With its historic cities and unforgettable countryside, Austria is not just about skiing, it is also the ideal destination for a spring or summer break, whether you’re looking for culture, top-class cuisine or a relaxing spa experience in the mountains.
AUSTRIA’S FINEST Experience Hotels are a selection of small but exclusive hotels offering affordable luxury. They range from the formidable Hotel Sacher (above) in Vienna, with its world-famous cake the Sacher Torte, to insiders’ and celebrities’ favourite country retreat the Biohotel Stanglwirt, and the Hotel Kaiserhof (below), a charming family retreat.
A new member hotel is Das Central in beautiful Sölden, an area with such an impressive backdrop of snowy mountains that action scenes for upcoming Bond film Spectre were shot here earlier this year. Das Central is ideal for a relaxation and wellness break, with its unique Venezia Water World offering saunas and steam baths. A precious family-run gem not to be missed is the Gartenhotel Theresia, with its magnificent Mountain Green Spa and organic cuisine. For a break at a lake, relax at the Romantik Hotel Im Weissen Rössl at beautiful Lake Wolfgang with its own heated pool and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Or head to the Salzburgerhof (below), in Zell am See, on the shore of Lake Zell. Here you can enjoy award-winning five-course meals and marvel at the amazing natural landscape of glaciers, mountains and lakes. For those with children, the Karawankenhof Thermal Spa Hotel in Carinthia is a great place to stay. The young ones can enjoy the best in water fun while parents make the most of the spa facilities.
Whichever hotel you choose, you will be able to enjoy the finest and freshest organic food, with much of the produce locally sourced, and you’ll find a multitude of outdoor activities to enjoy, whether you opt for a city break or prefer to be more in touch with nature. If you simply want to chill out, you will find that most of these hotels have high quality spas and provide an ideal way to treat both your mind and body to the most luxurious of pampering and relaxation.
For more information on AUSTRIA’S FINEST Experience Hotels or to download a brochure please visit: austria.info/uk/experience
Win a fantastic three-night break for two people at the amazing Salzburgerhof in Zell am See (above), with the choice of a spa treatment each or a gourmet dinner for two. Prize includes return flights from London, transfers and half-board. Terms and conditions apply. Look for the competition box on austria.info/experience from 15 July-15 August.
This article was published 10 July 2015