Key Takeaways
- Absolute exclusivity: The Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa in Mauritius is the island's only hotel made up entirely of villas, with 65 units spread across 27 acres, each featuring a private pool and three dedicated butlers.
- History and architecture: The Hotel Klosterbräu & Spa in Seefeld, Tyrol, occupies a former Augustinian monastery founded in 1516, run by the same family for over two centuries, with a 3,500-square-meter wellness area.
- Strategic location: The Amauris Vienna, a member of the Relais & Châteaux network, stands on Vienna's Ring Boulevard just steps from the State Opera, with 62 rooms renovated in 2022 and a Michelin-level restaurant.
Three properties, three approaches to seclusion and attention to detail
In Flic-en-Flac, on the west coast of Mauritius, the Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa has built its identity around a clear concept: privacy as total architecture. Founded in 2004 and made independent in 2009, the five-star resort holds a distinction unique to the island — it is the only property made up exclusively of villas. The 65 units are spread across 27 acres of tropical gardens, each with its own private pool; several look directly out onto the ocean or toward the silhouette of Le Morne Brabant. The complex's aesthetic blends Mauritian colonial heritage with contemporary touches: Madagascar rosewood floors, vaulted ceilings in dark mahogany. What further sets Maradiva apart is its management, entirely Mauritian and entrusted to the Ramadanee family — the only case of its kind among the island's five-star properties.
The resort's operational heart is its spa, conceived as a genuine Ayurvedic center: an in-house physician oversees personalized treatments, from warm oil rituals to massages using selected herbs. Each villa is served by three butlers, and the culinary offering spans five restaurants, including Japanese and Indian fusion cuisine. Activities range from snorkeling to diving, along with excursions for dolphin watching. In 2023, a seven-month closure allowed for expansion with new villas and an additional restaurant, reinforcing the resort's position as a benchmark for those seeking a discreet, all-encompassing experience.
Urban luxury in dialogue with Vienna's history
On Vienna's Ring Boulevard, just steps from the State Opera and the Musikverein, The Amauris Vienna offers a radically different take on the same concept. A member of the Relais & Châteaux consortium, the hotel was renovated in 2022 and now counts 62 rooms and suites that combine classic Viennese grandeur with contemporary amenities: beds with custom pillows, heated marble bathroom floors. The in-house spa features a pool with a retractable glass roof, sauna, and steam room, designed as a refuge from the city's pace without fully detaching from it.
Art plays a central role in the hotel's offering, which includes an in-house gallery, while the Glasswing restaurant serves Michelin-level tasting menus. Guest reviews consistently highlight a few recurring elements: impeccable cleanliness, an excellent breakfast, personalized service. Despite its size and central location, the property maintains an intimate atmosphere, almost like family-run management — a trait guests frequently cite as a distinctive feature of the experience.
Five hundred years of history turned into an alpine resort
In Seefeld, Tyrol, the Hotel Klosterbräu & Spa takes the concept of luxury into entirely different territory: that of historical continuity. The property began as an Augustinian monastery, with its foundation stone laid in 1516 at the behest of Emperor Maximilian I. For over 200 years, management has remained in the hands of the Seyrling family, who have turned the building into one of the best-known family-run hotels in the Alps, preserving original frescoes, cloister corridors, and walls dating back five centuries.
The hotel's 90 rooms and suites include the "Nature Rooms & Suites," introduced in 2023, built using materials sourced 95% locally and designed to shield against electromagnetic radiation. The wellness area, among the largest in the Alps at over 3,500 square meters, includes five pools and seven themed saunas, along with treatments using Augustinus Bader cosmetics developed for the "Spiritual Spa YOUNIQUE®" concept. Among its more unusual features is a beer fountain, designed as a post-sauna pause. The culinary offering spans nine distinct experiences, alternating historic settings with contemporary design spaces.
Three different answers to the same question
Maradiva builds its luxury on seclusion and nature, offering a private refuge surrounded by the ocean. The Amauris interprets it as cultural and urban immersion, placing Vienna's history and art at the center of the experience. Klosterbräu, meanwhile, ties it to historical continuity and sustainability, within walls that hold five hundred years of monastic life transformed into hospitality. Three properties, three distinct approaches, united only by the level of care given to every detail of the experience on offer.
