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A Guide to Inntravel's Austrian Hotels

Rebecca Bruce and Jonathan Clark from our Alps team spent a week in Austria visiting the five hotels which feature in our winter programme. All are high-quality, 4-star hotels with a long history and high standards of comfort and service, so choosing between them is not easy. Here, Rebecca reflects on which hotels she liked most in terms of location, welcome, food, bedroom, facilities and proximity to winter activities.

I do believe it is true that first impressions count, and from that point of view, the welcome that you receive at a hotel is always going to be very important. The main doors of the Hotel Matschner in Ramsau lead you round into the reception, where you are greeted by a member of the Knaus family or one of their friendly team. Admittedly, as Inntravel staff, we probably did receive slightly preferential treatment, being met by both Adela, the head receptionist, and Herr Knaus, but the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff is something that is frequently mentioned on the post-holiday questionnaires we receive, so I don’t think that our experience was greatly different to that of any other guest.

The Inntalerhof in Mösern is another hotel that earns praise for its high standards of service. It also stands out in terms of its location because, rather than being situated in a valley like the other hotels, it is located on the edge of a plateau above the idyllic Inn Valley. The hotel’s restaurant, lounge and superior bedrooms all enjoy superb views to the valley below, a panorama that is all the more special in winter when the valley is covered in a blanket of snow.

Although I did love the vista from the valley view bedrooms at the Inntalerhof, my favourite bedrooms were those of the Hotel Wiesenhof in Pertisau. The large rooms, which we include in our arrangements, are, as you would expect, a very good size. They were already spacious when I first visited the hotel, but the recent renovations have added a further five square metres to the floor space. The typically Austrian décor incorporates plenty of dark wood and rich colours that complement it perfectly. To top it all off, they also have a balcony which looks out to the village, the mountains or the lake.

The hotel that impressed me most with its food was the Hotel Kirchenwirt in Leogang. Our meal started with baby baked potatoes, cooked to perfection and topped with salmon, cream cheese and chives. The main course dishes that followed were every bit as delicious. I opted for the tender chicken breast wrapped in some of the most flavoursome parma ham I've ever tasted. Another choice was fresh home-made pasta stuffed with pumpkin. All this was accompanied by a fantastic Austrian wine and would have been finished off with a wickedly indulgent dessert had I not already felt too full! The presentation could not be faulted, and nor could the service, which, refreshingly for a restaurant with such a good reputation, was friendly and down to earth. The surroundings – every bit as atmospheric as you would expect the restaurant of a 680-year-old hotel to be – were very pleasant too. There is an almost tangible sense of history which is enhanced by the low, vaulted ceilings and suits of armour, making it feel very different to the other hotels.

Of course, a winter holiday is as much – if not more – about enjoying the snow, and the Kirchenwirt is also the hotel that I would say is best as regards the access to both the cross-country and downhill skiing. In total, 150 kilometres of cross-country trails criss-cross the broad valley floor, and you have the advantage of being able to ski in either direction from Leogang, and of using the ski bus to access the domains further along the valley once you have explored the trails nearest to the village. Downhill skiers, meanwhile, have quick and easy access by bus and cable car to the famous Saalbach-Hinterglemm domain, from where you can ski back to the village. As for winter walking, the Hotel Xander is the best choice. Miles of paths lead from the door, and the tranquillity and beauty of the Leutasch Valley, which is scattered with tiny hamlets and onion-domed churches, make it perfect for exploration on foot.

The last element to consider is the hotel facilities – what you can do on your return from the trails. All the hotels have some sort of leisure facilities, be it a swimming pool, a sauna, a jacuzzi and/or a small spa, but the Hotel Wiesenhof in Pertisau really excels on this count. Its vast spa is, quite simply, amazing, and you couldn’t fail to emerge feeling wonderfully relaxed. Anything that doesn’t require the services of a member of staff is free, so you can mill around at leisure, spending some time by the large, panoramic windows of the relaxation room before perhaps moving on to the meditation room where warm marble seats surround an ornamental pool. There is also a large indoor swimming pool, a sauna, and even a Finnish sauna, located outdoors so that you can roll around in the snow afterwards if you so wish! In case all this were not enough to help you unwind, you can pay to be pampered in any number of ways, from facials and aromatherapy massages to weird and wonderful body treatments. Many of the creams and ‘potions’ that are used in the treatments are also available for sale, with samples provided in your bedroom so that you can try before you buy.

As you can tell, each hotel has its own special charm, and it very much depends on what is important to you while on holiday as to which one I would recommend. For my own holiday, however, I would probably choose the Wiesenhof. The welcome was warm and friendly, the location on the edge of a pleasant village is good, the spa is fantastic, the bedrooms spacious, and the cross-country skiing and winter walking excellent. I can’t wait to go back!

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