Sitting Pretty in Aquacity

A brand new purpose built hotel and conference centre in the High Tatras Mountains of Slovakia is delivering a whole new concept in ‘Green’, ecologically friendly, and above all, sustainable tourism. But don’t let its ‘Eco-Friendly’ label put you off, at AquaCity-Poprad you won’t have to spend your holiday shivering in a felt tepee in the middle of a muddy field to go green, instead you can just lay back and relax in three or four star luxury.

From the turn of the twentieth century through to the end of the nineteen thirties, the High Tatras region in eastern Slovakia was the secret playground for much of the British Royal Family, Europe’s aristocracy, and the fashionable ‘Well to Do’. Today the Tatras is opening itself up to anyone who wants to explore and experience the perfect antidote to urban stress. Now the Edwardian grand style and the1920’s Art Deco chique that this fascinating region offers are available to everyone, and they’re going green.

The secret of this great green success comes from the ingenious way one resort in particular, AquaCity-Poprad, has harnessed the power of the immense underground lake that lies buried deep beneath its feet. A bore hole drilled into this hot mineral-rich Slovakian spa, produces a staggering 60.19 litres of water per second (over 47,577 gallons per hour), all naturally heated to 49oC, forced to the surface under its own pressure.

All this water is used to fill a series of heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, baths, steam rooms and saunas, which have been wonderfully blended together to produce a combination of a Roman bath, and a Regency spa experience, which have been brought right up to the standards of the 21st Century. So if pampering, luxury, and detoxification are what you’re looking for, then AquaCity can certainly deliver.

In addition to using the waters for their soothing and therapeutic qualities, the resort also extracts the geothermal energy to provide heat, light and power for the three and four star hotels and a state of the art 300 delegate conference centre; total luxury, virtually zero carbon emissions. All this saving on increasingly expensive energy costs means that in a part of Europe already known for its cheep prices, compared with those here in The West, AquaCity can deliver its outstanding quality at remarkably good value for money.

AquaCity is more than just a water fun park, or a ‘Green Getaway’ however. Set against the stunning backdrop of High Tatras Mountains it is very much the gateway to exploring this wonderful mountain region.

At only a little over two hours flying time from Stansted airport, whatever the time of year AquaCity and its environs never leave you disappointed. From a complete range of summer leisure activities such as walking, climbing, mountain biking, canoeing, white water rafting, horse riding and pony trekking etc, as well as a full winter sports package, with a skiing season that can last from October through to April, there are also the baths, pools, saunas and treatment rooms of AquaCity to let you either just ‘Chill Out’, or relax and recover after a hard day enjoying yourself.  Now you can have the benefit of a relaxing holiday break, safe in the knowledge that financially, or ecologically, it won’t be costing you the earth.

www.aquacityresort.com

7 September 2006