At Das Graseck near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the mountain air becomes part of the recipe almost effortlessly. A private cable car carries guests up to a place where restorative escapes and proactive health care come together in perfect harmony.
The gaze drifts across the peaks. A steady rise and fall traces the horizon – almost like the line of a heartbeat. While the mountains speak of permanence, their silhouette is a reminder of how fragile even the seemingly self-evident can be. Health is a quiet luxury. It demands no attention and rarely makes itself known. It is simply there – until it isn’t. We may all know that prevention is better than cure, yet in the rhythm of everyday life, it is easily forgotten. All the more valuable, then, are those places that create the space to make it a priority.
Check-in for the Check-up
Das Graseck – mountain hideaway & health care in the Wetterstein mountain range brings together wellness and preventive health care. At 900 metres above sea level, guests are prescribed more than just the restorative calm of the mountains: when needed, they can also access a range of preventive medical screenings. This makes it possible to identify risk factors and certain conditions at an early stage – and address them before they become a greater concern.
Owner Dr Sylvia Weingart, herself a cardiologist, conducts heart health check-ups and exercise stress tests at Das Graseck, among other examinations. Together with her husband, Dr Vincens Weingart, who heads the Department of Gastroenterology at Garmisch Hospital and also performs endoscopic examinations at Das Graseck, she has assembled a team of physicians. They come to the hotel’s dedicated medical facilities to carry out preventive screenings – arriving by cable car, just like the guests themselves.
From the cable car station, it’s just a few steps to what might be Bavaria’s most beautiful waiting room. Yet there is hardly any time to take in the view – simply because there is virtually no waiting at all. Examinations are carefully coordinated and, depending on their scope, can be completed in a single day or comfortably spread over several. The programme is tailored and agreed upon individually in advance – whether for private guests or as a team experience.
Above and Beyond the Everyday
Time and space to truly take in the view after their examinations are reserved primarily for overnight guests. Beyond its unique location high above the Partnach Gorge near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Das Graseck brings the tranquillity of the Bavarian mountains indoors, too. In the deep armchairs of the light-filled reading room, framed by generous glazing and panoramic views, guests can lose themselves in books on mindfulness, lavishly illustrated volumes on the Alps, or an issue of THE Stylemate. A few steps downstairs, the horizon seems to merge with the infinity pool. And in the spacious sauna and relaxation area, the last thoughts of everyday life gradually melt away.
Even when an endoscopic examination is scheduled, guests can still enjoy the multi-course fine-dining menus, with only minor adjustments where necessary. Fresh, regional ingredients are a given, but deprivation is not part of the philosophy here. Instead, the focus is on the art of balance – both in the composition of the dishes and in the size of each course.
And then the gaze drifts back across the peaks – a moment that touches not only the eye, but also the heart.
Das Graseck is a member of Lifestylehotels
photos: Gordon Kohlstock, Lucas Adrian, Oliver Nieder
