Interview: Hosts with a passion
Magdalena and Gregor Lanz, hosts of the luxury chalet village of Valsegg, talk about their place of power and longing in the middle of the quiet South Tyrolean forest solitude, an exclusive refuge for body, mind and soul alike.
At 1,300 meters above sea level, surrounded by forest and meadows, lies the South Tyrolean village of Vals. In the quietest corner, where time flows more slowly, Gregor and Magdalena Lanz fulfilled their lifelong dream and built a stylish chalet village in 2017. With their harmonious blend of alpine hideaway, fabulous regional gourmet cuisine and spa and fitness at the highest level, they took first place in our South Tyrol ranking in the special category "Excellent Host".
How did you come up with the idea of building luxurious nature chalets in the middle of idyllic South Tyrol?
" Gregor Lanz" : I grew up here. My parents had a farm with an inn. Originally, we wanted to renovate our parents' farm. However, a wedding present from friends gave us the idea of luxury alpine chalets.
" Magdalena" : We were immediately on fire for our shared vision. It was important to us that every guest had their own private hideaway, freedom and independence, without having to forego the luxury of a boutique hotel. The first nine chalets with breakfast service were finally opened in summer 2017.
What challenges did you have to overcome?
Gregor : We hadn't considered that the idyllic, secluded location on the edge of the forest with no immediate neighbors is a perfect retreat, but it does have a disadvantage: For lunch and dinner, guests had to get in the car and drive to the nearest town. So we quickly decided to add our own gourmet restaurant, Eggile. We also added eight more chalets with up to 150 m2 of living space, the Waldbad - a spa with sauna, infinity pool, beauty treatments, yoga - and a fitness room. A petting zoo, a small chicken farm and a natural bathing pond round off our offer for the perfect vacation. There are also herb and alpaca hikes, alpine hops, biking, skiing, tobogganing and snowshoeing in winter.
What characterizes your cuisine?
Magdalena : Our à la carte dishes are mainly prepared with fresh, regional and home-grown or produced ingredients, accompanied by excellent South Tyrolean wines. You can have your multi-course dinner with, for example, char from our own fish farm or our legendary mountain breakfast with fresh eggs from our own chickens brought to the chalet or, of course, enjoy it in the restaurant.
" Gregor" : If you want, you can even get your own breakfast egg from the henhouse.
This is particularly fun for the little ones.
Who is a vacation with you ideal for?
Magdalena : Whether you're looking for peace and quiet or an active holiday, families with children, singles, couples or business people, well-behaved furry friends are also very welcome. We have so much space here that the children's playground and swimming pond are out of earshot. You can enjoy your coffee on the terrace at any time.
" Gregor" : Our guests feel so comfortable here that we are pleased to report an average length of stay of 5.4 days.
What do you attach particular importance to? What is the focus on sustainability?
" Gregor" : Top service quality is very important to us. As a family-run business, we can really live up to our role as hosts. We look after our guests personally - provided they want us to. All our staff are local, so they can tell you a lot about the region and give you insider tips. We want not only our guests to feel good, but also our planet. The wood for our chalets comes from our own forest, energy is generated from wood chips and the water gushes from our own forest spring.
" Magdalena" : I can think of another nice anecdote: an architect came to me on the fourth day of her stay and said: "The best thing here is that I can wear the same jeans every day and nobody notices.
www.valsegg.it
More information about the chalet village of Valsegg: The BEST HOTELS IN SOUTH TILROL
ccircle.cc/rating/die-besten-hotels-suedtirol/chalets/rating/chalets-valsegg
