Blog looking at Austrian, spas, wellness and in particular the two in the Gastein valley and new Tauern spa Kaprun complex which is close to Zell am See. Tips and advice on the spa experience. We welcome your comments and suggestions to pass on to others.
The construction of the site in Kaprun have so far moved 55,000 cubic meters of excavation (which is about the excavation of 65 single-family homes), 45,000 metres drilled holes, 25,000 cubic meters of concrete used and 120 km cables installed.
The construction of Spa-world-kaprun has so far involved the removal of 55,000 cubic meters of excavation, which is the equivalent of 65 single family homes, 45,000 metres of holes have been drilled, 25,000 cubic meters of concrete laid, and over 120 KM of cables laid.
With the “Decking out Ceremony” it marks the half way stage of the construction process, with the spa due to be completed by December 2010. A 4* luxury hotel is also being constructed adjacent to the wellness and spa complex.
For further photographs on the decking out ceremony see the attached link
What are Spas and Spa Holidays all about? ( or 15 things to do at a spa).
Spas, and Spa holidays mean different things to different people, but the wellness concept can include:-
Enjoying the liberation of being naked, in an Austrian Spa.
Dipping into an indoor pool, exercising and stretching.
Swimming in an outdoor pool and taking in the views, and loving the contrast of the cold and heat.
Loosening up with a variety of massage techniques, getting rid of those aches and pains.
Enjoying a beauty treatment, a facial, a pedicure, a manicure, a back or face scrub.
Letting the body purify itself with a body wrap treatment.
Topping up your sun tan in the sun or in a solarium.
Relaxing and snoozing on heated stone beds.
Relaxing and unwinding with an aromatherapy treatment in a Sanarium.
Warming the muscles in a infra-red heat cabin.
The cleansing affect of the steam room, taking in the varied aromas.
Relaxing in Cleopatra's bath!!
Sweating it out in a Finnish Sauna at different temperatures.
Find relaxation and wellness in the recovery area, while reading a book.
Dipping into a ice cold pool to feel the contrast of heat and coldness.
To sum up Austrian spas and wellness allow you the opportunity, to relax, unwind, recuperate, to de stress and look after your self. Not all spas offer all facilities, but as part of the concept of wellness is going to different spas is all part of the joy of an Austria spa holiday.
Tauern Spa World in Kaprun is scheduled to open its doors in November 2010 and it will have worth the wait?
Tauern Spa Kaprun will be worth a visit all year round from November 2010
Austrian Media and Internet Coverage Kaprun Spa World.
With the completion date just over a year away, there is the start of media publicity for the new spa, roads have been renamed, street signs have been erected, showing the locality, tourist maps of the area now show the locality of the spa world. From the internet there is publicity surrounding the "topping out" ceremony, the link gives an explanation in German.
-->In the meantime if you are looking to stay in the area? please consider staying in Kaprun at austria holiday apartment. from 3-9 guests with the benefit of 3 bedrooms and 3 bath / shower rooms.
Progress on the construction of the new Spa-World Kaprun complex continues at a pace as the picture demonstrates, it planned cost comes in at around 85-90 million Euro to build, and promises to be something very special. It nestles in the bottom of the valley close to Zell am See and Kaprun. It is a dazzling setting looking out on the Kitzsteinhorn where its glacier glacier, and mountain restaurant standing at over 3000 metres in height can be clearly seen. The area forms part of the largest nature reserve in the Alps National Park Hohe Tauern.
Adjacent to the site in a gorgeous setting is the golf course of Kaprun and and Zell am See , across the valley watching the the activities in the valley is Kaprun Castle or in German Burg Kaprun It is worth a visit in its own right, and events and activities are held throughout the year.
The Tauern spa world complex is due to be completed ready for Christmas in 2010, and will enhance the facilities offered by Kaprun and Zell am See even more, making it even more of an all year round resort.
To find out more about Zell am See and Kaprun please see our sister blog about Zell am See and Kaprun click on the link. For starters there is an article 30 reasons to visit Zell am See, which gives you some idea on what the area has to offer.
If you are looking for somewhere to sleep please consider for your holiday staying at www.austria-holiday-apartment.com, the apartment consists of 3 bedrooms can sleep 3-9 in luxury and comfort and has the added benefit of 3 bath and shower rooms. The apartment is only a 10 minute level walk from the village centre of Kaprun.
A visit to Krimmler Waterfalls stimulates a sustainable, functional, symptomatic and immunological improvement in people who suffer from asthma, this clinical study is based on 1803 findings!
Dr Paul Oberlechner, the then chief medical officer of Zell am See, described the waterfalls as follows:-
"The Krimmler Waterfalls as a remedy for city life and sensibility"
.... because the spa surpasses all the medication under the sun for nervous debility, caused by city life, sedentary habits, headache, stress, grief, strong coffee, excessive medication or bloodletting, poor diet, insomnia, abstinence of meat dishes, strict diet, pubescent or excessive lust, self abuse and menstruation, where reading novels and sensibility arise. Those who love simplicity will find the health spa a worthwhile experiment – and anyone not familiar with it should visit at the first opportunity. Here you can experience weak and strong forces, the gentle and the powerful, yes, and I would even say, the mild and the radical, which not only serve to alleviate the previously mentioned nervous symptoms, but also act as a source of healing in the case where such debilities are, in part or full, the result of some mechanical cause". (Source: Salzburger Landes¬chronik).
Austrian railway company ORB have a special offer on at the moment travel, which is worth looking at:- in their advertising they state "Do you feel like escaping the stress and strain of everyday life and be pampered to the hilt for once? - Then immerse yourself in the wonderful world of wellness".
They then go to state "You can start enjoying your holiday from the very first minute of your trip, as you will travel in the relaxing comfort of a train, where the stress and traffic jams on the road will be nothing but a different memory. And you will also be able to save quite a bit, as the ÖBB Thermen-Ticket includes the rail journey, transfer and reduced admission to the thermal spa".
The ÖBB Thermen-Ticket includes
ÖBB ticket for outward and return journey in 1st or 2nd class
Two vouchers for the transfers by bus or taxi
One voucher for the reduced full day admission ticket to the thermal spa
Three spas come under the offer which is worth looking at.
Free Spa Tickets?
Well you will have to be quick, the competition is only open for a couple more days. Click on the link to enter. Or to take you there direct click on the free Austrian spa break for two.
For those who don't win maybe there is a consolation prize, you can register for a free Austrian spa email news letter / magazine here.
Well wellness means different things to different people, at different times, it is the balance of a number of things which can include spiritual aspects of life as well as the physical aspects.
Bringing these together bring about a feeling of completeness and being at ease with oneself and others. In other words to feel relaxed, refreshed, rejuvenated and at ease with the world.
The above diagram shows that the importance of the physical aspects of wellness perhaps through a walk, or climbing a mountain or swimming in a lake or via a gentle stroll can contribute to self contentment - wellness.
Environmental, this comes about more readily in the presence of a clean environment, water, air and in the totality of the setting. There is nothing finer than taking in a view from the top of a mountain taking in the freshness of the air to dispel any miseries that may lurk!
Mental in a modern society there are increasing demands on us all through work, studies, families. A wellness break allows a break from the routine a chance to unwind, read a book, relax, or to learn a new skill, or just to feel the comfort of your inner being.
Emotional life takes its toll, and it is important to reflect on achievements and losses, to put them into perspective, to learn from the experience and in some cases to forgive, but not to forget.
Social most of us have the need and instinct to mix, to chat and to enjoy the company of others. It gives an opportunity to put a perspective on life, and to enjoy the company of others.
Wellness can be described as the bringing together of these aspects, allowing time for yourself in a busy world, to unwind, to relax, and to be at ease.
Tauern spa world Kaprun, set in the valley bottom looking up at the Kitzsteinhorn, sitting between the village church and Castle of Kaprun, on the other side the fairways of the 36 hole championship golf course provide additional vista to take in the views in all directions, promises to be one of those special places where your self wellness comes first.
For those who like to venture further in the search for contentment and relaxation there is the Alpentherme in the Gastein valley, further along from the valley is the Felsen therme both are just over a 30 minutes drive from Kaprun and also accessible by train from Zell am See. The opportunity to visit 3 spas in three days promises every opportunity for increasing wellness.
Looking for somewhere to stay for 3 - 9 persons then please consider staying at Austrian Holiday Apartment in Kaprun
In September 2008 a celebration was held to mark the start of construction of the Tauern Spa World in Kaprun.
The video runs for three minutes and gives you an overview of the locality of the new spa, and an impression of its size and facilities.
Spa world Kaprun is costing around 90 million Euro and is expected to be completed by December 2010.
If you are looking to stay in the area please consider:- austria-holiday-apartment.com you could be one of the first to enjoy the new spa and wellness facilities in Kaprun.
The construction of the new spa complex continues, the architects for the Kaprun scheme can be found at www.skyline-architekten.at and via the attached link there are artists impressions of how the the finished complex will look.
Estimates are being made about the expected number of visitors to the complex. In the Salzburger Fenster website article there is speculation that once built there will be between 270,000 to 350,000 visitors during the course of the year.
At the higher end of the figures this comes in at about 1,000 visitors a day. Based on an opening time of say 12 hours and say a 4 hour average stay, it comes to having around 333 in and around the complex at any one time. This may sound high but considering the size of the complex, and experience of similar spas in the Gastein valley ( Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein), the numbers do look to be realistic.
I am not aware of any costings being announced, but I would expect these to be published nearer to completion and in line with the fees with the spas in the Gastein valley.
Anyway what ever the numbers and the cost, I feel sure that it will be worth waiting for.
Work on the construction of the spa continues amidst reports of the best skiing conditions for 25 years! Across the northern hemisphere there would appear to have been an abundance of snow. Reports upon reports of snow followed by snow. Ryanair and Easyjet were quick to pick up on the excellent conditions and the possibility of an extended ski season, increasing their sales efforts for flight tickets to ski resorts.
There is still plenty of snow, and skiing and boarding to be had the ski website "if you ski" and the On the Snow website give regular updates as to the conditions and the amounts of snow around, have a look for yourselves!
There are some excellent ski holiday deals to be had for example at austria-holiday-apartment there is over £100 to be saved in their late offers. It will cater up to 9 people, and at a discounted £749 offers great value. The snow is even guaranteed on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier (close to Kaprun - Austria), where it is possible to ski all year round.
Excellent snow, discounted accomodation and good flights is an excellent combination to get your snow fix.
As the Tauern spa-world Kaprun build continues more information becomes available, via the attached link there is information which is gives further information on Tauern Spa Kaprun. It is now due to open in November 2010, a month earlier than originally stated.
Next to the spa will be constructed a luxury 160 bedroom 4* hotel, with conference facilities and meeting rooms along with restaurant facilities, the adjacent spa will be readily accessible from the hotel.
The spa will consist of spacious changing rooms, saunas and steam rooms, solarium
Outdoor summer bar / indoor sauna bar! cold water and warm water pool, relax whirlpool
Outdoor sauna with cold dip tank enhanced by comfortable outdoor and indoor relaxing areas.
In total there will be 9 Massage rooms, 17 treatment rooms, 5 cosmetic / pedicure rooms, whether it is just popping in after a strenuous summer mountain walk, or a winter challenging day ski session, or if your preference is for a full day or relaxing treatments, I feel sure that spa-world-Kaprun will cater for your wellness needs.
Not really much to report, the build for Kaprun Spa World continues, when completed it will be the second largest spa in Austria, and it will be for the public to decide whether it is the best one?
But based on the location and experience of other spas across Austria, it will be something very special, a place to relax, unwind, enjoy, rejuvenate and reflect.
The above photo links to a website putting the case, that spas add to the appeal of making the Austrian resort and surrounding areas more of a 365 day all year round holiday location.
For clarification purposes "therme" means "spa" in German "Bad" means "Bath" and is often added to a town′s name if it has a spa, for example Bad Gastein.
Work is still on-going through the winter on the new Spa complex to be built in Kaprun.
If work continues at the current rate it should be completed as planned in December 2010.
The local joint tourist board of Zell am See and Kaprun have recently published a story on there website which can be found by typing into Google Kaprun and Zell am See and will bring you to this link.
It is noted even at the building stage the site is referred to as" stunning".
The site once developed promises to have facilities for parking for 450 cars, which gives you some idea of the site and capacity once completed.
Tauern Spa World Kaprun, is a new spa complex planned to be completed in November 2010 ( update it did open in November 2010 ) at a cost of around 80 million Euro.
The complex will be built on a site which is close to Kaprun and is located just off the "new road" going into Kaprun.
The site is located between the
i) Zell am See Golf club (or to give its full title Golf Club Zell am See-Kaprun-Sallbach-Hinterglemm and
ii) Kaprun Burg or for an English version of the same website see Kaprun Castle site, and iii) the center of Kaprun.
Kaprun is a lovely Austrian alpine village which is twinned with the holiday lakeside medieval market town of Zell am See which is about 8 kilometers away, or 10 minutes by bus. For a number of years the two holiday locations marketed themselves with the grandiose title of "Die Europa Sportregion" some would argue that the title is justified with the numerous sporting activities all year round.
The site of Tauern-Spa-World-Kaprun sits in the valley bottom, close to the Hohe Tauern national park and takes in the views in all directions, which includes:-
The famous mountain Schmitten which rises to 2000 meters and became famous via the Austrian Empress visit and a chapel at the summit is named after after her. Which claims to have the prettiest view from it peak, of more than two dozen peaks at over 2000 meters in height.
The other direction stands the vista of the Kitzsteinhorn standing at 3203 meters with its glacier, where it is possible to ski all year round.
Standing like a smaller brother is the Maisikogel where it is possible to take the mountain lift up towards its 1675 metre high summit.
Adjacent to the site is the Salzach river where it is possible to go rafting or canoeing on as it wends its way to to Salzburg, which is named after the river.
Looking for somewhere to stay? holiday apartment rental? in Kaprun? sleeps from 3-9? with two en-suites and a family bathroom, then take a look at Austria Holiday Apartment, or print of the accommodation brochure for more info.
Austria Holiday Apartment Rental in Kaprun sleeps 3 to 9
Tauern Spa Kaprun
