Following in the footsteps of Boris Johnson and Joe Biden might not be at the top of your list when seeking a peaceful summer getaway. Yet pride of place is given to a picture of the pair on the walls of Schloss Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps, where they gathered with other world leaders for a G7 summit two years ago. Perhaps the resort, which bills itself as somewhere families can escape but also take a break from each other, is the perfect setting for some conflict resolution.
Set in the Valley Elmau, surrounded by cloud-covered peaks and pristine lakes, the hotel is a favourite retreat for the star players of Bayern Munich. I even bumped into the team’s soon-to-be ex manager Thomas Tuchel in the lift on our first day, though he seemed more interested in his phone than my thoughts on Harry Kane’s best position.
At least with the hotel’s football camps run by top Bundesliga coaches I could pack my kids off safe in the knowledge they’d learn more from them than from me.
Regularly named as one of the world’s best hotels, Schloss Elmau certainly offers enough in the way of distractions to keep everyone happy. There are endless activities on offer every day from tennis, hiking and horse-riding to archery, yoga and dance classes.
Wellness is a key theme at the hotel’s seven spas, complete with indoor and outdoor pools, though a dip in the crystal-clear stream which runs through the grounds is hard to beat.
In winter, the hotel becomes a popular destination for skiers with easy access to the Zugspitze Glacier and the Austrian resort of Seefeld. But it has much to offer as a summer destination when the whole family can make the most everything else the Alps have to offer.
The resort is a perfect base for hikers and cyclists to explore the mountains, but, if you want to spare yourself the legwork, they also have a fleet of e-bikes. You can take one up to the stunningly beautiful Eibsee lake for the chance to swim or kayak between its eight islands. And if you feel the need to venture out to any of the nearby villages, or make the 90-minute drive to Munich, the hotel will lend you one of their electric BMWs.
Schloss Elmau, set in a conservation area surrounded by hummock meadows, takes sustainability seriously and uses local wood waste to generate 80 per cent of its heating. It sources food from local organic farms, mineral water from its own mountain spring and aims to be completely sustainable by the end of this year.
The hotel’s 162 rooms and suites are split across two buildings, The Hideaway and The Retreat, with both offering dramatic views of the Wetterstein Mountain which provided the backdrop to the G7 team picture.
With 10 restaurants there is no shortage of options from the fine dining of French-Japanese Michelin-starred Luce D’Oro to the family-friendly buffet of La Salle.
It is its cultural programme, however, which is perhaps closest to the heart of its software entrepreneur owner, Dietmar Muller-Elmau, who now runs the hotel his grandfather opened in 1916. The German resort attracts some of the biggest names in classical music to the foothills of the Zugspitze mountain and their purpose-built 300-seat concert hall.
Over the years, the hotel has played host to performances by everyone from Benjamin Britten and Yehudi Menuhin to, more recently, Yuja Wang and jazz pianist Michael Wollny. Stars are offered a free stay rather than payment, which, in this case at least, seems like a fair deal. I’m sure they’d agree that whatever, or whoever, you are trying to get away from, Schloss Elmau is the ideal place to plot your escape.
Need to know:
Book it: Schloss Elmau offers double rooms from €280 per person per night on a B&B basis. For for booking visit here
Flights: easyJet flies from Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and Bristol from the UK to Innsbruck with fares from just £26.99
