As a child, I always wanted to spend a night in a tree house. At last — if a “few” years later — this dream came true! And the wait was worth it! It turns out I got to spend the night in a luxury tree house…
Near the house I grew up in, there was a small patch of forest where there was indeed a tree house. But my parents always found the right excuse to keep me out of it: too cold, too wet, too dark, too dangerous to be all alone in the forest. So, it was a dream deferred… until now.
To be sure, I honestly don’t know if I even could have mustered the courage — those around me know that I’m not one of your great adventurers. Unless Walter sticks me in a pup tent in Botswana. But thereby hangs a whole other tale.
So, anyway, it finally happened, and I did spend the night in a tree house that, admittedly, had none of the drawbacks my parents would recite to me. In fact, it was much more comfortable and luxurious than I could have dreamed back then or, for that matter, even imagined as an adult.
My Arbor – the tree house tree hotel
We were already excited just driving from Brixen in direction Plose, South Tyrol, a mountain massif that offers beautiful hiking areas with the terrific Dolomite mountain panorama as backdrop.
Look! There!
Suddenly coming into view as if out of nowhere, there it was, peeking out from among the tops of the surrounding spruce trees, larches and birch trees, poised majestically on the mountain slope — my tree house “My Arbor.”
Reality check: It is a hotel built on stilts. On 66 tree trunks, to be exact.
The garden all around still looks a tad like a construction site. No wonder, because the hotel just opened its doors in May 2018, just a few days before we arrived. But barely had we set foot in the lobby, all my construction worker worries evaporate.
It presents itself with incredible style, this light-flooded lobby: with lots of larch- and birchwood, an oaken floor, tons of natural quartz and porphyry, and glass of course — and wonderful orchids! Almost without exception, the building materials are sourced locally by the way.
I am beside myself and can hardly wait to explore this supersized tree house! But before I get to that, I want to check out the sun terrace and the panorama it presents.
A suite to relax in at altitude
In this tree house, you have your choice of lodgings: Nest rooms, Hangout suites, or Treetop suites. It took us next to no time to go for a Hangout suite. Because here, in 46 m² with a glassed-in seating corner with marvelous views of Brixen and the Eisack Valley the relaxing promised to be especially… well, relaxing.
The heady scent of larch and spruce wood that I had already remarked on in the lobby is beguiling. As a carpenter’s daughter I have always had a special feel for wood. And here I suddenly found I was running my hand over the wooden furniture and the loggia’s massive wooden beam — just like my father used to do to get a sense of the porous natural materials. Simply marvelous!
Instantly, I feel good, sure that waiting until now to overnight in a (luxury) treehouse had been worth it — and one furnished with box springs beds to boot!! ;-)
Spa Arboris – Tree Wellness with a view
In the 2.500 m² Spa Arboris, five different saunas, beautiful relaxation rooms and a gorgeous garden with whirlpool make for relaxation close to nature. While I’m splashing around in the infinity pool, I let my eyes sweep across the treetops to the Eisack valley and the mountain ranges that ring it.
I have to be honest with myself: the tree house that I coveted as a child would probably not have pleased me like this one.
Diverse spa treatments are to be had here, each named after a local tree variety – larch, Swiss pine, mountain pine, and spruce. But we opt instead to lace up our hiking boots to explore the surrounding area that includes the Seiser Alp or the Grödner valley. We will post a separate piece on our excursion to the divinely beautiful Dolomites in the very near future.
This tree house’s cuisine is also a dream
Naturally, all that hiking and “wellnessing” also means that hunger lets itself be heard from. In My Arbor there’s no need to bring in your own food like in a genuine tree house. All you do here is stroll to the restaurant, let’s say for breakfast, and choose from among the various egg dishes or other breakfast delicacies on the menu.
Evenings, too, we have the agony of choice: after the salad and antipasto buffet, the menu of the day offers a variety of entrees and main courses. And if there’s still room, there is always a local dessert to try. Also not bad!
Oh, yes — for you oenophiles…below stairs, there is a tidy wine bar and in the lobby it is naturally possible to let the evening meal end in mellow fashion with an after-dinner cordial :-)
My Arbor – not just my dream but also Markus’
With the opening of the My Arbor tree house, not only was my dream fulfilled. Entrepreneur and president of the tourism association Markus Huber with this project realized his own life’s dream: create an extraordinary hotel with nature all around it. He and wife Renate now direct this architecturally unique tree house designed by Paul Seeber of the Architektur Plus studio.
With this new Plose Wellness Hotel — the other name My Arbor goes by — Markus Huber wanted to “liven up” the area, as he puts it, and to work toward upgrading it as a tourist destination. That is because the Hotel perfectly links up with the Plose hiking and ski area and is situated near the town of Brixen.
Incidentally, the host can be seen frequently in the lobby chatting with his guests. Us, too, he took charge of right after we arrived. The pride shines from his face, as he regales us with a few episodes from the story of how the tree house came about.
When Markus Huber personally gives us and other hotel guests a guided tour through the Water and Light Festival in Brixen we realize that everyone in Brixen knows him. At every turn, we hear “Greetings, Markus”, “Ciao!”, “Godspeed, Markus.” It seems we’re doing this tour with a local hero ;-)
Address
My Arbor
Leonharder Strasse 26
39042 St. Andrä, Bozen
Italy
Phone: +39 0472 694012
Website: My-arbor.com
Hiking around the tree hotel
As already mentioned, My Arbor Hotel is situated on the slope of the Plose. You will find there many beautiful hiking areas with splendid views of the Dolomites. All the other things to experience on the Plose can be explored on its website: plose.org
Since the train to the Plose was not yet running in early May, we drove up to the Seiser Alm and into the Grödner valley (ca. 1 hour by car from the tree house), to savor the incredibly beautiful Dolomites and their bizarre rock formations from there.
Our thanks go to…
… hotel director and host Markus Huber for the fascinating conversations and the guided tour through the Water and Light Festival.
Hearty thanks also to Sara Dejakum, Sales & Marketing Manager in the My Arbor Hotel, for the hospitality shown us and for organizing our stay.
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