A Treat in Luxembourg
In my wildest dreams I would never have planned a trip to a
spa, and certainly not for two weeks in the Moselle Valley wine
region in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. However, my daughter
was there teaching a software programme and her company had
indeed booked her into an elegant spa: Le Domaine Thermal de
Mondorf. I merely topped up her single room to a double, with
plans to travel the countryside alone by train or bus. But those
plans soon evaporated once I discovered that we had full spa
privileges and once we toured the facilities!
This
huge 50 hectare complex caters to wellness, fitness, total relaxation
and
appetite. Walking to the fitness area each morning, I
passed hundreds of people lounging in their thick terry robes,
either waiting for a treatment or relaxing following one. The
Wellness Pavilion, with its doctors, nurses and therapists,
provides 14 different treatments with endless variations for
each session. There are packages for whatever length of stay
you choose and these include a wonderful breakfast, the care,
access to pools, saunas, hammams, whirlpools and the Fitness
Pavilion. I even ventured into a 'Rasul' session, because I
had spent a good portion of my life as a potter and couldn't
help wondering what it would be like to be totally covered with
clay!
The
Fitness Pavilion contained all the equipment you may already
know, plus the latest state-of-the-art machines. The area was
always busy with adults of all ages and sizes. I also enjoyed
the daily classes, and took as many of these as possible while
still giving myself plenty of time for the thermal waters. There
was something for everyone: quigong, tai-bo, yoga, stretching,
body-pump, fit-ball and so on. Should none of this interest
you, you may enjoy the many classes held in the indoor/outdoor
thermal pool, fed by a mineral spring at 36ēC or the cooler
pool, both open to skies and surrounded by pleasant gardens
and outdoor saunas.
I
took a Nordic walking class the first morning and had a superb
introduction to the gardens, hills and walking paths. Best of
all, in this class, I made a great friend. I had asked her as
we reached the top of the hill and were enjoying the wonderful
vista, just what we were looking at. "Well," she replied, "you
are standing in Luxembourg, but if you step off the path on
that side you'll be standing in France, and if you look over
to those rolling fields you see Germany!" From that morning
we met regularly to attend classes, tour the city of Luxembourg,
take bus trips to nearby towns along the Moselle River and to
visit her home in the town of Remich.
The
spa has two hotels: the Parc and the Welcome Parc. We stayed
in the former. The breakfast buffet is extensive, the Bistro
perfect for light meals and the Restaurant de Jangeli is for
fine dining. The village of Mondorf-les-Bains is considered
Luxembourg's premier spa town. There are many small hotels and
good restaurants there as it is a popular sporting and gambling
centre. There is a large casino, that I walked to and through,
but I had more fun walking up and downs the hills around the
village. Remich is 11 km away and is the place to catch a Moselle
River cruise from May to October. The city of Luxembourg is
half an hour by bus. It's a lovely historic city, made memorable
by its pastries in the many restaurants. Even those sold in
the train station come from one of the top shops!
Needless
to say, staying in a spa of this caliber for two weeks was really
special, but even a two- or three-day package in the midst of
touring in Germany or France would be a treat, which is why
I have penned this letter. I flew mid-November to Paris and
on to Luxembourg. Car rentals are available at the airport and
it takes about half an hour to drive to Mondorf. For information
visit www.mondorf.lu
or request an English Version Domaine Thermal Catalogue by e-mailing:
domaine@mondorf.lu
Randi Nielsen
Dryden, ON
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