It would be easy to escape to a place like this with the intention of doing absolutely nothing for days — and some do — but Grossarl more often attracts an active crowd. It’s a ski town in winter and a paradise of paths and trails for hikers and bikers in warmer weather. Visiting in late summer, we grab e-bikes one morning from a hut in front of the resort and tackle an allegedly moderate, scenic trail. It turns out to be a steep ascent and requires a full hour of uphill pedaling and a serious dose of willpower, but we make it to the top of
a hill that now seems very real. By the time we return to Edelweiss, we’re both in need of massages.

I opt for a lomi lomi nui treatment of gentle pressure and stretching facilitated by what seems like an ocean of scented oil. I’ve experienced lomi lomi before in places like Tahiti and Hawai‘i, but never has it been as luxurious or indulgent as this. Afterward, I’m not ready to return to any sense of reality yet, so I slink off to a cavernous relaxation room furnished with plush loungers and daybeds piled high with pillows. Encouraged by the low, ambient lighting that enhances the silence of this hidden oasis, I quickly doze off.

At meals I see plenty of families and wonder how I’ve managed to spend so much time in total peace, even when I’m not luxuriating in adults-only areas, and I discover Edelweiss features several child and teen zones, too. Curious, I make my way through a system of corridors and elevators I haven’t encountered before and find an epic indoor pool reflected back down on me from a dark glass ceiling. Fascinated and a bit disoriented, I feel strangely like I’m suspended in space. Adults sway in nest-like chairs hanging from above, but only a few kids are in the pool, so I continue on. Just beyond, I finally find them and instantly understand why they’ve been so otherwise absent. This is Edelweiss’s multistory, indoor waterslide park, and it’s a beauty. Despite the premise and its extreme popularity, it seems orderly and pleasant in here — far from the scenes I’ve witnessed at other resort waterparks. There’s cheering, but no shrieking. There’s excited commotion, but no chaos. I’m happy to find there’s no age limit on the slides, either.

© Das Edelweiss

In yet another collection of rooms previously unknown to me, I find a teen zone packed with gaming equipment ranging from virtual reality to an interactive iWall; a pre-teen zone including a bouldering wall, a combination trampoline and digital sports screen, and a suspension bridge; a children’s zone featuring highlights like Playstations and a dedicated kids’ cinema; and a baby and toddler zone dressed in gentle spa hues rather than the vibrant circus tones I typically find elsewhere. With these four dedicated age zones, each so thoughtfully appointed with engaging entertainment and sophisticated design, it’s clear the resort invests as much in its under-18 guests as its adults. The experience at Edelweiss proves premium at any age.