stay at the sexy and good-looking Chalet Mirabell this time.
Well, I would never say it was the fault of my colleague Felix who drove the way from Livigno to Merano that we did not arrive by daylight. Anyhow we found Chalet Mirabell after an exhausting drive from Zurich (I was driving to Livigno), still with the last rays of sun and ready for taking pictures of South Tyrol's most wonderful sunset.
After driving through the entry way we stopped the car and entered the doors. Stefan, the receptionist was motivated to do all paperwork as fast as possible and offered us a seat. I did not wait long and chose the lounge on the panorama terrace of Chalet Mirabell next to the front desk - which looks stunning and is brand new by the way. Enjoying the amazing sunset over South Tyrol's vast valleys with a glass of sparkling wine was even better when Stefan served some South Tyrolean finger food including dried ham ("Speck") and small typical bread. Soon afterwards Stefan showed us our Garden Chalet Deluxe.
Being their absolute high end category, all Garden Chalets Deluxe are equipped with highlights, such as a private Jacuzzi and a infrared sauna. In addition to these amenities I appreciated the vast entree, double vanities, walk-in shower with different light, separated toilet and bidet, as well as the welcome amenities including Prosecco and Pralines with fruits! While I prefer bigger, lighter and more fluffy bed blankets, it is usual to have these kind of single blankets in South Tyrol. The mattress could have been slightly softer (for my personal taste) but due to previous hotel experiences I know this is a very usual thing in upscale hotels in South Tyrol and Tyrol - it is also appreciated and desired by current guests. Branded toiletries by Luis Trenker did fit perfectly to the design of our suite and I loved the grey color scheme.
Before we took a seat at the table, Ms. Reiterer was greeting us (like every other guest) in a personal way and asked us to have a drink at the bar. We did not wait long and ordered two Gin Tonics with different Tonic Waters. Would you call yourself drunk after one Gin Tonic? NO way so ready for dinner, we headed back to Ms Reiterer who showed us the way to the most wonderful of all their tables! A perfect buffet of Mediterranean starters was prepared - like they knew my favorite dishes: Carpaccio, tartare, Vitello Tonnato and Buffola Mozarella (!) - and it tasted like heaven. I was not a fan of the "Gerstensuppe" - a soup made from vegetable and meat broth, containing potatoes and barley groats, however I loved their risotto with tuna and the Entrecote was simply amazing with a small potato cake. While my colleague Felix chose the coffee parfait, I went for the Mango sorbet and it was amazing. The head comelier Karol did recommend an excellent wine from Chile - so yes the dinner was perfect.
Due to our late arrival and our early departure after dinner - we headed to the party of the Merano Wine Festival - I jumped into the pool on the next morning after a vast breakfast. There was absolutely no possibility to inspect the spa area and the new sauna area (this is reason enough to come back ;-) ). Although it was their last open day of the season and we were already the last guests at 10am, there was still a full breakfast. Service was also still very good and the weather was on our side and sun was shining through the big windows onto our cappuccino. Take a look at following pictures and think if these shots are not making you planning your next getaway to Chalet Mirabell above Merano?
If you ask us what we did regret most about choosing Chalet Mirabell is the fact that we only stayed one night! We would love to come back next season and also inspect the ski area and the hotel outside of the school autumn or summer holidays, which might bring less children in the spa. Anyhow this is not an adults-only resort and it is also attracting families, so if you want to go for a more private option book a Garden Chalet Deluxe and enjoy your private sauna and jacuzzi - you won't regret it!
We were guests of the Reiterer family and Chalet Mirabell - The Spirit of Merano however all our above written expresses our own opinion and has not been infuenced.
