GREEN PEARLS® – curated for sustainable impact
There are places that seem straight out of a fairy tale—and hotels that capture that essence and bring it to life. One such place is Hotel Das Rübezahl in the Allgäu region; ideal for anyone longing for a romantic getaway. Located directly opposite Neuschwanstein Castle,…
Start your weekend on Wednesday? Not quite – but with a mix of workation and weekend getaway, you can get pretty close. The small hotel Das Rübezahl in Allgäu is ideal for this! It offers a variety of small, quiet corners (with stable and fast…
This is an update to our article about the HUBERTUS from August 22, 2017
In our series “Green Pearls® pioneers” we introduce you to special personalities who inspire us with their dedication to sustainability. Today’s blogpost is about the Traubel family, owner of the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu in Balderschwang, a small enclave in Bavaria, Germany.
Balderschwang is located 1,044 metres high in the Alpine mountains. In the past there were no connections to the valley, neither streets nor a pass. The village was accessible via Austria only. In 1950 Karl Traubel’s father laid the foundation for the following story of success. They wanted to try building a hotel up there for five years only, but soon it became clear that the story wouldn’t stop there.
When Karl Traubel was in his mid twenties his father died surprisingly. Karl ended his apprenticeship as a hotelier and took over the management of the hotel together with his brother. They invest more and more in sustainability, the guests like it and return every winter. But not only skiers chose the HUBERTUS: stressed townsfolk and managers visit the Hideaway far away from the main roads and the hectic and stress of every day life. Around the turn of the millennium, they decided to focus on wellness, guests love the new concept and the luxurious spa has been awarded several times. With the wellness area Christa Traubel realizes her self-developed HolisticDetox concept: body, soul and mind find their harmony with treatments of traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, slow detox and yoga.
Guests should not only be brought into harmony with themselves, but also with nature. In the middle of the mountains, nature shapes life, says Marc Traubel. “In both a positive and negative sense,” he adds.
Additionally, to all the beauty of the mountains, there are also dangers, which the Traubel family experienced firsthand: in 2019, an avalanche destroyed the wellness area. Fortunately, no one was injured. What might have caused others to give up stirred the ambition of the Traubel family. Just two years later, in 2021, a new wellness area opened: the Mountain Spring Spa.
On the plus side, the new spa is even more beautiful. Built entirely of natural materials such as wood and stone, it reflects the hotel’s unique architectural style. The 4,500-square-foot spa includes an infinity pool, a natural swimming lake, several themed saunas, treatment rooms, relaxation rooms, yoga and a large fitness area.
Wellness for men: The HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu has a special offer for men. There are special yoga retreats and wellness treatments for them.
Today the HUBERTUS is still managed by Karl Traubel and his wife Christa, as well as by their son Marc and his wife Sabrina. Traditions are still an integral part of the hotel, always in combination with modernity: „With our concept we address those guests who prefer reduction and simplicity as well as high quality,“ Marc Traubel summarizes. All the floors and stairs are made from oak wood. For the relaxation room as well as for the kitchen granite tiles were used. The own „Stadel“ is 100 percent recyclable. However, the interior design is minimalistic and modern and uses bright and warm colors.
Marc Traubel calls thriftiness the forerunner of sustainability. Where once the focus was on saving electricity or heating costs, today the talk is of “conserving resources,” says the junior manager in his down-to-earth manner. But the family has always been environmentally conscious.
According to Traubel, the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has triggered a rethinking process that the family very much welcomes and that has also made many guests more aware. They often ask about the solar system or where the food comes from.
For the Traubel family, sustainability is not only about the environment, but also about the social aspect and responsibility towards employees. The hotel is convinced that it is a company that trains and develops its employees and strives to retain them in the long term.
This also strengthens the relationship with the guests. Guest care should be as individualized as possible. Wellness treatments are not always the same, but tailored to specific needs. “I keep saying it: I’m happy when two guests book the same treatment and receive completely different treatments,” says Marc Traubel with a smile. Any special requests can be accommodated, even when it comes to food or the choice of room.
The motto of the HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu is “Lust for Life” and combines naturalness, appreciation and joie de vivre. Throughout the year, the family offers guided and individual tours through the house and the surrounding nature. You can start right in front of the house – in winter with snowshoes, which can be rented at the reception.
During the tour, you will also see the pigs, for example, who live a “happy life by the creek” before ending up in the hotel kitchen. Or dairy cows, whose cowbells are typical of the Allgäu region. You can also take home regional specialties from the hotel store. But the best thing you’ll take home with you are the special memories.
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Green can be so colorful – and is healthy! This series aims to inspire you to cook without using animal products. Today’s recipe shows eating vegan does not mean renounce, but rather leads to surprising taste experiences. Kristian Knölke, chef at the HUBERTUS Alpin Lodge…
The restaurant’s cuisine blends fresh ingredients with an approach that combines culinary pleasure and well-being. The avocado and papaya salad with passion fruit vinaigrette brings tropical flavours to the table and, according to the hotel, provides a variety of valuable nutrients.
Avocados, papayas, and passion fruits are grown locally in Tenerife, meaning they can be transported over short distances. As is well known, the problem with avocados is their high water consumption. Combined with long transport distances, this results in a poor environmental footprint for these superfruits.
Through Gebana, you can order avocados from Crete, where farmers have partnered with the University of Crete to implement drip irrigation systems and collect rainwater. Harvesting takes place in November. Another option is CrowdContainer in Switzerland, where you can order organic avocados from southern Spain in May.
Papayas are often transported by air to arrive at the optimal stage of ripeness (hence their poor environmental footprint). According to the IFEU Institute, passion fruits fare slightly better because they are sometimes transported by ship. Incidentally, fresh passion fruit usually has a better environmental footprint than passion fruit juice.
Here, too, we recommend Gebana and Crowdfarming. There, you can buy exotic fruits directly from the farms you support. Since you’re buying in bulk, you can share with friends and family—or make a party-sized batch of avocado-papaya salad. 🙂
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