THE ENCHANTED FOREST
Woodland retreats to soothe your soul
Nature liberates. It clears the mind; there are no boundaries. San Luis is like that. Set in 40 hectares of pine forest, with the blue mountaintops floating above, the lines between what’s inside and what’s out are often blurred. Hot tub? Sunk into a jetty floating on a shining lake – you’re flush with the wild water as you soak. Pool? Built half in, half out of the airy spa “barn”, so you can swim from the hearth-lit warmth inside to the pine-scented open air.
As for the bedrooms, San Luis was given planning permission on the promise that it would chime with its environment, so suites are plush chalets surrounding the lake, and the treehouses are built from “moon wood” – locally and sustainably harvested during the waning moon when sap is at its lowest. It’s then dried with branches and bark attached, so any moisture drains out, creating drier timber that’s said to be more resistant to damp and bugs. These aren’t any old treehouses, either: ours has a free-standing bath and floor-to-ceiling views.
San Luis is all about the vistas. As we
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climb the mountain roads through a patchwork of vineyards, apple orchards and forests, my boyfriend and I are genuinely unprepared for what we find at the top. We emerge from the Bond-style underground car park into a stunning lobby-cum-lounge with parquet flooring, open fire and a wall of windows looking on to the mountains. It’s unexpectedly quiet – communal areas are all music-free beyond some gentle jazz at dinner. The hush is deliberate, a waitress told us that evening, so the forest sounds become integral to the San Luis experience. We listen to rustling trees, chiming cowbells and crackling fires – and when the setting sun sends light flooding through those glass walls, the silence feels, quite literally, golden.
San Luis encourages immersion in the elements: fire (you’re never far from a hearth), air (those windows), and earth (the deep, peaceful forest). Treatments focus on anti-ageing facials and thorough body treatments, incorporating local herbs, honey, olive oil and salt. Observing the tightness in my upper back, my friendly masseuse, Gabriella, performs a thorough massage and recommends weekly treatments back home (a fantasy I can happily get on board with).
The next morning, masseur Stefano diagnoses the same problem. “Your back is too tight,” he says, before bringing herbal tea as I sit by the fire after another thorough un-knotting. I feel different in mind as well as body, and Stefano asks whether I am now “freer”. Yes, “free” is exactly how I feel. As a seasoned overthinker, I find it impossible to relax, but San Luis allows me to let everything (new job, new house, renovations, mortgage) go for a few days. My boyfriend appears visibly changed by his massage, too: a new man as he floats in the spa pool.
After dinner that night (a Tyrolean-med fusion of chestnut tagliatelle, dumplings and prosciutto), we sit on a pontoon at the edge of the lake, warmed by a fire pit, blankets and grappa, feeling at one with the world, each other and ourselves. Nature vs nurture? Here, the answer can only be both.’ CHARLOTTE PAGE