Watch the northern lights and spend the night with wolves: No Christmas present yet? These seven experiences guarantee the perfect surprise
Still no brilliant idea for an extraordinary Christmas present? Sharing time and experiences with one another often brings more lasting joy than material things. Here are seven inspirations for unique gifts – from near to far.
The nice thing about giving is that it also gives the giver a feeling of happiness. We looked around the world for adventurous experiences and here we present seven gift ideas with the greatest happiness factor – from Germany to Austria to Finland, into the desert and to the Maldives. For every budget.
1. Ski-in & swim-out: From the slopes to the endless pool – in the Mooshaus in Kühtai
Finally winter, finally skiing again! And in the snow-sure ski resort Kühtai in Tyrol at an altitude of 2000 meters in a very special way: The 4-star hotel “Mooshaus” is located directly on the slopes in the ski area and has the highest infinity pool in the Alps. “Endless Sky Pool” is the name of the 100 meter long dream pool with a 360-degree mountain view, in which the blue of the water surface merges with that of the sky.
The modern Anglophile term ski-in & ski-out becomes ski-in & swim-out here – from December to April. The “Mooshaus” also meets the highest standards in other respects: the Gerber family has a feel for architecture, design and aesthetics, a heart for children and their own ski hut at 2,334 meters above sea level.
Prices: Double rooms from 141 euros with breakfast
2. Sleep with the wolves: Overnight in the designer tree house in Dörverden
Spend the night in the treetops, float above the forest floor and be woken up by the twittering of birds: This childhood dream comes true in the tree house hotel “Tree Inn” in Dörverden, Lower Saxony. And there is another aspect of adventure at the design hotel: The tree house residents come very close to animals such as alpacas, birds of prey, goats, prairie dogs and wolves (!).
The special thing about the three futuristic looking tree houses is that they are in the middle of the enclosure of the Wolf Center Dörverden – each five meters high. All tree houses impress with upscale furnishings such as a whirlpool, roof terrace with lounge furniture and allergy-friendly bedding made from alpaca wool. Hand-reared European gray wolves, Hudson Bay and Canadian wolves live right in front of the tree houses.
Prices: Tree house from 360 euros for two people including park entry, breakfast and photo flap key (for barrier-free photography of the animals)
3. Far away from the hustle and bustle: water villas in the floating village in the Franconian Seeenland
It doesn’t always have to be exotic islands in the Indian Ocean. The German equivalent awaits in Pleinfeld am Brombachsee: 19 water villas in the Floating Village Hotel. Bavaria’s only floating holiday homes are moored on a jetty and certified with four stars. All water villas are located 250 meters from the lakeshore and are approached by boat or golf cart.
They are 67 square meters, have a living area with an open plan kitchen, Balcony around the villa and a sundeck on the roof with fantastic views of the Ramsberg Marina, the largest inland sailing port in Germany, and the lake surrounded by forests. Not to forget: the unobstructed and direct access to the lake. As an “Eco Lodge”, the Floating Village attaches great importance to environmental protection – with green electricity, a waste separation system, plant pencils and sustainably grown wines. A maritime holiday dream in the middle of Franconia!
Prices: Water villa from 279 euros including holiday apartment equipment and golf cart shuttle
4. Great moments in the desert: The Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort in Abu Dhabi
Nowhere is the starry sky as overwhelming as in the desert. The desert hotel “Qasr al Sarab” is a good two hours’ drive from Abu Dhabi. In the middle of up to 100 meter high dunes in the Rub al Khali desert, which is considered the largest desert in the world. The 5-star resort, which belongs to the luxury hotel chain Ananatara, has 140 rooms, 14 suites and 51 villas – built in the style of an Arab oasis city.
Many small individual buildings are lined up with oriental arches, turrets and domes around an inner courtyard. All rooms have an oversized round bathtub and an unobstructed view of the vastness of the desert. The secluded location and tranquility in the midst of sand dunes give the palatial hotel something of “A Thousand and One Nights”. Every night there are as many falling stars to count around the Milky Way as otherwise only in fairy tales. Stargazing at its best!
Prices: Double room with breakfast from 480 euros
5. Dancing Northern Lights: Luxury igloo at the Arctic Resort in Finland
Natural spectacles in pink, violet, red, green and blue: Northern lights that dance like colorful, shimmering veils across the night sky can be observed particularly well in the hotel “Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort” in Saariselkä in Finland. The resort is located high in the north of Lapland in a light forest area and offers two types of accommodation: igloos made of glass and rustic chalets made of pine wood.
The igloos are made of thermal glass and are comfortably furnished: with cuddly beds, a glass roof over the bedroom and bathroom with its own sauna. The chalets also have their own sauna and an open fireplace. In addition to the northern lights, which are also called aurora borealis or northern lights, the hotel has another highlight: the world’s largest steam sauna. The cooling afterwards is also extraordinary – in an ice hole.
Prices: Igloo from 480 euros including breakfast
6. Hygge feeling and Viking boats: In the museum hotel “Krønasår” in the Europapark Rust
A perfect gift for the whole family: A day in the Europark in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, is far too little for all the action offers, which is why an overnight stay on site is recommended. There are six hotels in Germany’s largest amusement park, the newest is “Krønasår – The Museum Hotel”. The 4-star hotel is designed in the style of a natural history museum, which invites you to walk in the footsteps of prominent explorers and adventurers.
Even entering the foyer is like an adventure: the skeleton of a giant sea snake winds up from the ground. Historic Viking boats and elk antlers hanging from the ceiling are just as much a part of the museum’s equipment as the unusual furnishings of the around 300 rooms. All are designed in a Nordic hygge feel-good atmosphere, but according to different themes and with historical artefacts. The gigantic water world “Rulantica” is very close to the hotel, as are the more than 100 attractions of the amusement park.
Prices: Double rooms from 230 per night including breakfast
7. Night snorkeling with whale sharks: Unforgettable encounters in the Maldives
Small atolls, tiny islands with white powdered sugar beaches, coconut palms, turquoise sea, water villas and pure luxury – welcome to the Maldives. In the 5-star hotel “Como Maalifushi”, which is located in the west of the islands in the Thaa Atoll, there is a nighttime adventure in addition to these attributes: a snorkel in the dark – with whale sharks. The animals, which are up to ten meters long and weigh almost 20 tons, are the largest of all sharks.
The zen ambience in the 66 water and beach villas, the holistic wellness concept Shambhala and the health-oriented gourmet cuisine of the “Como” ensure great amazement, and whale shark snorkeling is all the more crowning it all. The best part: You don’t have to be a diver. On the contrary. If you don’t want to go into the water with a snorkel, you can also watch the gentle giants with their characteristic white dots on their dark skin and their flat snouts from the boat. One thing is guaranteed in any case, the gift is expensive, but the adrenaline and unforgettable factor is extremely high!
Prices: Water villa from 875 euros per night, whale shark night snorkeling from 220 euros per person
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