Bavaria

I am floating on a plastic duvet in a bath and I've been smothered in lavender-infused cream by a German. The experience is supposed to be relaxing but all my efforts are concentrated on suppressing a giggle. Better not: this is Bavaria, and they take their pampering very seriously indeed.

They're just as serious about their beer, their cheese and their yodelling. But the first thing that struck me about this part of Germany was the beautiful landscape. The grass really is greener here.

When I visited the Allgau region in July, it was like stepping into the Sound of Music and being stalked by a man wearing lederhosen who had decided to give Julie Andrews a break.

They really do still wear lederhosen – a testament to the locals' pride in where they live and not, I suspect, an ironic fashion statement.

For our first outing we went straight from the lovely Munich airport to the deepest gorge in central Europe – Breitachklamm. The rain didn't dampen our enthusiasm for an easy stroll and we even took a peek at Austria along the way, since we were right on the border.

Our next adventure was a little more taxing. We took the first cable car of the season (and yes, it did break down at one point, testing my blood pressure to the limit) up the Nebelhorn, near the town of Oberstdorf. Now, this would have been a sensible idea except the top of the mountain was covered in sheet ice and there was a gale whipping round our faces.

We had gone from being a fairly unprepared group on a relaxing hike turned into pioneers journeying into the deep unknown. Well, it was very foggy.

So what better way to warm our cockles afterwards than with pretzels and weisswurst (boiled veal sausages) dipped in mustard? OK, it wasn't my favourite meal in the world, but at least it gave me an excuse to focus on my plate and ignore the yodelling group of men in the room next door, put on for our enjoyment.

The following days saw our little group bond at a cheese-making school in Thalkirchdorf. After giving our upper arm muscles a bit of a workout during the whey stirring, we made the perhaps fatal error of checking out a local beer festival. It had a great family atmosphere and I swear I didn't see a single person drunk.

Being British this wasn't enough for a couple of us, and we spent the early hours in a bar run by a Michael Schumacher obsessive. This meant drinking "Schumy" cocktails all night, surrounded by photos of the "Fast One".

So what better cure for a hangover than a mountain breakfast among the restorative views of the Haubers Alpenresort in Oberstaufen? Spearheaded by barmy farmer/owner Klaus, this hotel uses home-grown hay and herbs to wash away the stresses and strains of its visitors.

You can swim in its beautiful outdoor pool complete with mountain vista, or you can brave spa treatments that include sleeping on a bed of hay.

We British are always a bit squeamish about getting naked in front of strangers, but all that was thrown out of the window when I agreed to be slathered in moisturiser and wrapped in plastic in a weird bath. This was one of the spa treatments on offer which was supposed to smooth my skin and generally turn me into Kate Moss.

It certainly made my skin baby soft but as someone who doesn't like getting her hair washed at the hairdressers, I'm afraid I found the whole thing a bit traumatic

Overall it amazed me that people bother to ski here – why would you want to break your legs when you can experience such a pristine part of the world in the sun?

Bavaria had so much to offer, from fitness, to beauty, to food and drink. Just polish up on your harmonies if you want to go out on the town – they like a bit of a sing-a-long.

Info

Jenny flew with Lufthansa from Birmingham to Munich. Flights cost from around £140 return.

She stayed at the Parkhotel Frank in Oberstdorf and the Haubers Alpenresort in Oberstaufen.

Double rooms at the Parkhotel Frank are about £100 a night per person.

Double rooms at the Haubers Alpenresort are around £120 a night per person.