There are those hotels that woo you with sleek techy offerings and almost puritanical aesthetics and those that win on gilded luxury, while others are all charm composed of fetching little details that add up to an unforgettable experience. I love all of those styles but when a hotel weaves together the pleasures of technology, architecturally-inspiring aesthetics, and historic charm, well, it’s love at first sight, and in this case, it’s 5 Terres Hôtel & Spa in Alsace, France.
I had the good fortune to stay several nights during wine visit to the region last spring; the property sits in the heart of Barr, along the infinitely charming Alsace Wine Route. The proprietor Jean-Daniel Seltz (along with his wife Virginie), who has made a career out of artfully restoring historic landmarks, applied the same meticulous and painstaking attention to this property’s rebirth as well.
The hotel’s 27 rooms are a composition of pure, clean lines and botanical hues, modern in every sense save for the ancient timbered beams (vestiges from the building’s 17th century Renaissance past). They come suffused with abundant natural light and Instagram-worthy views of the village and nearby rolling vineyards.
The hotel’s public spaces are artfully designed with Hermes-quality leather furnishings, original artwork and stylish lighting—all framed by original stone walls. The spa, which was literally sculpted from the remains of the original Renaissance-era cellar, is an intimate cave-like space with walls of gold-leaf and stone (quarried from the nearby Vosges mountains). It also boasts a hammam and sauna, but the pièce de résistance is the historic barrel-vaulted ceiling that looms over the indoor pool.
A stone’s throw from the hotel’s front door you will find the undulating hillsides of vineyards that have defined this region for centuries. Wineries such as Hugel and Trimbach are here, as well as hundreds of other smaller operations. Sparkling wine is offered on every street corner –it's as common as gelato in Italy. And, for the outdoor enthusiast, the vineyards are connected by lovely roads and trails—one could wander for hours amongst the vines, stop for some wine and keep on going. Alternatively, you can soak up a spa day and spend the afternoon tasting at the 5 Terres wine bar. The Seltz's are deeply passionate about the local wines (even the property name is a nod to the five soils of Alsace) and the wine bar reflects their devotion. You’ll find selections from the finest producers in Alsace, and they also have the region’s largest selection of biodynamic, organic and natural wines.
Your guide to luxury travel—and life's other indulgences.
The dining at the on-site restaurant, Table du 5, features locally-inspired modern cuisine ideally suited to pair with the local wines. Alsace is a region of many diversions and the vibe is still very untouched and locally-inspired. Tourists are present but not overwhelming here, and bigger town such as Colmar and Strasbourg are a quick train or car ride away (20 minutes to an hour). The 5 Terres hotel is not the most decadent or luxurious hotel I experienced in 2017, but often that fails to impress. What won me over was the passionate attention to every detail and the hotel’s authentic (but sophisticated) expression of place.
