Are you happy? What is happiness? We have thought about these questions because it’s International Day of Happiness today. First of all, every individual seems to perceive happiness differently.

On the top of the list of things making us happy are most likely good food, inner balance and time with our loved ones. Do you feel the same way? If yes, you can find here a few tips for special moments of happiness 🙂

Soul Food for a good mood

A German saying states, food and drink keep body and soul together. Today, Soul Food is the epitome of food satisfying us! Of course, the chefs at our partner hotels know how to get you good mood and happy faces with their dishes 😉

• Marcel Laversa’s culinary creations bring joy to the restaurant Twist. He is the chef at the Swiss Valsana Hotel & Apartments and pampers you with vegan, vegetarian or classic dishes. Needless to say, the ingredients are either regionally sourced or from organic farming.

• From the snack garden to the breakfast buffet: Biohotel Sturm incarnates culinary delights – and is a Slow Food member since 2006. Jams, chutneys and bread are homemade (even with home-grown ingredients), everything else comes from organic and regional agriculture! With his individual creations, chef Hartwig Buß always puts a smile on his guests’ faces when they dine at the hotel restaurant SCHULZE|S.

• How about a romantic candlelight dinner in the restaurant aurum at the Hotel Speicher am Ziegelsee? With a view of the lake Ziegelsee you can enjoy the excellent organic food and some quality time – and end the night with a walk around the lake.

Inner balance

Wellness, Selfness, stress reduction: serenity and health become more and more important and contribute to happiness. Whether forest bathing, Yoga or Ayurveda – with our partners you will find a variety of offers promoting your inner balance.

• The Selfnesshotel SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA offers a wide range of services to enhance your well-being: from a generous spa area to yoga, TCM, looked after fasting cures, basic meals and forest bathing in Bad Herrenalb – it’s all about your inner balance.

• Are you looking for a holistic wellness vacation? In the heart of Sri Lanka, Amaya Lake Resort is the perfect setting for outdoor yoga. If you prefer, you can enjoy certified Ayurveda treatments and the silence of the vast landscape.

• Letting go, the motto when joining selected therapies and treatments at Keemala: The Purify Retreat will help you to reduce stress – physically and mentally alike. Enjoy meditation, yoga, saunas, massages, herbal packs (and much more!) as well as cleansing menus and drinks during the relaxation and detoxification cure.

Me, you, us

According to two long-term studies conducted by Robert Waldinger, a formula for happiness seems to exist. His results show that good relationships make us happy, because the better our friendships and relationships are, the healthier and older we get. Be it with your partner or your best friend, some hotels will give you shared time:

• Cuddling days for two are available at the Hotel Lamm in the Black Forest, for example, including a cozy bath in a wooden barrel, use of the sauna landscape, a foot or neck massage – and plenty of quality time of course 😉

• How about a girls’ night in East Tyrol? At Naturhotel Outside you can book “Mädls Time” (girls time) with your best friends, including a suite, breakfast, afternoon buffet, dinner, full use of the spa area and fantastic mountain scenery for extended hikes!

• Have you always wanted to sail towards the sunset? An unforgettable experience like this awaits you at Reethi Faru Resort on the Maldives. Enjoy dinner for two, a flower bath and of course romantic walks along the beach with the romantic package!

We hope you can draw some inspiration from our tips! Either for mindfulness, time for two (or three) and once again a really tasty meal! Probably you can think of many more things that make you happy 😉