With bloated tummies from scoffing the delicious dinner, Tim and I make for the Nordic Walking class the following morning - it is cancelled because of the rain. Imagine if companies in Britain followed similar suit! Instead, the instructor runs a step aerobics class in the glass-panelled fitness studio. Afterwards Tim and I cool down in the natural, outdoor pool, where you swim with koi fish. Apparently this means that the water is very clean. I say 'we' - the water is so freezing I plunge in and straight back out - Tim bears it longer. With facilities including a heated outdoor pool with massage jets and an indoor pool in a glass cuboid, with seats around its edges, we quickly feel at leisure. Sadly the cloud scarce lifts and we instead imagine the mountainous view.
I am treated to a La Cauma Signature treatment, involving a body wrap with peat (that relaxes the muscles), a soak in a honey and oil bath (while sipping a homemade cherry smoothie) and a hot stone body massage to improve circulation. For one who finds it hard to relax, my mind gradually escapes to faraway lands. With dinner in a cosy Italian restaurant on the menu for the evening, Tim and I torture ourselves with a Pilates class beforehand. I feel like I might fall over by the end - so eat plenty of homemade potato gnocchi and rosemary focaccia to compensate. Sunnier climes on Sunday mean we make our way to the nearby Lake Cauma after making friends with the resort's friendly pair of donkeys. (Apparently donkeys must be kept in even numbers, otherwise they become sad).
The lake's waters look as if blue food dye has been swirled around in them. Contrasted with the deep green forests around the lake's banks, it makes for a photogenic landscape. There is a lift down the steep slope to the lake, and a pleasant self-service restaurant for light snacks on the lake's shore. Wellness itself is being in the mountains: a stay in a luxurious resort takes it one beautiful step further.
