If you need to relax from corona stress, you should look for a place without cell phone reception and with a lot of space – like Oberstaufen in the Oberallgäu.
Those who are lucky enough not to be directly affected by the corona pandemic can usually be assigned to one of two groups: those who experience the lockdown and the still ongoing restrictions primarily as a deceleration and suddenly a lot of time for renovation work , Have sports or take long trips into nature. Or those who try to get a grip on their home office job and family, including homeschooling and childcare, on the other.
If the breaking news about the current pandemic situation rattles on the smartphone and the Corona warning app complains about a lack of a Bluetooth connection, the Corona stress is perfect. It's a good thing that there are still places in Germany where the smartphone is forced to take a break due to a lack of reception – such as in Oberstaufen in the Oberallgäu, a region that, according to the Federal Network Agency, is one big deadlock. And it's good that you can now visit these places again thanks to relaxed regulations, because the corona-stressed city dwellers will find exactly what they're looking for on a long weekend: rest.
Oberstaufen: Allgäu Alps for beginners
The place is on the edge of the Allgäu Alps, still far away from the peaks of the central main ridge, which are mostly over 2,600 meters high, but is already surrounded by family-friendly mountains and with a correspondingly impressive view. Numerous accommodation options lure with the wellness facilities, which have since reopened, to relax after a day in the mountains or on a bike.
If you want it above all natural, but rather simple, you will definitely find the right accommodation among the numerous farms and holiday farms in the region. Families in particular should feel at home here, as there are usually playgrounds on the premises and children can make friends with large and small animals.
Relax with contact with nature
You spend the night in Hauber's natural resort that is significantly more luxurious, but almost as natural. The 4-star S-Hotel offers all the amenities expected in the category, but hotel manager Klaus Hauber also attaches great importance to sustainable aspects: the "mountain breakfast" outdoors with a view of the hotel's forests, the hay bath with hay from his own mountain meadow or a 500-tree planting campaign, in which hotel guests can also grab a spade, are just a few items on the always well-filled weekly schedule.
The company's sustainability agenda also includes a wood chip system for heat supply and photovoltaics for environmentally friendly electricity. You can swim in the outdoor pool or in the natural lake, on the edge of which is the small but fine sauna area. The honey at the buffet comes from the hotel's own bee colonies, most of the products that leave the kitchen are regional and / or organic.
Golf, walk, hike
Numerous activities can be planned or started from the hotel or the town center located a little below. Hole 11 of a total of 18 of the picturesque golf course Oberstaufen-Steibis is located directly behind the hotel. Those who prefer to take a leisurely stroll without a golf bag can reach the Hompessenalpe in just under half an hour, where visitors can watch the organic cheese being made in the mornings from May to October – and of course be allowed to taste the result.
The Hündlekopf (1,112m) south of Oberstaufen and the Eastern and Western Imberg (1,325 and 1,304m) are somewhat more demanding, but are still suitable for a leisurely half-day hike, but all of them can also be reached comfortably by cable car and with cozy huts for refreshments Curls. The Hochgrat is clearly visible behind it – at 1,832 meters it is more for experienced and physically fit hikers. On both sides of the summit, as if strung on a string, numerous other summits between 1,500 and 1,700 meters invite you for day tours.
If you don't have enough time out from everyday life for funky holes, wellness and hiking, you can also go to Wangen Abbey just under half an hour west of Oberstaufen. The monks in the "Franciscan monastery" invite you to donate to live with them for a week. Pray, work and silence included. And even in the rhythm of the monastery life there is enough time to explore the varied and relaxing surroundings of the Upper Allgäu.