Wednesday 27 August 2014

Malvern to Eging



Malvern to Eging


A recent road trip to Germany took me through the delightful Bavarian countryside around Passau.  
The region is very similar to Malvern with rolling hills, rivers and a  lush rich green landscape.
I experienced a very enjoyable time at Eging am See which is located 6 km from the higway A 3 (Exit Aicha vorm Wald or Garham - Vilshofen ). It is in close proximity to the motorway connecting Deggendorf and Passau. This effective road network makes the spa triangle and Austria easily accessible.


There are numerous recreational activities available including the famous western town PULLMAN CITY and the natural lake and the SUN -Therme ( Spa ) outdoor pool, plus hiking and biking trails in the hilly landscape of the Bavarian Forest and the Middle Danube Valley (towards Vienna and Regensburg ). Then there is theTHREE CASTLE COUNTRY - bike trail (45 km ) runs through Eging on the former railway line.
 
 

Health & Wellness

Pure Relaxation


Ganzjähriges Badevergnügen verspricht die Eginger Sonnen-Therme.

There is year-round swimming at Eginger solar thermal baths, including spa and fitness treatments all within a wellness centred environment. A full Mit ihren Wohlfühl-Angeboten für Körper und Seele bietet sie Regeneration für den Kurgast, Fitness für den Gesundheitsbewussten und Freizeitspaß für die ganze Fwell-being service for body and soul, it provides regeneration for the spa guest, fitness for the health conscious and fun for the whole family.
Gemeinsam Entspannung und Erholung finden, Badespaß der Kinder genießen – in der Eginger Sonnen–Therme ist das möglich.
Wasser spendet Leben, Wohlbefinden und Freude. Genießen Sie die wohltuenden Kräfte des Wassers und verwöhnen Sie Körper, Geist und Seele in der Granitsaunalandschaft mit finnischer Sauna 85°C, Granitsauna 95°C, Sanarium 55°C und Blütengrotte 40°C, mit Solarien und Wärmeinfrarotkabin
Soothing power of water rejuvenates the body, mind and soul in the granite sauna area with Finnish sauna 85 ° C, granite sauna 95 ° C, samarium 55 ° C and flower grotto 40 ° C, with sunbeds and heat infrared sauna in the bathing area.
The Spa Triangle and Passau offer a colorful range of sightseeing, sports and a comprehensive arts and cultural programmme . Bad Fussing, Bad Griesbach, Bad Birnbach, are characterized by numerous thermal baths , golf courses and biking trails. Passau with its Danube and the Bavarian and Austrian surroundings is a popular all year round destination.


 


 

Tuesday 26 August 2014

15th World Press Cycling Championship

3rd to 7th September 2014 in Thermenland Steiermark, Austria








The 15th World Press Cycling Championship (WPCC) 2014 will be hosted by Thermenland Styria, Austria, and will be held in and around the spa resorts of Bad Radkersburg, Bad Gleichenberg, Bad Blumau and Bad Waltersdorf. The lush landscape, the mild climate and the spa resorts are the perfect setting for a successful event and offer a great variety of free-time activities.

You are interested in receiveing further information? Have a look here

Monday 18 August 2014

Greetings from Naantali, Finland


The high season in Naantali (link) starded properly during the last weekend in May, when the traditional Boat Exhibition was held at Naantali guest harbour. There were one hundred sailing and motor boats in total and a thousand people attending the exhibition. Despite the economical down fall many boats were also sold. I was very positive surprised.

In June it was time for Naantali Music festival. This festival has nearly 20.000 visitors yearly and it starts  the Finnish summer festival season. The program consisted of high quality chamber music performances and a few lighter concerts. We have two regular guests to the festival as well; there are two lovely British ladies, well over their 80's, who have been in Naantali over 30 times! We are really looking forward to seeing them every June. I don’t normally listen to chamber music at home or in my car, but in June at Naantali’s beautiful medieval church, I really enjoy the atmosphere and the music.

The season continued with the opening ceremony of the Moominworld Theme Park and the "Adventure Island Väski". The Moomins usually have over 200.000 visitors during one summer season.  Naantali Spa Hotel appeals to both families and individual guests, and the Kultaranta Estate garden, the summer residence for the President of Finland at Luonnonmaa Island,  is also a must place to visit.

 I enjoy best the old town and the guest harbor where the atmosphere is something very special and unique to Finland. There is no other place where the sea enters the heart of an old wooden town. You can’t capture the feeling in any picture or power point presentation -  you have to experience it yourself.

Every summer there are many events and concerts in Naantali area. Of course this is nice and the visitors enjoy these events with the local people, but sometimes I would like to move a few of them to an other time or season, perhaps September or winter. Prolonging the year-round season is a big challenge for Naantali Tourism. How could we lure the customers to Naantali during every season (in Finland we have four distinctive seasons)? I think it is possible only by organizing attractive events or by marketing the winter season with ice and snow and all the nice winter activities. There is only one problem; can we guarantee the snow and ice so that the visitors can skate on sea ice or ski there? What shall we offer instead if it is raining cats and dogs in January instead of snowing? Perhaps we could and will find new possibilities in the wellness services – for example spa treatments, trips to green forests in and out Naantali and the Baltic sea, and relaxing activities in fresh nature. Or we could utilize our history by e.g. offering interactive guided tours in the dark winter evenings carrying candles and lanterns.

I hope that we will achieve 600.000 visitors this year. June was very cold and rainy and the restaurants and terraces were very empty but July was hot and beautiful  and August has been warm so it will help the entrepreneurs a little. We will have to wait and see.

After this summer season we will start thinking  about next summer. I already have a few good ideas but you will hear about them when Naantali 2015 season is launched in January 2015.
 
Tarja Rautiainen, Managing Director
Naantali Tourism (Naantali Tourism Information Ltd.)
 


Monday 11 August 2014

Naantali West End – Luxury at Luonnonmaa Island, Finland


Illustration of new housing at Kultaranta Resort Ltd.
Glass pyramids, a boat canal, a housing fair and luxury spa. All this will be reality in Luonnonmaa area if the ambitious Naantali West End project will execute as planned in the south-west cost of Finland. 

The main visions are the building of a tremendous spa and hotel center, the renewal of Matalahti bay and the making a boat canal that floats through Luonnonmaa Island, and finally the organizing of a housing fair in year 2020. Behind these plans is Kultaranta Golf Ltd, managed by Mr. Pekka Jokisuu and group of private landowners. The design comes from "Schauman Arkkitehdit (architects)" which is co operating together with the architects from Danish company called "Cobe".

Ambitious plans

The biggest change will be the renewal of Matalahti bay and the reconstruction of the original canal that used to go through Luonnonmaa Island in the past. The canal would boost the flow-through in Matalahti Bay and make the water cleaner. It would also make it possible to sail through Luonnonmaa with a small boat. The most exotic part of the plan is to build floating housing by the canal and the bay. This new accommodation would offer everything a modern day living demands and gives Luonnonmaa an original twist.
The goal is to make Luonnonmaa to a location of the housing fair in 2018-2020. This would also give a boost to Naantali’s plans to get 2600 new permanent residents to Luonnonmaa Island area.

Another significant part is the building of a 16 000 square meter spa and hotel center. "Kultaranta Towers & Spa" will consists of three glass pyramids surrounded by the beautiful Finnish nature. One of the pyramids is the hotel, the other a spa and wellness center,  and the third one will be an apartment building for locals.

From frontier to focus

Wooden housing  - of course!
Naantali West End is an ambitious and enormous project that has already kicked off.  At the moment Kultaranta Resort is building a new harbor. By the summer 2015 this marina will offer more mooring/place for boats, a floating VIP sauna and spa pools. A new café restaurant and other services will be offered for customers as well. Naantali West End will affect the whole Naantali area and it’s residents. Luonnonmaa Island will be a vivid center that’ll appeal to tourists and permanent residents.
Read more about this resort with a beautiful golf course and many other services  

Siiri Kärkkäinen
Trainee, communications
Kultaranta Resort Ltd