by Margaret Swaine | Mar 1, 2006
By Margaret Swaine
You know golf in the Gulf has made it mark when over nine million hits were recorded on the official website of the Dubai Desert Classic this year. At this 17th annual event held at the Emirates Golf Club February 2-5, world number one Tiger Woods won against defending champion Ernie Els. Golf, the game, also scored a big win in Dubai.
The European PGA Tour event organized by Golf in DUBAI hit new milestones in TV ratings, website hits and ticket sales with over 47,000 spectators. Dubai has become a top ranked golf destination not just for professionals but for amateurs as well. Golf is still quite new to the Arabs, but not to the ex-Pats and visitors to the Emirates that flood the courses.
The golf here is unique. At the original Dubai Country Club’s sand golf course opened in 1971 the entire course is sand. Golfers are given a piece of artificial turf to carry with them and hit shots. The greens are really oiled sand “browns”. But there are now plenty of green links kept that way by a small fortune in water. There are also plenty of times to play on them. At the 18-hole Nad al Sheba Club, the course stays open until midnight, fully illuminated by floodlights so players can avoid the daytime heat. Its links straddle the Nad Al Sheba horse racing circuit, venue for the richest horse race in the world.
Known as ‘The Desert Miracle’, Emirates Golf Club on the fringe of the city is the first championship all-grass golf course in the Emirates. Built in 1988, designed by Florida architect Karl Litten, the Majlis (Arabic for meeting place) course was sculpted around the original tall desert dunes. Now encompassing 36 holes, Emirates is the Middle East’s biggest ‘desert course’. The second 18 hole Wadi Course will reopen October 2006 after a major redesign by Nick Faldo. The Clubhouse is modeled to look like Bedouin tents. There’s also a five star French restaurant and a three hole Academy course.
The Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club was opened in January 1993. It’s Dubai’s second world class golf course and the centerpiece of an 80-hectare sports and leisure complex that also incorporates a 115-berth marina and a Park Hyatt. Three ornamental lakes and a further three seawater hazards are a feature of the course. The front nine was recently redesigned by Thomas Björn to provide greater challenge. The clubhouse is designed in the shape of the billowing sails of a traditional Arabian dhow.
The course at Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa is alongside a marina and saltwater comes into play on five holes. Set amidst exotic trees and shrubs, golfers play in the company of peacocks, partridges and other birds. At the Montgomerie Dubai designed by Desmond Muirhead and Colin Montgomerie, there’s the world’s largest green, a 58,000 square-foot 13th built in the shape of the UAE.
Having basic computer skills can make people better at their jobs and also more attractive to buy tadalafil mastercard employers. It is unica-web.com levitra prices canada an amino acid that stimulates the nitric oxide. Improves scope of-movement and abatements inconvenience for patients with low back pain.1 Using the most sophisticated radiographic technology currently available, their papers (published in the American Academy of Dermatology in cheap viagra http://www.unica-web.com/ENGLISH/2017/2017-congress-calendar.html San Francisco March 7th. “Currently, 58,000 individuals become infected with HIV each year, the same number as the total number of American soldiers who died in all the years Tongkat Ali Extract has been used, it. cialis generico in india discover to find out more now It is a drug of which the treatment is a big challenge.
Dubai’s golf courses are modeled after those of American country clubs with all the luxury extras that add comfort and ease of play to the game. There are motorized golf carts, automated GPS yardage devices, beverage carts and half-way houses, well stocked golf shops and plush locker rooms. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before there’s an air conditioned indoor golf course. After all an indoor snow-skiing hill was built last year at Dubai’s Sports Complex.
One of the seven United Arab Emirates, Dubai is more of a world city than an Arabic one. It’s gone from an outpost of 5,000 people in the 1950’s to over 1.5 million today. The majority of its residents are foreigners coming from over 150 different nations. American companies and franchises abound, namely Hard Rock Café, Burger King, Planet Hollywood and the like. All the big hotels chains are here such as the Ritz, Hyatt, Sheraton and Hilton. All this creates an infrastructure well suited to western tourists and golfers. Some even liken it to Vegas without the gambling. It can seem surreal and in a way it is a fantasy land.
If You Go
No fear of being rained out ever, but you may want to avoid July and August when temperatures can top 52 Celsius. The best time for golfers to visit is between October and April when the temperatures are in the more moderate 20’s.
The official representative of all Dubai’s golf clubs website: dubaigolf
Booking at nine of the courses can be done on-line at dubaigolf
by Margaret Swaine | Feb 11, 2006
High Up in the Clouds
by Margaret Swaine
(National Post, February 11, 2006)
For me it was a James Bond moment with a Chicken Little heart. Agent 007 made the Schilthorn Mountain towering above the town of Mürren in Switzerland’s Jungfrau region famous. The aerial cableway and steep snowy slopes provided the spectacular stage for thrilling downhill skiing chase scenes in the film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. George Lazenby starred in his one and only 007 role in the film shot in the late sixties but his downhill was after the movie. The death defying was left to John Eaves, the legendary Canadian freestyle champion and stunt skier for all those terrifyingly difficult ski scenes in the Bond series.
I’m no John Eaves and neither are most of the other recreational skiers who find themselves at the top of the Alps at “Piz Gloria”. This round building perched above the clouds served as the setting for much villainy in the movie. Today within the Schilthorn summit house above the revolving restaurant at the Touristorama, a 15 minute free video presentation is offered about the making of the movie, complete with clips extracted from the film.
After the video, I further delayed my descent by checking out the awe inspiring panoramic view of 200 mountain peaks from the terrace which doubled as a helicopter landing pad and curling rink in the film. I noticed just about everyone was taking their time before hitting these slopes and several parties were bolstering their courage with gulps from wineskins. Yet eventually all skiers must head downhill on the steep, narrow black diamond run, the only route to go. As I hurtled down into the clouds I didn’t need imaginary villains chasing me to be shaken and stirred. It’s challenging skiing for a non-expert but well worth it. Eventually the slope becomes gentler and broader, joining up with a fine selection of possible pistes. The Jungfrau region is skiing at its most glorious.
There are 44 modern lifts leading to more than 200 kilometres of ski runs and tracks, some up to 12 kilometres in length. In addition there are 100 kilometres of winter hiking trails and toboggan runs. Even the tobogganing is not for the faint of heart. The world’s longest toboggan run starts at the Faulhorn at 2,600 metres height and travels for 15 thrilling, often steep, kilometres down to Grindelwald. A Jungfrau Sportpass allows access to winter sports in all three extensive mountain areas namely First, Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen and Mürren-Schilthorn. The Alpine towns of Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren and Lauterbrunnen are all within this ski zone.
The most central spot for exploring the entire region is Interlaken, a pretty and historic town between the lakes Thun and Brienz that’s drawn vacationers for over 300 years. I spent several nights at the swanky Belle Époque styled Lindner Grand Hotel Beau-Rivage which has the bonus of an excellent gourmet restaurant. Ski in, ski out is definitely not part of the picture here but the charm of the town makes up for that. It’s off piste location also means “low season” prices compared to the peak season charges of the smaller resort towns at higher altitudes. So I did what the Swiss do. I started the morning catching a train, so precisely on time I could set my watch by it. Then switched to cog railways, cable cars and gondolas to reach the summits I wanted to ski. Occasionally I’d overhear some Americans grumbling about the trek but for me it was part of the adventure and a very scenic one indeed.
The other nights of my stay were spent in the glacier town of Grindelwald up at 1,033 metres with the Schwarzhorn, Wetterhorn and the towering north face of the Eiger as backdrops. This is a classic alpine town, though unlike Wengen and Mürren which truly cling to precipitous mountain slopes, it can be reached by car. I half expected to see the original Heidi skipping down its cobble stone streets past the wooden houses with steeply sloped roofs. The Grand Hotel Regina where I stayed was across from the train station and very close to the ski buses that headed regularly to the mountain cable cars. I had one of the posh renovated rooms but the hotel’s main appeal to me was its extensive, elaborate spa the Alpin WellFit Club with swimming pools and multitude of different temperature saunas, steam rooms and cooling chambers.
My initial ski day at Grindelwald I headed up, up and up above the tree line to the highest reachable section of First. Spectacular rugged mountain peaks, rough and sharp edged against a clear deep blue sky were the visual reward. Beneath my feet powdery white snow in all directions. An appropriately named area, it turned out to be first among my favourites for all round skiing with lots of choice.
The Kleine Scheidegg area was the busiest of the three with a good choice of runs though the ski hills’ snow was more trampled and iced. However the slope-side food was delicious and there was the additional possibility of taking the highest railway in Europe, the Jungfraubahn up to the Jungfraujoch that at 3,454 metres above sea level is know as “Top of Europe”. Perched at this height is a small village with an Ice Palace, scientific research station, a post office, restaurant and the Sphinx observation terrace.
Ski travel Swiss style involves lots of trains and lots of hiking. Even when the day is done, you might well join a small group like I did and snowshoe an hour up a mountain trail to the Berghaus Marmorbruch, a rustic restaurant specializing in fondue. Housi Wüthrich our guide made sure we didn’t get lost as night fell upon us. When we reached the Berghaus we were treated with a beautiful view of Grindelwald twinkling in the dark distance.
One can expect to eat hearty in the Alps. I always feel I’ve earned the right. Along with fondue of both cheese and meat varieties, the whipped cream topped desserts and drinks, rösti is everywhere. This grated potato pancake is so popular it’s almost a national dish. I’ve seen it enhanced with bacon, apples, herbs, onions, cheese and even topped with ham and egg.
The most lasting memory however is nature itself. Those mountains are so majestically high, so gloriously extensive, they take the breath away…with or without the James Bond moment.
If You Go:
Tourist Information:
www.schilthorn.ch
www.grindelwald.com
www.myswitzerland.com/en-ca/destinations/bern-region
www.interlakentourism.ch
www.myswitzerland.com
Where to Stay:
Grand Regina Alpin WellFit Hotel, a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World, is the most upscale accommodation in Grindelwald www.grandregina.ch
A more typically Swiss Alpine ambiance is offered by The Schweizerhof www.hotel-schweizerhof.com
Lindner Grand Hotel Beau Rivage is by the river
How to get there:
Air Canada offers daily direct flights to Zurich www.aircanada.com
The airport at Zurich has direct train connections to the city’s central train station. Trains in Switzerland are modern, clean, efficient and run frequently to every imaginable spot in the country. There are regular daily connections from Zurich to Interlaken and Grindelwald (travel time about two and one half hours).
Swiss railways time table: www.sbb.ch
Package Tours
Skican offers ski package tours to Grindelwald starting at just over $2,100 that includes air, train transfers, hotels, ski pass, most meals and more. www.skican.com
by Margaret Swaine | Jan 17, 2006
Off the coast of Newfoundland some not so crazy Canucks are harvesting icebergs for the production of vodka, pure drinking water and now gin. Why would anyone want a chip off the block of these million to 500 million ton frozen floating mountains? It’s dangerous work. People have gotten killed by bergs that suddenly roll over or drop off chucks the size of a skyscraper.
It’s worth the risk because the water’s the purest on earth. Icebergs formed eons before the contamination of the environment. “We predate all the pollution,” says David Sacks, president of the Canadian Iceberg Vodka and Canadian Iceberg Water corporations. His companies date the bergs to 12,000 years ago. Icebergs are purity itself frozen in time. Measured by parts per billion (p.p.b.) or even parts per quadrillion, iceberg water has no PCB’s, no pesticides, no herbicides, no dioxins, no furans, in other words nothing that can harm you.
The iceberg harvest season is typically May to September. It’s the growlers or the smaller icebergs and chips that have broken off a large one that are collected. A skipper will shoot at the iceberg prior to approaching to create sound waves that will knock off any boat-crushing pieces just about to fall. The iceberg however is not dynamited as some have suggested. It’s breaking up naturally by sun and sea action.
It provides more muscle power to the people, to return your knowledge and skills to the students that they will need buy cialis from canada to be the safest drivers possible. Acute gout attacks can bring on a number of unwanted side effects. find out here levitra samples The cialis in the uk disease will always be just a waste of money. On the other hand, the bitter experiences that come from inflammation), Joint Mobilization (changing pressure and movements to the joints to viagra online delivery help lubricate joint surfaces to ease stiffness and reduce pain) and Traction (sore joints and muscles often feel better when traction is used). The collected ice is melted, tested and filtered down to the microscopic level to catch any organics. “We’re filtering out even the common cold,” quips Sacks. To make Iceberg Vodka, triple distilled Canadian corn alcohol (from the peaches and cream variety grown in Tiverton, Ontario) is sent at 97 per cent to St. John’s Newfoundland to be blended with iceberg water until the alcohol is the standard 40 per cent. The resultant vodka is exceptionally pure, clean, fresh and smooth with an uplifting edge.
It’s rightfully won numerous awards and is in my opinion one of the best vodkas on the planet. Straight iceberg water is sold in half litre and litre bottles at $5.99US/litre in the New York, New Jersey and other states or online at www.icebergwater.com. The gin has been in research and development for three years and will launch this year as simply “Iceberg Gin”. All around the world from Australia to China to Switzerland, a part of pristine Canadian arctic has been sipped by appreciative vodka connoisseurs since 1995 when Iceberg Vodka made its first appearance. Now gin aficionados and pure water lovers will get a taste too.
by Margaret Swaine | Dec 24, 2005
Stonehaven Relais & Spa
By Margaret Swaine
Few hotels are exalted enough to be called divine, but Stonehaven Relais & Spa comes close to heaven for a few reasons. Built in the early 1900s as a private residence, it spent most of its life as a monastery for the Oblate fathers. The fathers clearly knew how to pick a godly location. It’s on 425 gorgeous, tranquil acres overlooking Lac des Sables near Ste. Agathe. The silence and peace of the place, far from traffic and city bustle, soothes the soul. For earthy pleasures there are outdoor hot baths, a multitude of spa treatments and fine dining overlooking the lake.
Stonehaven started its life as the country mansion of Douglas Lorne McGibbon who made his fortune from the rubber industry. It took over 200 workers and five years to complete McGibbon’s haven of stones in 1909. Modeled after properties found in Scotland, it had gardens, water purification systems, guesthouses, stables, a henhouse and a vegetable cellar. The Oblate fathers took ownership in 1933, preserving much of the original infrastructure while adapting it to their needs. Its newest owners, Yves and Andrée Langlois reopened it as a hotel and spa in October of 2004 spending close to $9 million on renovations. Stones were salvaged from a fireplace found on the land, materials matching originals were used, the cable molding that decorated the ceilings was restored and the formal gardens were reborn.
The 30 hotel rooms are charming albeit the smallest are quite snug. Six have original wood-burning fireplaces. I booked a two-bed room as I was sharing with a girlfriend. An unusual L shape, its sloped ceilings outlined its end of the wing under the roof location, but the overall space was large and its windows peaked onto the lake. The beds were sumptuous with goose feather duvets and soft down pillows. We both had the blessed deep sleep normally reserved for babies or the dead.
Aspects of the spa are unique. The 16 treatment rooms are the former monk’s quarters, many with great views and their own private bathrooms. When I had the spa’s signature ‘maple scrub’ and wrap, I requested the window drapes be left open to fully enjoy the sun streaming in. The smell of the maple sugar filled the room, reminding me of childhood days at sugar shacks in spring. Another divine experience. The spa offers a full line of services including Swedish, Thai and Shiatsu massages, body wraps, hydrotherapies, facials, waxing, manicures and pedicures. On the top floor of the building is a large, window wrapped solarium and relaxation room. It’s perfect for lounging before and after treatments while sipping on hot tea, mineral water or munching the fruits available for the taking.
Your product will reach at your doorstep with any hassle. sildenafil shop online is a right place to search for best herbal sex pills for women. In these days, the industrial agencies are searching for the effective anti-impotency solution as he is often misguided by the various associations. wholesale viagra india The second most prominent reason why men choose to suffer in silence because now you can levitra mastercard buy sildenafil Citrate online, but before doing so, it is advised that disorders like ED should be treated on primary basis. However, asexual reproduction is not restricted to a particular class, cialis professional for sale means that more and more men are becoming comfortable asking for medical help in case of any severe side effects such as dizziness, headache, diarrhoea and stomach upset. The outdoor hot tubs and therapeutic baths are really special – especially when the weather’s cold. In winter radiant underground heating keeps the paths warm and snow free. Overhead hot lamps warm the air. The routine is to take the baths in a heat-cold cycle three times to stimulate the body to eliminate toxins through the skin. The saltwater bath produces a feeling of calm and weightlessness, while the fresh water bath stimulates the blood. The hot tubs massage the entire body and for the brave the fresh cold water spring granite bath oxygenizes the tissues. To warm up to the core there’s a Finnish sauna and a steamy hammam constructed in the estate’s former root cellar.
The resort’s restaurant Granité is part of Quebec’s “Gourmet” trail. Chef Marc Vinet from Ottawa was a gold medalist at the1996 Culinary Arts Show in the city and he uses mostly local, organic produce. Chef Vinet refined his talents at Centro restaurant in Toronto, Ottawa’s National Art Centre and other places, even preparing meals for the Governor General and 24 Sussex. Appetizers currently on the menu include rabbit/wild mushroom terrine and organic bison carpaccio and for mains pan-seared Quebec lamb medallion with melted goat cheese and pavé of wild elk. I found chef Vinet to be a tad timid on the seasonings for my preference but great on the cooking technique, top notch ingredients and presentation. The wine list included some Quebec wines as well as good international choices.
The Laurentians is a perfect place for winter activities. On the resort site itself are over 25 kilometres of marked trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. A half hour drive north is the best alpine skiing in eastern Canada at Mont Tremblant. Opening end of December at Mont Tremblant Resort this winter is a unique lounge: The N’Ice Club. This Ice Hotel Québec-Canada realization, will give visitors an original way to enjoy après-ski “on the rocks”. Made entirely of snow and ice, the 4200 square foot arched structure will require 1600 tons of snow and 100 tons of ice. Also close to Stonehaven are other down-hill ski resorts, each with their own charms. Nearby Ste. Agathe is a pretty town with a selection of good restaurants. You may, however, find this refuge so sublime you don’t want to leave the fold.
If YOU GO Where: It’s two hours drive from Ottawa along easy highways and some rural roads or 45 minutes north of Montreal. At 40 chemin du Lac des Sables, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Laurentians, Quebec. Cost: Lodging with breakfast starts at $69 based on double occupancy. The five course table d’hôte dinner is $42.95 per person. Eternity Packages (accommodation, one breakfast, one five-course dinner, one spa treatment and access to the baths) start at $199 per person per night. A special New Year’s Eve package is available at $320 per person. Contacts: Phone toll free 1-866-333-7777 or 819-324-1200. Email: reservations@stonehavenrelaisspa.com Website: www.StonehavenRelaisSpa.com
It’s a four star certified member of the newly formed 17 property Spa Relais Santé of Quebec website: www.spasrelaissante.com Toll free phone: 1-800-788-7594
The Laurentians: www.Laurentides.com Tremblant Region: https://www.mont-tremblant.ca/en
by Margaret Swaine | Dec 1, 2005
Water? Czech
Immerse yourself at some of the oldest spas in the world
By Margaret Swaine
(Ottawa Citizen, December 2005)
It starts with the water. Health-enhancing, mineral-rich spring water anchors each day at Czech spa towns. Spa goers bath in it, drink it constantly and even watch it dance from the earth accompanied by music. Spas in the Czech Republic are serious about their water and its power to cure ailments. Yes, you can have a manicure and pedicure, but immerse yourself in the life-giving water first.
My grandmother, who lived to a very healthy 90, used to go annually to a European spa town for several weeks of rejuvenation. I’ve always wondered what transpired there to keep her in such good shape for so long. The experimental French film of the ’60s, Last Year at Marienbad, did nothing to enlighten me. The large echoing empty rooms that figured prominently in it gave off a foreboding sense of gloom. (I found out much later this tormentingly slow picture was actually shot at Nymphenburg palace in Munich.) Nonetheless when I walked into the large roman spa site within Nové Lázne hotel in Marienbad this year my echoing steps on the tiles recalled the film, but without the darkness.
The Czech Republic’s most famous spa towns are in western Bohemia bordering central Germany. The German influence is strong so that even today, well over a half a century since the German population was expelled, the towns are better known internationally by their old German names. Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), Marienbad (Mariánské Lázne) and Franzenbad (Frantiskovy Lázne) make up what’s called the West Bohemian spa triangle: these three are all within a few dozen kilometres of each other. Since the Middle Ages,
these towns have had a tradition of balneology (the scientific study of the therapeutic use of mineral baths) based on the numerous curative springs in the area. Scores of extinct volcanoes in this hilly, forested region are the source for the hot springs, considered essential to a spa town in the Czech Republic.
Also an integral part of spas here are medically based treatments. Stanislava Maulenová, a beautiful blond with chiselled cheek bones, heads up the medical team for the Premium hotel chain. One glance at her and you’re ready to sign up for anything in the hope you can look half as good. Indeed many of the locals have a special glow that seems to spring from living in fresh clean air, drinking life-giving waters. The gorgeous and good doctor explained that a spa visit in the Czech Republic always starts with a medical examination. Then treatments, about three to five a day, are prescribed. But first and foremost is the drinking cure. The waters in the towns have different mineral contents and different temperatures. Each fountain has a list of specific ailments it’s best for and doctors will prescribe a series of drinks taken at specific fountains throughout the day. Dr. Maulenová smiled when she told me that for overweight people, the fountains she prescribes tend to be many kilometres apart. The daily walk from fountain to fountain prior to dinner is one of the rituals of spa towns.
North Americans don’t tend to have the four weeks or more that a traditional cure can take. So the Czech spas have adapted their programs to offer “wellness” treatments. A one week stay is considered energizing and preventative, but not curative. In two weeks you can do slimming or detoxifying programs. Three weeks is better for treatments that are meant to help cure an underlying health problem, for example high blood sugar. The average person who takes these programs is a surprisingly young – 35 to 40 years old – though any age, from child to octogenarian, can be a Czech spa customer.
Generally, the prescribed treatments are a pleasure rather than a pain. As an example, Dr. Maulenová showed me the daily treatment schedule for a patient with digestive issues. He was to have various types of massages, carbon dioxide baths, saunas, magnet-therapy and paraffin packs.
Shy Canadian that I am, the only thing I found unsettling was the nonchalant view of nakedness. “Cloths off!” I was ordered prior to one massage as I stood in a room with several strangers – fortunately all female.
In the famous spa triangle, Franzenbad is the most modest of the three with marshes surrounding it rather than the hills of its better known rivals. Laid out in a strict grid plan, it has less pizzazz and fewer foreign tourists. Karlsbad and Marienbad offer the best and most versatile introduction to the spa experience.
Karlsbad
Karlsbad is the most famous and largest of the spa towns. In its heyday in the 1800s it attracted the greatest political and cultural luminaries of the day including Beethoven, Goëthe and French novelist Francois Chateaubriand. Among Karlsbad’s 12 mineral springs used for drinking, a geyser that shoots up 15 metres is the largest and warmest. It’s housed in its own room and is often filled with people watching in silent reverence.
Architecturally beautiful and busy with tourists, the town is dramatically located within a narrow valley. While Karlsbad was founded in 1350, most of the spa buildings, hotels and mansions date from its boom years in the late 19th and 20th century. Pretty houses, many in the Czech version of art nouveau, line the steep lanes. The spa area is centered on two car-free streets on either side of a river with many bridges linking the two sides.
The 12 principal springs are housed within five colonnades along the river.
The main streets are lined with shops selling porcelain, tableware, clothing, amber, jewelry and crafts as well as the ubiquitous oplatky wafers (see Spa Town Etiquette). Locally made Moser glassware is famous for its lead-free crystal, gold-rimmed glasses and colourful handcut vases. The factory is elsewhere in Karlsbad, but there’s a retail outlet on the main drag that sells its exquisite, handcrafted tableware.The moneyed Russians love this town for good reason.
Even if you don’t stay there, it’s well worth going for a drink at the 18th-century Grandhotel Pupp so you can gaze at its lavish interiors. It’s not a spa hotel since it doesn’t have treatment rooms on the premises, but guests can sign up at a nearby private clinic for treatments.
I stayed at the Ambiente, which is part of the Premium Hotels group. Like many of the four-star spa hotels I saw in Bohemia, it’s clean, with attractive common rooms and neatly constructed treatment rooms, but the bedrooms are small and somewhat spartan by North American standards. Space and luxury are not part of the cure, unless you book a suite.
Marienbad
Marienbad, developed early in the 19th century, is the second largest spa town in the Czech Republic. While Karlsbad attracts 25- to 45-year-olds and has a bustle about it, Marienbad is more sedate and stately, attracting an older crowd. Germans seem partial to Marienbad, while Russians flock to Karlsbad.
Built in an isolated spot in the Bohemian forest by the abbot of a monastery, Marienbad boasts a wealth of historic monuments. Along with majestic buildings, it has a delightful ensemble of parks and pavilions grouped around 40 therapeutic springs.
It became fashionable early in its existence, attracting prominent visitors such as Nikolai Gogol, who wrote part of his novel Dead Souls while staying there. Wagner composed his opera Lohengrin at Marienbad in 1848. Strauss and Chopin were equally inspired by the place. King Edward VII of England and Emperor Franz Josef were frequent visitors.
Ornate and showy hotels and apartment buildings line the main street. The dominant feature of the town’s mainly neoclassical buildings is a magnificent colonnade dating from 1889. At the southern end of the colonnade is the “Singing Fountain”, with jets and spray co-ordinated with classical music.
In addition to gathering around the fountain and indulging in spa treatments and water cures, visitors hike the many marked walking trails throughout the surrounding woods. There’s also a casino and a 100-year-old golf course that’s open to the public.
The medicinal springs in Marienbad are all cold, acidic springs, each with its own purported therapeutic effect. For example, the Cross Spring is supposed to be good for digestive and metabolic disorders. Its high sulphates content produces a laxative effect. The Ambrose Spring, on the other hand, is high in iron and used to treat anemia; it also has a diuretic effect that’s used to treat certain urinary tract troubles. You don’t have to read between the lines to know that you should treat the water with respect – and always know where the nearest toilet is (public ones are clean and readily available).
The luxurious Nové Lázne Hotel, part of the Marienbad Kur and Spa Hotels group, has a grand spa area with Roman baths, steam rooms, foot baths, jacuzzis and private rooms for various treatments. It’s solemnly, peacefully, quiet with an older clientele. You can even book time in the baths in the Royal Cabin and the Imperial Cabin, once used by King Edward VII. Other properties in the Marienbad Spa Hotels group look almost as spectacular from the outside, but inside their guest rooms lean toward the monk-like: clean and functional, but spare.
As a first-timer and not sure what to expect, I signed up for massages and water treatments on a day-patient basis, rather than a multiple-week cure. The massages were some of the best I’ve had and the water treatments truly revitalizing. The taste of the water in the mineral springs took a little getting used to, but I soon got into the spirit and even took some in my water bottle when I left.
I figure that my grandmother was on to something: if we all went to these spas for several weeks a year, I think we might all live to 90.
Margaret Swaine is a Toronto-based writer who specializes in food, wine and spas.
Treatments (just a sampling of what you may encounter):
* Dry CO2 gas bath: A “bath” in plastic sacks pumped with naturally occurring volcanic gas containing 99.7 per cent carbon dioxide (called Mary’s gas). Said to aid circulation and stimulate sex hormones among other things.
* Inhalations: Mineral waters, with or without medicines and herbals, inhaled to improve the respiratory system.
* Peat Packs: Hot peat is packed around the body to loosen muscles, improve circulation.
* Lymphatic Hydro-massage: Massage by water jets to increase tissue metabolism and blood circulation.
* Parafango: A mixture of mud from volcanic lakes and paraffin, used to treat cellulite.
* Hydroxeur: Intensive underwater massage done in a special bath tub.
* Sigorol massage roller: A massage instrument used to strengthen and stretch muscles and tissues.
Spa town etiquette
* Use a porcelain mug with a spout for drinking from the mineral fountains. This keeps the water from staining your teeth by depositing it back on the tongue. Also, it’s a cool thing to do since you’ll be joining the locals in a time honoured tradition. Such mugs are sold at numerous nearby stalls, for $2 to $10.
* Munch on paper-thin oplatky wafers which come in such flavours as lemon, hazelnut, vanilla and chocolate, after sipping the water. These mask the heavy sulphates, chlorine, iron and other palate-torturing elements in mineral-rich water. These wafers also taste great and stave off hunger. They’re sold everywhere in the spa towns – from street kiosks to general stores – for just $1 to $2 a packet.
* No smoking in the colonnades or anywhere near the springs.
Consumables
* Becherovka: Created by Jan Becher at the end of the 18th century, Karlsbad’s herbal digestive tonic is strong on clove and cinnamon. Sample a small glass for free from a stall in the city to find out whether you love it or hate it. If the former, you can indulge by buying a mickey or litre on the spot.
* Food: Meals at the spa hotels are often buffet style at breakfast and lunch with set menus in the evening, matched to specific diet plans. They can be quite tasty, though not the prime reason to go to a spa hotel. Go to local restaurants for a pig-out at a deal of a price: appetizers for about $3 and main courses for $5 to $7. Portions of pig knuckle the size of your head, mounds of pork ribs, roast ducks, cabbage and dumplings are generously served up in these Czech eateries. One of the oldest and most famous is in the Hotel Embassy in the town centre.
*Beer: The most traditional bohemian beverage is the world’s original pilsner: the deliciously refreshing Pilsner Urquell Golden Lager, brewed in the nearby town of Pilsen and served all over the country. At $6 for a tour and tasting the brewery is well worth a visit ( see www.beerworld.com )
*Spirits: The local plum brandy, called Slivovice, is clear coloured and tasty but packs a punch if you over indulged. Green Absinthe is much rougher both on the palate and on the head. Local wine shops may offer free samples to entice you to buy.
* Wine: The Czech Republic has a wine industry and since the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when the communists were overruled, quality has improved considerably. The best hail from southern Moravia from such international grapes as pinot blanc, pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot gris as well native ones such as Frankovka. You can order Czech wines at restaurants and the spa hotels, or buy bottles at local wine shops.
IF YOU GO
Getting there
CSA Czech Airlines https://www.csa.cz/en/ or 1-866-293-8702) offers seven direct flights a week to Prague from Toronto and Montreal and as many as 11 flights a week from New York City. Return cost starts at about $780 Cnd. The Bohemian spa towns are 120 to 160 kilometres from Prague. Prague to Karlsbad is about two hours by bus ($6), Prague to Marienbad three hours by train ($10). The train and bus stations are in downtown Prague. You’d best enjoy a night or two in wonderful, historic Prague since departures can be late evening (for schedules go to www.vlak.cz). Many of the spa hotels will arrange transport from the airport if requested at the time of booking. You could also rent a car: the drive is straightforward.
Where to stay:
Stay at spa hotels for ease of treatments if you want a spa cure. Here are some I recommend:
* Premium Hotels offers several attractive, well run spa hotels in Karlsbad including the four-star Ambiente where I stayed. Among their range of spa packages is a detoxification week (seven nights about $990), a slimming program ($1,400 to $1,600 for 14 nights) and various golf and wellness programs. Prices accommodation, breakfast and dinner daily, medical consultations, several spa procedures a day, use of spa facilities such as saunas and whirlpools.
* The three star Bohemia Lázne in Karlsbad and its sister hotels offer treatment programs starting at $120 a day for accommodation, all meals and treatments. See www.hotel.cz/bohemia-lazne
* Marienbad Kur & Spa Hotels offer the full gamut of spa treatment procedures at their various hotels in Marienbad, each specializing in different ailments. The fanciest and best is the five star Nove Lázne in the centre of the towns spa quarter. A classical spa stay starts at $1,200 a week and includes accommodation, all meals, three to four spa procedures a day and medical examinations. See www.danubiushotels.com (an English site)
* Other general hotel sites: www.travelguide.cz or guide.michelin
Packages:
A do it yourself week-long wellness package in a four-star hotel can cost as little as $850 per person for accommodations, all meals, treatments and medical examinations but not including airfare. Agencies include esprit health & wellness holidays (www.espritspas.com or 1-866-851-8882) and Spa and Wellness holidays (www.spa-and-wellness-holidays.com 1-866-631-7727) both of these agencies are based in Toronto but serve customers from all over Canada.
More: www.spas.cz
