„The greatest sight to see is the world—take a look.“

The words of Kurt Tucholsky inspire us to travel to distant lands. However, we are far from being the first people to set foot in these places. While traveling, we encounter historical treasures—impressive testaments to times gone by—and silent memorials that remind us to minimize our ecological footprint.

In this four-part series, we will introduce you to historical treasures located near Green Pearls(Ⓡ )partner hotels. In part one, we explore the 5,300-year-old glacier mummy Ötzi, the Illyrians, the Neanderthals, and traces of 20,000-year-old cave bears.

What the glacier unveils

Let’s start with the hidden stories beneath the “eternal” ice. As you probably know, glacial melt and the subsequent rise in sea levels are two of the biggest problems of our time. These are direct consequences of human-caused climate change.

Fabienne Anthamatten from the Hotel Bella Vista in Zermatt is the perfect person to talk to about this issue. Every year, the Swiss native climbs the Gorner Glacier on the Matterhorn with her family and witnesses the gradual melting of the ice firsthand. She has even made some special discoveries that she has dated. (Learn more in our article on glacier-friendly travel!)

Meet Ötzi the “Iceman”

No glacier find is as world-famous as Ötzi (also known as the Iceman). I, for one, am captivated by him! Ötzi, you wandered this world before the pyramids were built in Egypt, before Moses received the Ten Commandments, and before Jesus rode through the gates of Jerusalem. You lived around 5,300 years ago, before the Mayans or the Incas existed—a long, long time ago. Yet you are not so different!

This is apparent, for instance, in the hip bag (as we tourists are constantly discussing the practical and symbolic wearability of fanny packs). Ötzi carried important items in his: three flint tools (a cutting tool, a scraper, and a drill), a bone needle, and a lump of fungus, which was commonly used as a fire starter at the time. Sound familiar? I think hikers today could use these same items, only now they would be in the form of a lighter and a Swiss Army knife 😀

Visit the Neolithic man at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology.

Sustainable accommodations in Ötzi’s former home, South Tyrol

LA VIMEA Vegan Hotel: This adults-only hotel in Naturns features a natural swimming pond, a saltwater pool, and daily yoga classes. It was also the first completely vegan hotel in Italy.

Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel: A vegan art hotel located on the famous Seiser Alm in the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you’re traveling in the winter, you can ski right to the hotel and right back out again.

My Arbor: A luxurious wellness hotel near Brixen built high up in the treetops with views of the Plose. (Adults only.)

OLM Nature Escape: A circular aparthotel that is completely self-sufficient in renewable energy. Some apartment suites have a private spa with a sauna.

ADLER Lodge RITTEN: Eco-luxury in Ritten. The main building and several chalets are arranged around a natural swimming pond. Services include all-around support and experienced guide assistance, as well as an all-inclusive farm-to-table concept.

The APIPURA hotel rinner: An extraordinary “bee hotel” on the Ritten plateau. One of the senior managers is a migratory beekeeper, and the other has brought “Fair Bio Südtirol” to the hotel kitchen. Here, organic living is a way of life.

Hotel Weihrerhof: A family-run, family-friendly hotel located directly on the Wolfsgrubener Badesee lake in Ritten. It offers a spa, natural cosmetics, and a close connection to nature.

Bonus tip: Earth Pyramids, a natural monument

Though not created by human hands, the Ritten’s earth pyramids are impressive witnesses of time nonetheless. They are among the most fascinating natural phenomena in South Tyrol. Formed from moraine clay and shaped by erosion, they tell a story that began over 25,000 years ago and continues today as they evolve. They are definitely worth a hike or an e-bike tour!

Secrets from the Depths: Caves, Bones, and Ancient Stories in Liguria

When traveling through Liguria, you may picture fragrant herbs, colorful coastal villages, and the Mediterranean lifestyle. However, deep within the rocks lies evidence of a time when cave bears and the ancestors of modern humans still lived here.

The Toirano and Balzi Rossi regions are home to some of the most spectacular Stone Age sites in Europe. In the Grotte di Toirano, researchers discovered Paleolithic-era footprints, handprints, and knee prints, meaning they are around 12,000 years old. These findings suggest that people moved through the narrow passages by kneeling or sliding, offering a rare glimpse into everyday life in prehistoric times.

In addition to human remains, scientists found bones of cave bears that lived there over 20,000 years ago. Their remains were found deep inside the cave, far from daylight, raising questions that remain unanswered to this day. It is likely that ancient floodwaters carried the bones into the cave, which is an impressive testament to the wild nature of times gone by.

Neanderthals and Neolithic humans inhabited the Grimaldi Caves

Even older are the discoveries in the Balzi Rossi caves on the border with France. Skeletons of Neanderthals, including a 200,000-year-old hip bone, were found in the Grimaldi Caves.

Later burials also offer profound insights into the thoughts and feelings of early humans. One particularly moving example is that several skeletons from the Neolithic period were dusted with red ochre and decorated with shells from sea creatures before being laid to rest. Why? Perhaps it was an early symbol of status, spirituality, or love for the sea—we don’t know for sure. But the gesture remains touching to this day.

By the way, the tip about the caves comes from the Albergo Diffuso Relais del Maro in Borgomaro. At this hotel, you can stay in the heart of this charming village and experience authentic Liguria. The caves and the Museo Preistorico dei Balzi Rossi, where the finds are located, are about an hour’s drive away, making them ideal for an exciting day trip into the depths of history. (For electric car drivers, the sustainable hotel has an extra parking space with a charging station.)

Traces of the Illyrians: History on the Mediterranean

Traces of long-lost cultures can be found not only in the mountains and caves but also on Croatia’s sunny islands. The Dalmatian island of Iž, where our partner hotel, Korinjak, now invites guests to enjoy mindfulness, yoga, and plant-based cuisine, was once home to the Illyrians. Archaeological finds in Mali Iž reveal their settlements and fortifications—stone reminders of a time thousands of years in the past (until around 2000 BCE).

The Illyrians inhabited large parts of the western Balkans until the Romans arrived. Roman sources described them as “wild,” “freedom-loving,” and “difficult to subjugate.” They are considered the ancestors of today’s Albanians, though this has not yet been proven scientifically.

Time travel is over — for now

Our little archaeological journey was quite the adventure: from prehistoric caves to the Alps’ glaciers to the Balkan islands. Though they are from different times, places, and people, they all have one thing in common—their traces are still there. Maybe you got a little closer to one or two of these fascinating personalities today. Maybe you’re now inspired to visit them (or their graves and discovery sites) sometime in the future. They may have been dead for a long time, but that doesn’t matter. History lives on through our exploration of it.

P.S. In the next part, we will supposedly find ourselves in more orderly circumstances—we are going to visit the Romans!

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One of the easiest ways to make your life more sustainable often starts in the bathroom. There are now so many great alternatives for shampoo, shower gel, make-up and the like that you’ll hardly notice the change!

The environment, however, does notice – and so does your body! According to statistics, the average person uses 10 different cosmetic products every day. And thus, has the potential to ingest up to 130 toxins! These include silicones, parabens, microplastics and fragrances, to name just a few. None of these substances are acutely life-threatening, but in the long term, both the environment and humans can suffer. Natural cosmetics do not contain any of these problematic ingredients.

Natural cosmetics can help to improve your skin and hair, many people can have reactions or irritations to some of the ingredients in conventional cosmetic products. Fragrances in particular can cause redness, blemishes and swelling. Many of these issues can be solved by switching to natural cosmetics.

How to recognize good natural cosmetics

Although animal testing for cosmetics is banned in the EU, this does not apply to chemical ingredients. These are not only used in cosmetics, but also in other products such as cleaning agents or medicines. With certified natural cosmetics, consumers can usually be sure that no animals had to suffer for the product. The various certifications have cut-off dates for this: for the BDIH seal, for example, no raw materials are allowed that were tested on animals after 1 January 1998. The well-known bunny logo with the protective hand even applies to the period from 1979.

You can also use barcode scanner apps such as Toxfox and Codecheck to find out how much nature is really in your natural cosmetics. Or, you can simply use one the cosmetics lines from one of our Green Pearls® partners.

Natural cosmetics from and in sustainable hotels and where to get them

Traditional natural cosmetics

Bali has its own beauty secrets to share with the world. However, one of the most important pieces of advice from the Indonesian island is: moisture keeps you young! Both internally, by drinking plenty of water, and externally, by making use of nourishing creams. The Puri Dajuma team reveals that in Bali, this includes recipes that have been passed down through generations.

Puri Dajuma’s skincare collection is based on essential oils and 100% natural ingredients such as coconut oil, jungle honey, lemon, cucumber and banana. You can try these out directly at the Dajuma, specifically at the Lola Spa. There you can enjoy head massages, a cream face massage or a hair mask.

Holistic care according to Ayurvedic teachings

In the Mountain Ashram Spa of the CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt guests can enjoy a specially developed natural, vegan, animal-free cosmetics line. The products are inspired by Ayurvedic medicine and have a calming, energising or detoxifying effect. The cosmetics and oils are an ideal match for the holistic treatment approach of the Mountain Ashram Spa.

With the ‘Alpine Woman Apricot Sensation’ for women and the ‘Pioneer Man Alpine Herbs’ for men, CERVO has launched its own collection of cosmetic lines. In addition, there are other series such as the moisturizing ‘Aloe Vera ‘, or the ‘Flow and Ayurveda Massage Oils’. Other products are also currently being developed.

One of the new signature products is the “Mountain Ashram Detox Body Scrub“, made with natural ingredients from the Swiss mountains: hazelnut oil, pine needles and sage. Allow 5 minutes for application, massaging the body scrub in circular motions from the feet to the heart. This should not only refine your skin texture, but also promote blood circulation.

Regional ingredients for natural cosmetics in the hotel

In South Tyrol, you can also experience a special natural cosmetics line – that of the ADLER Resorts & Lodges. For the ‘ADLER SPA Aktiv’ line, they use the best ingredients from three different regions of Italy, where the ADLER Resorts & Lodges are located: Plants and flowers from South Tyrol for skin cell protection and regeneration, grapes and thermal water from Tuscany for prevention and nourishing the skin, and algae extracts, citrus fruits and seawater from Sicily for cleansing and detoxification.

Only raw materials from organically controlled cultivation which are free of preservatives and colorants are used for the ADLER cosmetics line. The innovative technology ensures that the raw materials are gently broken down, and the active ingredients can be optimally absorbed into the skin. You can buy the products not only on the spot, but also in the ADLER online store.

South Tyrolean BergSea cosmetic line

In South Tyrol, on the Ritten, the Hotel Weihrerhof has also developed its own cosmetic line using ingredients from the region. The BergSea cosmetics line is certified organic and packaged in recycled PET. The basis of the skin care line is the water of the Wolfsgruben Lake. Located at 1,200 meters above sea level, Lake Wolfsgruben is one of the cleanest bathing lakes in Italy. There are also other ingredients from the Ritten, such as Swiss stone pine and hay. The products can be purchased from the hotel’s online shop for as little as 19 euros.

What natural cosmetics do sustainable hotels use?

Of course, not all of our Green PearlsⓇ partners have developed their own line of cosmetics. That’s why we also asked them what natural cosmetics they use – both for spa treatments and for you as a guest in your hotel room. Here are some of the brands our partners recommend:

TEAM DR. JOSEPH

Several of our partners rely on certified natural cosmetics from Team Dr. Joseph. The brand has been around since 1986 and is produced in Italy (South Tyrol). Team Dr. Joseph is vegan, cruelty-free and produced and packaged climate- and plastic-free. The natural cosmetics are also designed for holistic treatment. In addition to consumer products, the brand also has a partner program for hotels and spas.

Team Dr. Joseph natural cosmetics can be found at the sustainable Hotel My Arbor, also in South Tyrol (on the Plose near Brixen), and in Germany at the romantic Hotel Das Rübezahl in the Allgäu and at STURM in the foothills of the Rhön.

“Team Dr. Joseph is characterized by outstanding quality and delivers excellent results. The active ingredients include local trees, which suits us very well” – My Arbor (The hotel is built on stilts in the middle of the forest).

Phamos Nature

Hotel My Arbor also uses certified natural cosmetics Phamos Natur in the spa. The founder of the German company, Margot Esser, was involved in a car accident in the USA in the 1980s and suffered severe burns to her face and upper body. She was taken to a shamanic natural healing clinic where she was treated with Aloe Vera. The beneficial treatment and convincing effect led her to develop her own Aloe Vera products – and she has been doing so very successfully for over 35 years.

The Aloe Vera plants are grown in a sustainable mixed culture in Ecuador. Following the wisdom of the Mayan farmers, Phamos Natur ensures that “all plants want to grow together in families”.

Walde Organic Soap

At Hotel Klosterbräu in Seefeld, Austria, you will find Walde’s organic lavender liquid soap in every room. Walde is the oldest soap factory in Austria, with almost 250 years of history. Although the soap is not certified as a natural cosmetic, there is an organic line where all ingredients are organically grown.

Doctor Eckstein

The Birkenhof ***** Spa & Genussresort in the Upper Palatinate Lake District uses the indie brand Doctor Eckstein. The entire product line is based on nature and is produced in Germany. However, they are not certified natural cosmetics.

Is natural always better?

You may have guessed from our last two examples that we are cautious about this. As with food, it may be that smaller companies or start-ups cannot (yet) afford certification. For us, this simply means: read the ingredients (yes, we know how difficult it is with cosmetics!), look at the company website and if you have any doubts, ask critically. If the company is truly and honestly committed to sustainability, they will be happy to answer your questions!

What do you look for when choosing your cosmetics? And do you have any tips for sustainable beauty lines?

What do you look for in your cosmetics? Would you try a hotel’s collection? Let us know!

Continue Reading: How beauty care and environment are related

Continue Reading: Organic, plastic-free and zero-waste: What makes cosmetics sustainable?

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We will introduce you to some of our sustainable partners, who are not only specialized in celebrating weddings, but also in helping you to make your first step towards marriage perfect. At the same time, you’ll learn about romantic locations and tips on how to make your proposal sustainable and unforgettable.

Engagement in front of Neuschwanstein Castle

Hotel Das Rübezahl in the Allgäu region of Germany is known as a romantic hideaway that loves to help couples with their proposals. And let’s face it, it doesn’t get much more romantic than proposing in front of a fairytale castle, does it? Although, Das Rübezahl does have a few other ideas up its sleeve.

Surprise in the hotel room

While you and your partner are enjoying the creations of the local cuisine in the restaurant, the “fairies” of the hotel will transform your room into an oasis of romance: a heart made of flower petals, heart balloons, fresh strawberries, champagne… As soon as you return from dinner, your room door will open the door to the next stage of your life. All you need is a ring and a “yes”. Then you can enjoy this special moment in private.

Dessert proposal

If you prefer to propose to your sweetheart right in the restaurant, you can order a dessert plate with your personalized love message. In the kitchen, the plate will be decorated in such a way that it will only be visible after the dessert has been eaten.

Proposal in front of a fairytale castle panorama

The mountain panorama in the Allgäu region with the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein in the background is an absolute highlight for your proposal. For such occasions, there are several romantic picnic spots that the hotel will be happy to recommend to you, and a picnic basket filled with delicacies will be arranged for you. If you wish, a chauffeured vintage car or horse-drawn carriage will take you to the romantic spot of your choice. (Or you can hike, and the carriage will pick you up after the picnic).

Looking for a date? Check out our romantic weekend packages at Das Rübezahl at https://www.hotelruebezahl.de/de/romantik-urlaub/.

Proposal on the Romeo & Juliet Balcony

The Hotel Klosterbräu in Tyrol, Austria also has the perfect spot for an engagement. The “Romeo & Juliet Balcony” pictured here is part of the 500-year-old monastery walls that the Seyrling family converted into a sustainable hotel. Here you can enjoy a flying dinner – it comes to you via a service elevator on the balcony, and you drop your orders through an ordering tube.

You can also book an overnight stay in one of the two private spa suites, where a large bubble bath and culinary delights await.

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.” William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet

 

©DavidJohansson

Proposal on the Baltic Sea

The owners of the Lifestyle Hotel SAND at the Baltic Sea beach are happy to organize an evening arrangement on the beach for you. You only have to tell your beloved that you want to go for a walk on the beach. Then you will find the prepared sunset picnic with torches.

After the romantic engagement on the beach, the lifestyle hotel offers elegant and naturally furnished hotel rooms with a large window front. You can also enjoy togetherness on the cozy SunDiva loungers on the roof terrace. Or you complete your proposal with a night under the stars and book the sleeping beach chair for two.

Get engaged in a private chalet in South Tyrol

Another idea: Take your loved one to South Tyrol in one of the private chalets at the ADLER Lodge RITTEN. The small wooden chalets have their own bio-sauna and wood-burning fireplace. From the balcony, you have a direct view of the natural pond or the mountains of the Dolomites. In this setting, there should be no shortage of special moments!

Proposal in a natural way

If heart-shaped balloons, horse-drawn carriages and Romeo & Juliet balconies sound too much, Gut Sonnenhausen specializes in nature-based engagements and weddings. Surrounded by meadows and converted into a hotel, the estate is a wonderfully relaxed place with a loving atmosphere. Here, you will find it easy to ask for your partner’s hand in marriage. You can plan a dinner at the Farmers Club or take a leisurely stroll through the countryside.

Sustainable engagement: The Ring

The most important part of your proposal is, of course, the ring. But keep in mind that many rings are anything but sustainable. Gold, diamonds, and gemstones are often mined under exploitative conditions. Gold, for example, is mined in many places under life-threatening conditions, not to mention the use of environmentally harmful chemicals.

The Fair Trade label for gold has been available for several years. It guarantees that the workers have safe working conditions, are paid fairly, and that environmental standards are met.

An alternative is rings made from recycled gold, which many jewelers now offer. Or maybe you have a family heirloom that you can have a goldsmith make?

As you can see, there are many romantic ideas for an unforgettable and sustainable proposal.

PS: If you would like to capture your proposal in professional photographs, our Green PearlsⓇ partners will be happy to book a photographer for you.

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Right off the bat, not all flowers are suitable, and certainly not the ones you buy at the florist or in the supermarket. Only fresh, unprocessed petals, preferably from your own garden, should appear on your dish. Dried or candied flowers are also suitable for use in desserts and tea. Read on to find out what else to look for and how the professionals use flowers to create culinary masterpieces.

Cut flowers from the supermarket do not belong on your plate!

Bred for performance, cut flowers are a global commodity. They grow fast, bloom beautifully and last a long time. In most cases, however, it’s impossible to trace the origin of the flowers. The importing country in Germany is almost always the Netherlands, the world’s largest flower exporter. Flowers arrive here, from all over the world. Especially in winter, but all year round, it is possible to buy flowers from Kenya, Uganda, Colombia or Ecuador in supermarkets or flower shops. The large growing areas in Africa and South America pose a problem: According to FIAN (Food First Information and Action Network Germany), the massive use of pesticides pollutes the soil and harms the workers*. Add to that the CO2 emitted when the flowers are flown over long distances to Europe.

Surprise: European flowers from conventionally heated greenhouses are not more sustainable than flowers from Africa in various comparative studies (e.g. Max Havelaar Foundation, 2018)! The level of pesticides is lower, but not the ecological footprint (which is due to the greenhouses heated with fossil fuels).

Bottom line: Only flowers grown by yourself or from a trustworthy source are suitable to ensure that the floral decoration on your plate is edible.

Green PearlsⓇ accommodations with their own farms and gardens

Many of our partners maintain their own small farms to grow their own vegetables, fruits, herbs and sometimes even grains. In accordance with the “farm to fork” principle, the products from the 0-km farm end up directly on the plates of our guests.

This is a typical spring salad (photo taken in March 2023) from the Guntrams Estate. As you can see: The flowers on the plate are not decoration, but the main ingredient. The fresh goat’s cheese is rolled in the blossoms.

Agriculture and hospitality go hand in hand at our Green PearlsⓇ partner Gut Guntrams in Austria. Nearly 3.6 hectares of land is farmed, and the produce goes straight to the guests’ plates.

When it comes to flowers for the plate, Gut Guntrams uses

• Marigolds
• Clove flowers
• Fennel flowers
• Lavender
• Buckwheat flowers
• Coriander flowers
• Daisies

For the breakfast tea, the herbs and flowers are gently dried in the hotel’s own drying facility. For example, the hotel uses:

• Nettle
• Sage
• Lime blossom
• Lemon verbena
• Spearmint
• Lemon Balm
• Caraway
• Marigold
• Candied flowers enhance the desserts at Gut Guntrams. Here are some of the flowers used
• Lemon flowers
• Daisies

Candying means: You preserve something by adding sugar. Candied violets, for example, are said to have been a favorite dessert of Sissi (Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary).

Candied blossoms

In the classic version, flower petals are dipped in beaten egg whites and icing sugar. They are then rolled in granulated sugar and left to dry on a wire rack. For a vegan version, make a sugar syrup with water and sugar, or whip aquafaba (chickpea stock) like egg whites.

Fish with fresh flowers on the plate

Also located in Austria is the gourmet Hotel Die Forelle, where chef Hannes Müller prepares exclusively regional dishes according to the Slow Food principles. Wherever possible,  fish is caught in Lake Weissensee in front of the hotel, and herbs and flowers are picked right outside the door.

In the restaurant of the gourmet hotel you can often find flowers on the plate from May to August. „ We never use flowers as decoration, but as an important flavor/texture of a dish,” says Hannes Müller. Lake trout is marinated raw and flavored with flowers, herbs, and salt in his “Spring Signature Dishes”

Blossoms left honest and natural

Most importantly, the flowers on the plate at STURM in the Rhön Biosphere Reserve remain untreated. They are “simply washed” and then put on the plate “completely fresh and untreated”. All the ingredients come from the hotel’s own garden. It was planted more than ten years ago. On more than 5,000 square meters, guests will find fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and edible plants – an oasis to linger in and a source for organic cuisine.

This is also works with the Snack Garden of the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA. Depending on the season, the flowers used vary. Particularly popular are

• Primroses
• Wild garlic flowers
• Sage flowers
• Nasturtium
• Jasmine flowers

You probably know (and use) the sage leaves for herbal tea or pasta sauces. But you can also eat the sage flowers. They have a milder flavor. They go well with salads or cream cheese.

At the ADLER Lodge RITTEN in South Tyrol, Italy, the 4,000 square meter sustainable garden is designed according to the principle of mixed cultivation. This means that different varieties grow side by side and are constantly rotated so that the soil is not depleted. Edible flowers for the plates are not only stolen by the cooks from their own field, but also from the nearby forest 🙂  

Sesbania flowers from Thailand

In Thailand, at our Green PearlsⓇ partner Keemala, the flowers growing in the hotel garden are of course different from those of the above mentioned partners in the DACH region. On Phuket, where Keemala’s sustainable “villa wonderland” is located, there are no seasons like here. There is a year round tropical climate with temperatures around 30°C and high humidity. (Water temperatures are only slightly lower at about 28°C).

A very famous edible flower of Thailand is the yellow sesbania. It grows wild on bushes and is also sold on the market in Thailand as a popular ingredient for cooking and baking. For example, the flowers are used for omelettes, Thai curry or bua loi (a dessert made of rice flour balls). At Keemala, this crab salad was decorated with edible flowers from the hotels’s garden. 

Puralp offers edible flowers in addition to organic bee products

For those who don’t grow their own, edible flower decorations are also available from trusted organic farms. Our partner HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu works together with Puralp. The Allgäuer company meets the strict Bioland guidelines and is primarily known for bee products such as honey or propolis. Occasionally, however, they also deliver edible flowers – like these sunflower petals, which the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio used to decorate the appetizer, as you can see in this picture.

Drying flowers

If, like the Hotel Klosterbräu in Tyrol, you are only going to use an flower on your plate occasionally, you can also dry the flowers and use them to make tea. At the Hotel Klosterbräu, located within the walls of a monastery that is over 500 years old, both the main restaurant and the à la carte restaurant rely primarily on fresh herbs, which are dried for the in-house organic herbal tea.

At home, flowers and herbs are best dried on a kitchen towel on a rack or grid. Air should come in from all sides. After 2 to 3 days, the flowers will be dry enough to rub with your hand. You can then store them in a box or jar in a cool, dark place.

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Kristian Knölke, HUBERTUS Moutain Refugio

Culinary Mountain Cuisine at HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio in the Allgäu region has been bearing the signature of Chef Kristian Knölke for years. He considers cooking to be life essence and the art of combining native dishes in a masterful way.” With creativity, he makes fresh regional food and pairs it with high-quality products from all over the world. After completing his training in Hannover, he moved to Sylt, where he was immersed in the world of high cuisine by Michelin-star chef Alexandro Pape. During his next professional stop at Tegernsee, he was introduced to the fine art of combining traditional Bavarian cuisine and modern culinary art by chef Matthias Rödiger at Euro-Toques. At the HUBERTUS, he and his  team will create individual dishes for you in this style. A guadn! 😉 

Erik Wendt, Hotel Das Rübezahl

The chef of the Hotel Das Rübezahl, Erik Wendt defines his cuisine succinctly: a modern cuisine with great attention to detail! How does he manage to combine cosmopolitanism and love of home in a new culinary way? His answer is a great team, the finest ingredients and a great deal of love for his job. He learned his trade at the Mercure Hotel in Leipzig, and was subsequently discovered and promoted by Michael Lacher (Alte Sonne Ludwigsburg). After further stations in some of Germany’s best restaurants, he and his family came to Schwangau in 2011 and joined the Hotel Das Rübezahl.

He recorded the knowledge and experience he had gained over the years in his “white book”, which he gives to each of his trainees. The book, with all the basic recipes listed inside, provides the trainees with a basis for developing new recipes. But when Erik cooks, he doesn’t just prepare food, he creates happiness to spoon up. You can feel it in every bite. Using the principle of the aroma circle, Erik creates dishes that appeal to all your senses with different flavors and textures.

Sascha Förster, Klosterhof Alpine Hideaway & Spa

When you put yourself in the culinary capable hands of Sascha Förster and his team, you will experience gourmet moments at their finest. Among other things, he designs extraordinary menus with enthusiasm and passion for the guests of his regular Fine-Dining Experiences. The gourmet evenings are known for their special experiences of taste far beyond the county and have been awarded a place on the falstaff Gourmetguide list. At the fine-dining “meet-the-chef” get-together, you can personally encounter Sascha Förster, and learn more about the evening’s menu and the chef’s creative gourmet craft. The historical 500-year-old walls of the Klosterhof also contribute to an unforgettable evening.

Hannes Pignater, ADLER Lodge RITTEN

“Creating something special out of the everyday” is the philosophy of Hannes Pignater, chef de cuisine at ADLER Lodge RITTEN from day one, and his team. We find that the world champion of cuisine succeeds extraordinarily well. Being the first member of the Lodge family, he places a lot of emphasis on the culinary tradition of the South Tyrolean mountain farming region. At the same time he is open to new things.

His open kitchen concept, in which you can look over the chef’s shoulder, so to speak, provides you with interesting insights into a world that is usually hidden from the guests. Hannes and his team prepare snacks and small dishes at lunchtime and throughout the afternoon. At night, you can end the day in the Panorama Restaurant while enjoying newly interpreted traditional delicacies and fine wines.

Radenko Jovicic, Naturhotel Outside

A moving journey is behind the chef of Naturhotel Outside, Radenko Jovicic. He came to Austria, Matrei, during the Yugoslavian war. The talented self-taught chef has now been working for 20 years in the family businesses of the Naturhotel Outside. He has literally worked his way up from janitor to head chef in that time. His cuisine stands for a “sustainable surprise of the senses”, which he has set as his goal together with his team.

Every day, guests can enjoy a freshly prepared snack in the afternoon and a 6-course gourmet menu in the evening. There is always vegan and vegetarian options to choose from. Homemade products are also served, such as brown bread made from East Tyrolean original wheat, own jams and syrups. Food from the garden of the nature hotel or the region finds its way into the kitchen. Radenko’s simple formula is “The shorter the way, the younger the vitamins. The closer the (mountain) farm, the better the taste.”

Alexander Mario Schell, Océano Health Spa Hotel

Young, contemporary cuisine that incorporates local and regional products from sustainable farming sounds good? Océano Health Spa Hotel head chef Alexander Mario Schell attaches great importance to precisely that. His initial professional stations took him to Heidelberg and the surrounding area. After that, he arrived in Tenerife as a result of a family change.

He gained several years of valuable experience working at several hotels and restaurants before he finally found his footing at the Océano Health Spa Hotel. Over the years, he has been able to use his previous expertise in different positions, and he has now become the hotel’s chef. If you are on an F.X. Mayr diet at the Océano Health Spa Hotel, Alexander prepares individual dishes.

Hari Govindaraj, Gili Lankanfushi Malediven

For over 10 years, Hari Govindaraj has been leading the kitchen team at Hotel Gili Lankanfushi with great talent and skill. Born in southern India, the chef discovered his passion for cooking at a young age. He maintains a unique culinary style with a special interest in vegan cuisine. Some of the herbs, vegetables and fruits come from the lush garden for which Hari is equally responsible. This is also exactly where he gets the ingredients for his own special creations like the Aloe Vera Ceviche, the Avocado & Garden Leaf Gazpacho and of course the Citrus Salad.

The profiles of the Green Pearls® chefs could not be more individual. It’s exactly this uniqueness that the menus reflect, and we think that’s great. How did you like the look behind the scenes of the sustainable hotel kitchens? Feel free to write it in the comments.

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Among the most important things include seasonality, regionality, and reducing animal ingredients. Also paying attention to where our food comes from, whether it is organic and what transportation routes it takes is part of it. By the way, reducing animal products doesn’t just mean consuming less meat, but buying less animal foods overall, such as milk, eggs, and cheese. In this way, everyone contributes to more climate protection.

Facts about food waste

Did you also know that Germans produce 82 kg of food waste per year and for each person? In other words, every eighth piece of food ends up in the garbage can. Worldwide, about one-third of all food is thrown away. This is alarming, and especially in the current situation with the global shortage of grain and other foodstuffs due to the war in Ukraine, we are challenged to act differently. This is also an important issue when traveling. We asked our green pearls what is typical of their region, how they buy and cook, and what they don’t want to do without.

Local food with own label “Adler Regional Partner

The hosts at the ADLER Lodge in Ritten are keen to introduce their guests to the uniqueness of South Tyrol, also from a culinary perspective. All the products are solely regional and are manufactured according to ecological principles. The ADLER Lodge labels products from the region with its own “Adler Regional Partner” seal. One such partner is Harald Gasser, who, high above the Eisack Valley, has breathed new life into more than 400 already almost forgotten vegetable varieties. Thus, on the ADLER’s menu you will find, among other things, primeval carrots, radishes as you surely don’t know them or lucky clover.

Together with the kitchen team and the cheese dairy Hof zu Fall (Siusi) the natural and aromatic mountain cheese has been developed. Milk for it is provided by the typical South Tyrolean gray cows, which of course graze on the neighboring lush meadows beneath the Sciliar. The organic wheat and spelled for the homemade bread and delicious croissants grow directly in the Val d’Orcia about five minutes from the ADLER Thermae and are traditionally ground in the artisan stone mill Mulino d’Orcia. Among Tuscan guests, the bread now enjoys a legendary reputation.

The hosts of ADLER Lodge RITTEN are committed to supporting small and medium-sized producers who rely on organic farming. The excellent products that are allowed to bear the quality seal also include different types of fruit as well as crunchy cabbage vegetables from Val Venosta (VI.P Coop), ADLER tea blends from organic herb cultivation (Pflegerhof), but also meat from Wagyu cattle (Oberweidacherhof). There are also 100% products from Tuscany such as organic honey varieties, ancient and revitalized cereals and legumes. Also on the menu are the rare and environmentally friendly planted chickpeas, as well as cheeses and meats. And not to forget: the wines, the extra virgin olive oil and the aromatic Agrodolce vinegar from their own tenuta. The hosts personally know all the producers, and a lively exchange guarantees many thrilling new developments.

Recommendations/recipe tips from chef Hannes Pignater

Hannes has picked out two regional products with suitable recipes for you to try:

Juniper: In my opinion, juniper provides an aroma which best represents the taste of our forests and mountains. It grows wild, the berries are used to flavor broths, sauces and marinades, the branches are used for smoking. The ripening period of the berries is three years.

My recipe for juniper salt:

• 200 g salt
• 2 tablespoons of juniper berries
• Mountain thyme to taste

Heat the thyme of a pan and brown it slightly, then add it to the salt and juniper and puree everything in a blender.

Spread the flavored salt on a baking sheet and let it dry for a day.

The salt can be used to season salads, meat or vegetables.

Wild garlic:Wild garlic grows wild near the ruscielli in the spring. It has a strong flavor of cippollina grass and garlic and is great with asparagus, grilled meats and fish or as a pesto for a pasta dish.

My recipe for wild garlic pesto:

• A bunch of wild garlic
• Parmesan cheese
• salt
• pepper
• roasted sunflower seeds
• sunflower oil

Blend everything to obtain a thick and tasty pesto. The dosage should be adjusted to personal taste. If the taste of the wild garlic is too strong, you can mix it with parsley.

We wish you good luck!

 

All the green pearls are united in their emphasis on climate-friendly culinary arts 

The Hotel Das Rübezahl in Schwangau in the Allgäu Vis-à-Vis of the famous Neuschwanstein Castle focuses with its in-house restaurant Gams & Gloria on unique alpine taste experiences. Let yourself be surprised by a twist of international and local cuisine. Dishes such as “Mountain pine dashi kisses Allgäu chamois ham” or even “Alpine herbs meets whitefish sashimi” represent a new and distinctive Alpine cuisine for the host family Thurm—international, surprising and local. The focus of both in house restaurants is on regionality and seasonality.

The kitchen of the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio stands for regionality of the Allgäu. In addition to the gourmet menu, the guests can select from a classic menu with specialties from the Allgäu region. It features regional classics such as Kässpätzle, Kraft broth and sous vide cooked steaks exclusively from the Allgäu region with a variety of sauces and side dishes.

The Berghotel Rehlegg in Ramsau also focuses on regional foods directly from the producer.

Which regional ingredients should not be missing in your kitchen? And what do you look for when shopping

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But what does the word yoga mean? It is derived from Sanskrit, one of the oldest written languages in the world. It means unity, the connection of body and mind. 

Nowadays, we mainly practice the well-known Asanas and most of you have probably heard of the yoga sun salutation. However, yoga is much more than that! In the Western world, Hatha Yoga is the most commonly practiced yoga. Today, there are about 130 protected yoga variants. 

The benefits are manifold: Yoga can relieve your physical and mental ailments, it can be used to build up strength and improve flexibility, or help you relax. There are now innumerable studies dealing with the effectiveness of yoga. It is also proven by now that yoga can prevent and significantly improve many (if not most) of the ailments of our “diseases of civilization and affluence” such as overweight, hypertension, insomnia, and diabetes.

Fun fact for you: Yoga was recognized as an ” Intangible World Heritage Site “ by UNESCO on December 1, 2016.

Pilates, by the way, even though it is very similar to yoga, is not considered an Indian philosophy of life. It was developed much later, during World War I, by Joseph Hubert Pilates to serve as a military strengthening program. The main difference between yoga and Pilates is the emphasis placed on mind and body: Pilates focuses mainly on the body. Yoga is primarily about creating a unity of body and mind.

Hatha Yoga and Retreats in Leutasch 

In our Green Pearls® hotels, Hatha Yoga is also the most widespread. For instance, in the Naturhotel Aufatmen. Your level does not matter here, beginners and advanced and of course yoga teachers are welcome. “ In our case, it’s about being with yourself and arriving and calming your mind,” says owner Wolfgang Pfeifer, explaining the focus of their yoga classes. Thus, he says, it is possible to enter into a special kind of relaxation. 

The Austrian hotel also hosts an annual week-long Pilates retreat, which is offered in June.

Yoga and much more in Zermatt 

At CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt, a colorful mix of different yoga styles is offered. You can take advantage of the complimentary activities in the ritual room and the tearoom every day. You can also go to the outdoor yoga deck, —weather permitting. 

Besides Hatha Yoga, they also offer Vinyasa Yoga. It is a modern form of classical yoga. This style is energetic and synchronizes the breath with the movement, allowing you to achieve an intensive physical flow.

In addition, Yin Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Yoga Nidra also await you at CERVO. 

• Yin Yoga is slow physical exercise where you hold the poses for a longer period of time. This allows your muscles and mind to relax further.
• Iyengar Yoga emphasizes detail, precision, and alignment in the execution of postures. In this style, you will often use assistive devices such as belts, blocks, and chairs.
• Yoga Nidra is used to heal trauma, deep relaxation, and restore the mind/body connectivity.

Should you prefer to practice alone, the ritual room is always available, or you may book a private lesson.

Yoga at sunrise

For a similar wide range of classes with a holistic approach, check out Keemala in Thailand. Try a sunrise class, where the classic sun salutation is performed. 

In addition to Vinyasa yoga and Yin Yoga, you can also try herbal yoga. This combines the healing powers of yoga and herbs—designed to boost your health and well-being. The beautiful forest landscape around the Keemala does the rest to help to unwind.

If one hour of yoga a day is not enough for you, or you just wish for more intensive exposure to it, try a retreat.

Yoga meets SPA-Days

The Mawell Resort has various yoga retreats or yoga meets SPA days on offer. Yoga time-outs are held over several days at the resort and offer the perfect combination of yoga and wellness. If you want to escape from everyday life for a short time, take a look at the Yoga meets SPA-Days. This is a day at the nature resort that includes use of the entire spa area and a 2-hour yoga class.

Pilates or Jivamukti Yoga Retreats 

There are also retreats at ADLER Lodge RITTEN. Pilates or Jivamukti Yoga challenge you physically, but don’t lose sight of your well-being. Jivamutki represents a very spiritual type of yoga, through some fast movements, but it is also very strenuous and is classified as a subcategory of Hatha Yoga. 

If you would rather have more rest for your yoga routine: You can also book private classes at some of our partner hotels or use the beautiful locations for your yoga class on your own. 

Yoga inside or in the garden  

Biohotel Sturm, for example, has its own 86 m2 large yoga room, available for you twenty-four hours a day. You do not have to worry about mats, blankets, and pillows—the material is provided for you. If you prefer a fixed yoga lesson with a teacher, you can do this with the external yoga teacher of the Biohotel Sturm. She can cater to all levels.

In summer, you can also use the garden for a yoga session of your choice. You can either practice in the middle of the meadow under the rustling trees or right next to the splashing pond. This makes especially the final meditation an experience.

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Aeriol Yoga and zero gravity

The Farmhouse Smiling Gecko in Cambodia also offers a different form of yoga: Here you can try weightless aerial yoga. Traditional yoga postures are combined with Pilates and dance: During the exercises, you will be assisted by a special hammock. 

Would you have known all the types of yoga? What is your favorite?

 

If you’re interested in Yoga you might also like: Slow Food- Eat Smarter

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At lunchtime you get a salad and cheese buffet, in the afternoon you can help yourself to the homemade cakes. In the evening you will be spoiled by the team of chef Hannes Pignater. Among the local and seasonal delicacies you can get here is this delicious morel asparagus cream sauce. Have fun trying it out!

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Morel asparagus cream sauce with poached egg

The cuisine at ADLER Lodge Ritten focuses on natural, high-quality and regionally grown ingredients. Together, the team has developed new healthy, sustainable and tasty dishes. One of them: the vegetarian morel asparagus cream sauce.

Course Soup

Cuisine European

Keyword Asparagus, Sauce, Soup, Vegetarian

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

Sauce

• 8 Sharp morel
• 40 gram Scallions
• 4 Asparagus
• 300 gram Cream
• 30 ml Cognac
• Spices (salt, pepper, nutmeg)
• Croutons

Poached egg

• 1 Egg white
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 tsp sweet mustard
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

Sauce

• Cut shallots into small cubes and sauté lightly in a little olive oil. Cut the sharp morel into even slices, cut the asparagus likewise into not too thin slices.
• Add everything to the shallot and sauté. Douse with cognac and then pour in cream and boil down until the desired thickness is obtained. Season everything well.
• Cut croutons into small cubes, season and mix with a little olive oil. Then bake in the oven at 120 °C until golden brown.

Poached egg

• Separate the egg, beat the egg white until stiff and fill halfway in the mold lined with cling film, insert the yolk in the middle and fill again with beaten egg white. Close the whole well and put in the oven at 95 °C for about 4 min. Then it can be rolled in herbs as desired.

You are still looking for a main dish to go with this delicious soup and you eat meat? Then try our recipe for a delicious roast pork. You would rather have a vegan alternative? Then maybe the recipe for vegan potato strudel with herb mushrooms is something for you.

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Green Pearls®: Slow Food—You know exactly where all the ingredients for your food come from, you only cook seasonally and regionally? Why did you decide to do this, and what is important to you?

Bee happy! Our honey

At the age of 11, Michael Hafner was entrusted with his first swarm of bees by his grandfather. Today Michael manages his colonies in selected valleys of South Tyrol with different altitudes and climatic conditions. Michael follows the philosophy that the altitude, as well as the environment, influence the taste of the honey the most. Our bees live at 1,250 meters above sea level. Michael has oriented them towards the south-west under the tall trees. There they get enough sunlight and at the same time are protected from the summer heat.

Here you can find more information about ADLER’s regional partners and mentality. Very worth reading.

Kristin, Host, Okelmann’s Warpe “We cook regionally and seasonally and are very lucky to have many farmers and producers in the direct vicinity. Iberico pigs, Duroc pigs, free-range chicken and eggs, organic goat cheese, Bioland pumpkins & raspberries or blueberries from next door are just a small part of the great variety in our region.”

Holistic vegan at La Vimea in South Tyrol

The hotel has been 100% vegan since 2016 and is happy to share this philosophy and form of nutrition with its guests. By the way, not only the food is vegan, but also the furnishings. Only vegan, animal-free and ecologically traceable materials were used down to the last detail. Regionality and seasonality are in the foreground, as also in the sister hotel the Paradiso on the Seiser Alm, the first vegetarian hotel in the Dolomites. The Paradiso Pure. Living offers you 100% vegetarian dishes and is inspiration for a more conscious approach to food.

Slow Food and import-autonomous

Maslina agreeing nature

Maslina Resort attaches great importance to the quality of regional producers and seasonal ingredients. This year you can eat an “from the menu” menu at the resort, supplemented by daily/weekly dishes depending on the season and availability of ingredients. The Maslina’s chef works with local producers, realizing his idea of farm-to-table. The hotel relies on producers from the island of Hvar, especially honey, lavender, fruit and local cheese. Many ingredients are also supplied by the hotel’s own organic garden.

The Berghotel Rehlegg: Cheap does not pay off

The sustainable concept is supported by respect for all living beings. This is also where the conviction comes from: Cheap does not pay off. In the restaurant, you can expect a twist of traditional recipes with modern components: Fresh and vital. Seductively vegetarian. The slogan is: More of less. Fewer carbohydrates, less sugar. No gluten, no thickeners, no additives. Instead, the full real flavor and many healthy vitamins. 

That sounds very tempting. Nele our wonderful writing fairy tried it and loved it. 

Take your time with your meal and fully engage with the flavors, colors, and smells. Then you will learn what it means to enjoy consciously. Sustainable eating is an attitude. It’s not just about the finished dish on your plate, but about the journey, the origin, and the purity of the ingredients. The tranquility and love of the preparation as well as the environment and company you are in.

Read more: HISTORICAL SITES NEAR OUR GREEN PEARLS

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The Charme of Wood

What is the reason for the charm of wood? And why is building with wood so trendy?   Wood is one of the oldest and most natural building materials throughout centuries. It is solid, stable and of high quality. But the greatest thing for us is: as a renewable, energy-neutral and domestic raw material, wood is also an exceptionally sustainable building material. You’ll find plenty of local wood in all its facets at CERVO Mountain Resort. The hotel in Zermatt, Switzerland, has used it as a primary building material. However, not in a rustic, traditional way, but in a modern design language – precisely in the contemporary, alpine style that defines the resort. The natural raw material wood is also very present in and around the nature-oriented suites and chalets of ADLER Lodge RITTEN, which are located in the middle of a clearing surrounded by dense forest. By using local, untreated woods, the wellness hotel fits perfectly with the stunning panorama of the Dolomites and the surrounding nature. 

Efficient Construction  

But our praise of wood goes on and on, because wood has even more good qualities: it can be recycled and disposed of without leaving harmful residues, has low thermal conductivity as well as good insulating properties, making it suitable for energy-efficient construction methods.b In addition, it can be used in a wide variety of ways. For example, for sustainable facade designs, as implemented by MANOAH – Häuser am See in the Thuringian Vogtland region at Zeulenrodaer Meer with its modern wooden facades on the outside and inside. Here, architecturally, the perceived boundaries between the beautiful nature outside and the retreat inside blur. And take a look the great the facade of the Biohotel Sturms lobby area, designed entirely with wood. The building, in the middle of the biosphere reserve in the Rhön, matches perfectly the surrounding nature with its forests and the hotel’s own natural pond in terms of color scheme and material design.

Wood and Health

As if that is not enough, wood also scores with health arguments. The use of natural woods in interiors creates a pollutant-free home in which even sensitive people feel comfortable. You will therefore also find a lot of wood and natural materials in the SPAs of our Green Pearls© partner hotels. Such as the dark wood paneling radiating tranquility in the relaxation rooms of the CERVO Mountain Resort, the wooden terrace that connects the sauna houses at the Biohotel Sturm to form a single unit, or the relaxation area in the SPA of the ADLER Loge RITTEN, which is completely designed in light wood.

We, at Green Pearls® agree – wood is fantastic! And so, we’re taking the liberty of simply declaring this day ‘Green Pearls – Day of Wood’. Are you celebrating with us?

Read more: LOCAL ARCHITECTURE AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

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