Whether you’re coming from Munich (90 minutes’ by car), Innsbruck (45 minutes’), or anywhere else on the planet, arriving at Schloss Elmau inspires awe – this castle-like edifice gazing out over a 900-acre valley crisscrossed with pine forests and backdropped by the mighty Wetterstein Alps. And the hotel’s ethos – of being a space where guests can find freedom from the “self” – inspires humility. Nevertheless, when, following a humbling cross-country skiing lesson, we pause to catch our breath at the same bench where Barack Obama and Angela Merkel once stopped to chat, it’s impossible to resist taking a selfie.
The impulse to say “I was here” might be as old as the hills but takes on new resonance when staying at this German powerhouse on high. Conceived in 1914 by theologian and philosopher Dr Johannes Müller as a refuge for writers, artists and thinkers, it evolved after the Second World War into a forum for rekindling cross-cultural exchange, and has continued to host music festivals and philosophical debates ever since. Devastated by fire in 2005, the historic, 100-room Hideaway building was painstakingly rebuilt over two years by its founder’s grandson, current owner Dietmar Muller-Elmau, with the 47-suite Retreat opening in 2015. That same year, Schloss Elmau was the stage for the 41st G7 summit – a sunny affair, by today’s metrics, with Obama pledging to phase out fossil fuels – and, selfies or no selfies, remains a place where the distractions of daily life fall away.
The impulse to say “I was here” might be as old as the hills but takes on new resonance when staying at this German powerhouse on high. Conceived in 1914 by theologian and philosopher Dr Johannes Müller as a refuge for writers, artists and thinkers, it evolved after the Second World War into a forum for rekindling cross-cultural exchange, and has continued to host music festivals and philosophical debates ever since. Devastated by fire in 2005, the historic, 100-room Hideaway building was painstakingly rebuilt over two years by its founder’s grandson, current owner Dietmar Muller-Elmau, with the 47-suite Retreat opening in 2015. That same year, Schloss Elmau was the stage for the 41st G7 summit – a sunny affair, by today’s metrics, with Obama pledging to phase out fossil fuels – and, selfies or no selfies, remains a place where the distractions of daily life fall away.
The Hideaway, the hotel's 100-room historic building that was restored following a fire in 2005
As for any fears we may have harboured about this being some Valley of the Dolls-esque sanatorium – all eau de nil walls, nil by mouth; a trace of formaldehyde in the air – they dissolve the second we step inside. Radiating warmth, interiors are a blaze of coppers and cinnamons, with burnished woods, deep sofas and roaring log fires galore, all overseen by a 310-strong team at the top of their game. The design leitmotif – an Indian elephant – adorns soft furnishings and fabrics throughout, adding an ashram-meets-Alps feel to the elegant communal spaces. There’s an on-site library and a bookshop – both of which Zadie Smith surely browsed, when the British author visited in 2019 to talk about, among other things, her writing process and desire for artistic reinvention. Sprawling lounges splinter off high-ceilinged corridors decorated with judiciously placed objets d’art; bowls of rosy apples; tea-and-cake stations. Beyond sachertorte on tap, the hotel has eight world-class restaurants, with options spanning fondue in a rustic mountain hut to Asian fine-dining with a contemporary edge. Art is everywhere, drawing the eye even when the eye is at all times drawn by the mountains, thanks to the vast, floor-to-ceiling windows that bring Schloss Elmau’s wild outdoors in.
Life here is full and finely tuned. Hiking, skiing, yoga and a busy calendar of talks and performances all flow naturally into your day – as does time in the spa complex (Reformer Pilates, anyone?), which has all the haute symmetry and design kudos of a Wes Anderson tableau. Among headline acts are the family-friendly Badehaus, with its soaring glass walls and panoramic rooftop pool, and the adults-only retreat, equipped with steaming outdoor onsen, hammams, softly lit chill-out zones and multiple saunas – including one in a meadow, a gushing stream on hand for joy-giving icy plunges. Treatments draw on both European and eastern traditions, and the mountain air itself is all part of the therapy.
As for any fears we may have harboured about this being some Valley of the Dolls-esque sanatorium – all eau de nil walls, nil by mouth; a trace of formaldehyde in the air – they dissolve the second we step inside. Radiating warmth, interiors are a blaze of coppers and cinnamons, with burnished woods, deep sofas and roaring log fires galore, all overseen by a 310-strong team at the top of their game. The design leitmotif – an Indian elephant – adorns soft furnishings and fabrics throughout, adding an ashram-meets-Alps feel to the elegant communal spaces. There’s an on-site library and a bookshop – both of which Zadie Smith surely browsed, when the British author visited in 2019 to talk about, among other things, her writing process and desire for artistic reinvention. Sprawling lounges splinter off high-ceilinged corridors decorated with judiciously placed objets d’art; bowls of rosy apples; tea-and-cake stations. Beyond sachertorte on tap, the hotel has eight world-class restaurants, with options spanning fondue in a rustic mountain hut to Asian fine-dining with a contemporary edge. Art is everywhere, drawing the eye even when the eye is at all times drawn by the mountains, thanks to the vast, floor-to-ceiling windows that bring Schloss Elmau’s wild outdoors in.
Life here is full and finely tuned. Hiking, skiing, yoga and a busy calendar of talks and performances all flow naturally into your day – as does time in the spa complex (Reformer Pilates, anyone?), which has all the haute symmetry and design kudos of a Wes Anderson tableau. Among headline acts are the family-friendly Badehaus, with its soaring glass walls and panoramic rooftop pool, and the adults-only retreat, equipped with steaming outdoor onsen, hammams, softly lit chill-out zones and multiple saunas – including one in a meadow, a gushing stream on hand for joy-giving icy plunges. Treatments draw on both European and eastern traditions, and the mountain air itself is all part of the therapy.
Mountain views in the hotel’s Shantigiri Spa
On our last evening, in the hotel’s magnificent 300-seat concert hall, internationally celebrated concert pianist Alice Sara Ott takes to the stage. As she runs through John Field's complete nocturnes and three Beethoven piano sonatas, the notes seem to reverberate off the valley walls themselves, and the shivers that ripple through have nothing to do with being cold.
In his book Schloss Elmau: A German History, Dietmar Muller-Elmau suggests that true freedom comes not from fixing the self, but from accepting its shifting, undefinable nature – a philosophy mirrored in the way the hotel encourages guests to move between stillness and stimulation; solitude and society. You’re not being “looked after” here, so much as absorbed into something larger – the mountains, the music, the magnitude. Like its elephant mascot, Schloss Elmau would appear unstoppable.
On our last evening, in the hotel’s magnificent 300-seat concert hall, internationally celebrated concert pianist Alice Sara Ott takes to the stage. As she runs through John Field's complete nocturnes and three Beethoven piano sonatas, the notes seem to reverberate off the valley walls themselves, and the shivers that ripple through have nothing to do with being cold.
In his book Schloss Elmau: A German History, Dietmar Muller-Elmau suggests that true freedom comes not from fixing the self, but from accepting its shifting, undefinable nature – a philosophy mirrored in the way the hotel encourages guests to move between stillness and stimulation; solitude and society. You’re not being “looked after” here, so much as absorbed into something larger – the mountains, the music, the magnitude. Like its elephant mascot, Schloss Elmau would appear unstoppable.
One of the hotel's valley suites
The bathroom cossets with a walk-in shower, natural stone tub and Speick bath products, and a separate WC contains an-bells-and-whistles Japanese loo. Robes, across both hotel and spa, come in a spectrum of colours: it’s hard to pick a favourite between our grape purple and mango orange iterations.
That evening, as we lie on our chaise longue and watch a heron glide by, the snow-blanketed peaks morphing from pink to inky blue, we remember someone telling us that Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi recorded his multi-volume project Seven Days Walking here, inspired by treks in the snowy mountains. It makes perfect sense.
Rooms
There are 100 rooms and suites in the historic Hideaway; 47 in the contemporary Retreat. Our valley-facing Retreat Junior Suite offers 66sq m of living space and a huge private terrace. The decor is a harmonious arrangement of elephant-patterned textiles in fiery tones, oak parquet floors and east-meets-west furnishings from Asia and Europe: a covetable writing desk, mountain-gazing chaise longue and reading chairs. The super-king bed – and hot-water bottle slipped between the sheets at turn-down – is a delight, and, on waking, there’s a Nespresso machine, free bottled water and yoga mats, which we put to good use.The bathroom cossets with a walk-in shower, natural stone tub and Speick bath products, and a separate WC contains an-bells-and-whistles Japanese loo. Robes, across both hotel and spa, come in a spectrum of colours: it’s hard to pick a favourite between our grape purple and mango orange iterations.
That evening, as we lie on our chaise longue and watch a heron glide by, the snow-blanketed peaks morphing from pink to inky blue, we remember someone telling us that Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi recorded his multi-volume project Seven Days Walking here, inspired by treks in the snowy mountains. It makes perfect sense.
What’s for breakfast?
A breakfast of champions awaits at restaurant La Salle: think Bavarian alpine cheeses and charcuterie, local mountain honey served straight from the comb, smoked trout from nearby streams, and glossy, just-baked Brezen (German pretzels). Hot specialities are cooked to order, and the coffee is spot-on. For a more soothing start to the day, try the golden milk, a traditional blend of turmeric, cardamom, ginger and milk (or non-dairy alternative), which claims both to energise and to boost liver and kidney function.
Schloss Elmau's lobby
Lunch and dinner
Meals at Schloss Elmau are both ritual and pleasure – all dietary needs catered for. Highlights include the two-Michelin-starred IKIGAI (formerly Luce D’Oro), which, shimmering behind a rainbow of feather-light, floor-to-ceiling curtains, sends out French-Japanese plates; La Salle, for family-friendly, open-kitchen international fare; and Fidelio, for authentic northern Thai flavours. Then, there’s the wood-panelled Elmauer Alm – accessible via hike or ski – where cheese fondue comes with views that stretch to the Karwendel mountain range on the Austrian border, and where the Kaiserschmarrn will round things off nicely – a sweet pancake, torn into small pieces, covered with cinnamon sugar and served with a berry compote.Is there a bar?
Bars and terraces are scattered liberally across the property. Cigar aficionados might make a beeline for the Hideaway Smokers Lounge, while our vibe was more the sophisticated Al Camino piano bar. Jazz riffs drift beside cocktails and the flickering flames of log fires, making it the perfect hole-up whether for an alpine vesper or a peppermint tea.
The Al Camino bar, left, and the Hideaway’s Silentium library space
Amenities
It says something about a spa when it sources its essential oils exclusively from the local area as this one does, from rose to Norway spruce. The concert hall is also a beauty. Guests have the use of a dedicated sports centre, containing all the equipment and expertise you’ll need for hiking, climbing, mountain-biking, watersports, golf, tennis and cross-country skiing. Superlative wining and dining spans everything from laid-back grazing to two-starred cuisine, and a clutch of boutiques means you can take a memento home – or redecorate entirely, Schloss Elmau-style, with signature robes, cushions, chaises longue and other items of furniture available to buy. And it would be sacrilege not to while away at least a few hours in the library and bookshop.What are the hotel’s eco-credentials like?
Schloss Elmau has been fully powered by green electricity since 2022, sourcing 90 per cent of its heat from wood chips from local Bavarian forests. The green commitment extends across the board, with inductive cooling replacing conventional air-conditioning, 100 per cent of paper and glass being recycled, and organic waste converted to biogas. Toiletries are planet-friendly, food is seasonal and locally sourced, and there’s a fleet of electric BMWs available for guests’ use – with abundant charging stations powered by renewables.
The Elmau valley
Finished writing your book/libretto/opus and want to mail a copy to your agent/producer/lawyer? No problem: the hotel has its own postbox.
What about accessibility?
Accessible rooms are available and communal areas shouldn’t pose an issue, but, with the Retreat and Hideaway being separate buildings, linked by outdoor walkways, those with reduced mobility ought to discuss their needs with the team in advance of visiting.What’s the crowd like?
The cosmopolitan and the curious – Nobel prize-winners and laureates number among regulars.Within a short walk I can find…
Forest bathing, hiking, biking and, in winter, the hotel’s own brand of “mindful skiing”, which makes for meditative explorations of some of the best cross-country trails in the Elmau valley.Things I should know
If you want to roam beyond where your legs will carry you, the hotel’s complimentary electric BMWs can be booked with a couple of days’ advance notice.Finished writing your book/libretto/opus and want to mail a copy to your agent/producer/lawyer? No problem: the hotel has its own postbox.
The Lowdown
Doubles cost from £240 a night; schloss-elmau.de