No other hotel group combines the theme of art with unique locations so perfectly.
No other hotel group combines the theme of art with unique locations as perfectly as VIK Retreats.
Ein Hauch von Südamerika weht durch die italienischen Modemetropole Mailand. Unser Chefredakteur stattete dem kürzlich eröffneten Hotel der aus Uruguay stammenden Luxushotelgruppe einen Besuch ab und fand neben alter Erinnerungen auch einen Ort der Ruhe – und das inmitten des hektischen Trubels der lombardischen Hauptstadt.
Once I had to walk through Italy's finest department store La Rinascente in Piazza Duomo on this long holiday weekend, it provides the perfect inspiration for the most amazing and personal gifts. Compare this hustle and bustle to a stroll down London's Oxford Street at absolute rush hour. Grabbing a quick Milanese aperitivo near Piazza Duomo at this hour? An impossibility, I thought to myself, and headed back to my home for the night. VIK Retreats is the name of the small selection of now five fine hotels, consisting of three properties on Uruguay's Atlantic coast, a hotel with winery in Chile, and the first European offshoot in Milan. It takes a bit of courage to set foot in Italy (the country with its own great design hotels and concepts) in a property owned by a South American hotel group. But I have to admit that it was not the first overnight stay for me in one of the VIK retreats: already in Chile I was lucky enough to spend three days as a guest of founder Alexander Vik to get to know the concept of this hotel group. The generous number of staff in relation to the number of guests is one of the trademarks of the group, as well as the unique and always coherent collection of art of all kinds. The comfortable beds and extremely fancy bathrooms are just two of the many highlights - the list could go on and on. However, the somewhat unusual location of the Galleria VIK should also be mentioned at this point: As the name suggests, this VIK hotel is located in the world-famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III with a direct view of Piazza del Duomo, luxury boutiques and the imposing architecture of the gallery.
Um zurück zum Anfang meiner Geschichte zu kommen: Nachdem ich den Aperitif bereits abgeschrieben hatte, fand ich zu meinem Erstaunen eine großzügige Bar im ersten Stock des Hotels, die gerade wenig besucht war. Unverhofft kam ich nun doch noch zu einem wohl verdienten Glas Wein – und selbstverständlich nicht irgendeinem. Ich tendiere eigentlich generell dazu, niemals den Hauswein zu bestellen, zu gut ist die Auswahl an renommierten Tropfen aus aller Welt. Anders ist das im Viña VIK: Die Gruppe produziert neben dem Einstiegswein Milla Cala mit La Piu Belle ein trinkbares Kunstobjekt und mit VIK ein absolutes Top-Produkt, dass selbst französische Legenden in den Schatten stellen kann. Aus einem Glas wurden zwei und der persönliche Concierge, den jeder Gast in der Galleria VIK zur Verfügung gestellt bekommt, hat zur Sicherheit meine Tischreservierung in der Langosteria um eine Stunde verschoben.
Time enough to relax, with plenty of space, from the first floor to watch the massive crowds that squeezed through one of the most beautiful sights in the world every minute. For the special wow-effect, as a guest of this hotel, one has special access to areas of the Galleria that are not accessible to the public. For example, in fair weather you can see all the way to the snow-capped mountains of the southern Alps from the top floor. Even if you even have the same room scent here in Milan and the service is almost a little better than in the resorts in South America, the cool infinity pool is sadly missing here, as are the views of the vastness of the Chilean and Uruguayan landscapes. But, what the heck: Portofino is only an hour's drive away and in general Italy is hard to beat for different landscapes. For me, one thing is certain: an absolutely great insider tip in the fashion metropolis! Ci vediamo!
Picture credits: Galleria VIK
