Luxury among the trees. Unwind in the new wellness centre in the middle of Český les

Only one thing is better than spending a scorching summer in seclusion by the woods: spending it in seclusion inside the woods. A new wellness resort deep in the groves of the Chodsko borderlands gives you exactly that experience, without asking you to give up the comfort of a hotel room. 

Dense woodland whose leaves shimmer in the sunlight like golden ducats, and running through it a path the crowds have yet to discover. And at the end of that path, a four-star retreat straight out of a dream.

In the small village of Železná near the German border, just an hour's drive west of Plzeň, a brand-new wellness resort rose among the treetops this spring. Resort Český les, set in a protected landscape area, is the dream of father and son Jindřich and Ondřej Karhan.

They bought the long-disused buildings, which had previously served as a First Republic school and as military barracks, only in 2020, rebuilt them within two years (the former barracks is already a working hotel, and once the renovation is complete the school building will serve as an annexe with several more apartments) and opened them with great enthusiasm this spring.

Even before the first guests set out for these peaceful groves, the two had also built the Srdíčko red and fallow deer park nearby and set up an endowment fund through which they want to nurture the character of the region.

The pair, who want to breathe life into a long-neglected area, have plenty of experience in hospitality – they are also behind the Wine & Bike apartments in Znojmo and the Plzeň branch of the Ibis hotel chain – and it shows.

The light-filled resort is fine-tuned down to the last detail – from the beautiful wellness area to the design rooms that take you straight back among the trees. And no wonder.

The airy interiors, signed by the design studio Konceptual, draw their inspiration from the breathtaking nature outside; solid wood is complemented by glass and minimalist lines.

The untouched forest and everything it brings with it takes centre stage inside the four walls of the bedroom as much as in the green panoramas outside the windows. Work will not catch up with you here and the everyday worries of the city are miles away. On a bike, though, you can get anywhere.

Let this modern retreat in nature untouched by tourists be your comfortable base for adventurous trips around the region.

There is plenty to choose from: explore the picturesque corners of the Český les Protected Landscape Area on foot or by bike, pay a visit to the German neighbours, or simply head into the deep forests laced with cycle paths and hiking trails that lead you through a landscape of dozens of vanished villages and a turbulent history.

Even without a single hike in mind, you will still have a wonderful holiday here - in the beautiful wellness area with its saunas and massage rooms, or in the Hvozd restaurant. It is led by head chef Martin Šiling, who used to cook at the Prague fine-dining restaurants V Zátiší and Kampa Park.

Even an everyday koprovka, the classic Czech dill sauce, is therefore a delight for all the senses here, a culinary experience you will want to come back to. At the end of the day you can quench your thirst with fine champagne in the cosy Bar Kotelna inside the resort or out on the terrace.

On warm summer evenings you can lie down on it and simply listen to the frogs croaking in the little pond nearby. Elsewhere frogs may croak unpleasantly, but here, in the dense forests of the Chodsko borderlands, all they do is go ooh… ooh.