24 Hours at the Wiesergut, Hinterglemm

Normally I am the one who always (and I mean always!) plans trips weeks ahead and makes sure everything is in correct order a few days before arrival. This time it was a complete opposite action: While driving from Munich back to Innsbruck my colleague Lukas and me came to the idea to test another luxe hotel in very last minute so to say. After calling one of our cooperation partners - the Public Relations Agency called "Stromberger PR", with which we are planning some test stays, they did everything to arrange a spontaneous test stay within 2 hours. After amazingly fast 60 minutes we got a positive feedback and immediately started driving to Hinterglemm, a place where I haven't been before - and I have been to nearly everywhere in Austria. So after 1 hour and 20 minutes from the motorway exit Kufstein, we arrived in the dreamy yet lifeless looking valley of Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Never would either me or my colleague have thought that there is a five-star luxury resort with the look of a Aman Resort. 

After entering the door of the Wiesergut, we were welcomed from a nice and very kind lady offering us the typical Wiesergut welcome bread with a glass of a "Wiesergut Spritzer" - a sparkling wine with fresh grape juice. We had a sit in the lounge area and the receptionist was doing all the paperworks for us. A few minutes later we were already accompanied to our room and received a small and welcoming tour through the property. Honestly, we felt welcome from the first minute we arrived until we left the wonderful Wiesergut. In fact the check-in was like coming to a friend's countryside residence. The most amazing part of check-in was that the very kind lady already answered my questions before I even asked them - really! First I wanted to request a late check out and secondly I wanted to know the opening hours of the spa. During our tour she told me that due to our late check-in, we were able to keep the room as long as we wanted to on the next day - isn't that the best kind of luxury? 

Upon opening the floor-to-ceiling door of our Gutshof Suite we immediately recognized the fresh smell of the room - which is due to the fact that the resort is operating since two years only. Our suite was very spacious with an open living- and bedroom as well as a walk-in wardrobe and an open bathroom with walk-in shower, double sinks and window overlooking the balcony and the green mountains. The bathroom products were by Susanne Kaufmann - an Austrian version of Aveda - a mix of local herbs put together to high quality products. As a welcome of the house we received a nice handwritten letter together with a bottle of water and fresh fruits. A very comfortable sofa and a modern and good looking Samsung TV are some of the ultra luxe amenities our suite had to offer, but by far the best of our room was the ultra heavenly bed with the linen sheets and the fluffy blanket. During the night we slept with open window and could hear simply nothing - make sure to do the same, as the air is amazingly fresh and clean (you are in one of the most remote valleys in the real heart of the Alps!).

Soon after we settled in the suite and took lots of pictures for the blog, we started exploring the spa. The spa is connected with the main building via an underground tunnel which is lovely when it is cold outside and you can comfortably walk there in your bathrobes - like we did. When we arrived at the spa we had to experience: There are no opening hours (!!), meaning the pool is accessible for hotel guests 24 hours - as long as you can live with the fact that the lights are not turned on! WOW, there is nothing I love more than unlimited opening hours for hotel pools! Last time we had a great time at the Stock Resort where we took a midnight swim. So there we were standing, flashed by the amazing and wonderfully designed spa of the Wiesergut, offering a long stainless steel infinity pool (where we always have been the only guests - cool!) on the ground floor, as well as a sleek relaxation area, panorama sauna, steam bath, another relaxation room and power showers with Aesop amenities (unique in Austria - love them by the way!) on the first floor. The second floor of the spa is occupied by a private spa suite, which we couldn't see during our stay, but this should be a reason to come again ;-).

Having arrived at 6pm, the time to spend at the spa was pretty short, but we managed to swim at least 30 minutes. Totally hungry we changed clothes in our suite and went down to the restaurant. In fact an airy restaurant area with lots of seating space and spaces between the tables. The owner Mr. Kröll describes this space offer as a kind of luxury and we fully agree! Space was not the only thing that caught our both breaths: the food was AMAZING. I never, in any kind expected to get such an amazing food there. The level of the served dishes was very high, reminding me to my experience at the Döllerer's Genießerrestaurant which occupies the fourth place in whole Austria. Well, the ingredients were not as extraordinary as at this mentioned michelin restaurant, but the veal fillet was really as good and soft as at the Döllerer. While I thought, that the starters and main course remain the highlight, I was completely wrong: The dessert was the best I had for months! A light chocolate soufflé and a chocolate mousse from the finest. (I am not that kind of chocolate mousse lover but this one was out-of-this-world!).

Followed by this amazing dinner we had some Gin Tonics - nearly all they have - which have been created by one of the restaurant staff members (who were very nice and welcoming as well). There we also had the chance to chat with the owner and visionary Mr. Kröll. In fact it was a lovely evening in one of Austria's best hotels.

Sleeping in hotel beds is always an adventure, but sleeping in beds like at the Wiesergut is something different... these sheets... I will love them forever! What else could make us happy? Well, a breakfast would be perfect! Buffet? No, a la carte of course. Questioning ourselves why this hotel is not named Aman, the first course is already served. In Austria we say: "Pictures tell more than thousand words!" - the quality was again excellent, the service perfect and the egg in a glass with salmon caviar and sour cream was definitely the best egg meal I have ever tried. Other lovely dishes to choose from were served on a trolley - in style of "the best of a la carte".

At check-out we were given a glass of housemate cherry jam and although I do not like cherry jam, this jam tastes wonderful and I still can't await until we return to live the amazing "Wiesergut-Experience" again. I will miss this place.

Normally, it is pretty tough to convince us from a hotel in this location. Generally we always find something to make better, but this time I have to say that I couldn't find a thing. It was a perfect getaway in a perfect hideaway. My expectations have been exceeded and therefore we can highly recommend this place. Absolutely fair 10 points out of ten and another top Austrian luxury hotel can call itself: "Travel Executive's Hideaway Number 1" - well done ;-).

During our Press Trip, which was organized by the lovely and outrageous team of Stromberger PR Munich, we were guests of Mr. Kröll - the owner of the Wiesergut. All expenses were covered by the hotel. We would be very pleased to come again to the Wiesergut!

24 Hours at the Stanglwirt, Kitzbühel

What the Hotel Byblos is for Saint Tropez, the Stanglwirt is for Kitzbühel. Situated on the bottom of the Wilder Kaiser mountain range, the Stanglwirt boasts an excellent view of one of the most amazing mountains in Austria. After a personal greeting with an excellent glass of rose sparkling wine, we immediately felt home. Inside the vast bar area, there are huge windows overlooking the horse riding hall - a truly unique facility of this hotel. After we finished our welcome drink, the nice front desk lady Helga accompanied us to our suites. As a surprise of the house we got one large Junior Suite and an even more amazing Sonnen Suite. 

Both, the Junior as well as the Sonnen Suite had a separate living and sleeping room with a wonderful marble bathroom, walk-in wardrobe, fire place and balcony overlooking the "Kaiser Gebirge". While the Junior Suite was equipped with a jacuzzi with glass windows into the bedroom, the view was going to the mountains and towards the spa. As one of the largest suites in the whole resort, the Sonnen Suite was truly breath-taking, offering 180 degrees views of Going, the Kitzbühler Horn, the Kaisergebirge and the resort. Furthermore the living room was very large, like the bathroom was. 

Firstly I would like to point out the Nespresso coffee machine with four capsules free of charge, which is truly amazing - although it is only available in the Imperial Suites. In addition to my perfect morning coffee, we received a very warm turndown gift - a platter of homemade pralines.  The toiletries were by Pure Herbs, a pretty common line in the Tyrollean hospitality. I could imagine that Bulgari or Blaise Mautin amenities would be way better in these luxurious bathrooms. The beds were extremely comfortable and unusually huge for Austrian standards (in size of length and broad). 

Unfortunately we had to experience that the dinner is not that amazing as the rest of the Stanglwirt. While the quality of the food at lunch was relatively good, the offered Gourmet Menu was kind of disappointing for the price and category of the resort. The scallops did just taste like coating and the real taste of the scallops didn't get through. From our point of view the lobster was not delicate. The side dishes were quite good and the service average. You, as a guest, could feel the cold atmosphere the staff members have to each other. The first two courses were not served, instead they were available to pick up at the buffet - which didn't really disturb us. 

After a heavenly night, we went for breakfast. My first believe was that I should have better ordered in-room breakfast in our amazing suite with this amazing view. For a few seconds, nobody was there to lead us to an available table - our table of last night was occupied due to a birthday celebration. So the restaurant manager himself - showed us to an available table between the service office, hallway and buffet. Not really bright and relaxing. Surprisingly the buffet area was full of other guests, and I felt like in a all-inclusive club in Turkey or Egypt (although I have never stayed at such, just imaging how it would be!). Nevertheless the buffet was huge and the quality of the products was excellent. They offered an open kitchen where someone can order eggs, pancakes and crepes. Our coffee was good as well and although the restaurant was way too overcrowded there was always a staff member around to clean our table, bring fresh coffee and pick up dirty plates.

Again (like at the Stock Resort), the highlight of our stay was the amazingly vast Wellness and Spa area, spreading over 12.000 square meters. Offering everything a discerning luxury traveller like us could wish: refreshing 25 meter sport pool, a vast 200sqm sole pool at 38 degrees celsius, a really cold mountain lake next to the sauna, as well as a indoor mountain pool with a connection to an outdoor swimming area. I can proudly say that this is the most spectacular wellness area in the Tyrol and definitely one of the coolest in Austria! Made out of real stone of the Kaisergebirge, the spa completely represents the local area.

My favorite place was the hot outdoor sole pool with waterproof pillows on top of the underwater loungers - I could have stayed forever. We didn't have time to book a treatment, but we made it to each and every sauna and steam bath - and there are plenty of them! From 30 degrees to 110 degrees celsius, the Spa of the Stanglwirt meets really every guest's taste.

We were guests of the Hauser Family and the Hotel Stanglwirt. All above written expresses our point of view and has not been influenced. 

48 Hours at the Sporthotel Stock

Nestled above the lively town of Mayerhofen, the Stock resort is perfectly situated on half way between the Hintertux glacier and the main valley. Upon driving up the windy road from Mayrhofen, we approached the town of Finkenberg where we soon ended up driving through the main entrance of the Stock resort. We were welcomed with a nice smile, refreshing hot towels and a glass of Daniel Stocks (the owner and managing director) "Mount Stock Sparkling" wine. After leaving the car keys at the font desk, they arranged everything that all our bags and stuff were brought to our suite.

Melanie, the nice front desk lady accompanied us to our Suite Tirol, a lovely suite with typical tyrolean furniture, fire place, vast balcony, walk-in wardrobe, separate toilet and bidet, as well as a spacious and bright bathroom. The comfort of the room was really good, although it is not my kind of style - I prefer the new Alpine Lodge Suites or the "Residenz Suites". While many wellness resorts in Austria offer a free minibar, the Stock resort wants to offer a more extensive selection including sparkling wine, soft drinks, water, snacks and red and white wines. Therefore there is a charge for each item in the minibar, but they have a bar of free unlimited soft drinks in the restaurant area!

The restaurant area is styled in different ways and you are seated according to availability. We were seated in a part where there were no kids - really much appreciated. Throughout our stay every staff member was extremely friendly and efficient, they were always happy to asisst and went beyond our expectations. In terms of culinary, the Stock resort offers a six course menu according to their website. We had to experience that the first two courses consist of the spread and butter as well as salad from the buffet - something we were not used to at previous stays (eg Alpen Palace, Castel Fragsburg). Maybe this is not the case during Gala Dinner where all courses are served. The quality of the food was very good, one evening we got a fillet of Black Agnus beef and the second day we had a fillet of trout and pork fillet.

As the highlight of the Stock resort, the amazingly vast Wellness and Spa area is one of the hugest we have experienced so far. Spreading over 5.000 square metres, this spa offers everything you could dream of. Our favourite places are the new 35 metre panorama outdoor pool (heated to 28 degree celsius), the hot outdoor jacuzzi next to the sauna area, the heated indoor sole pool in a rural looking cave, as well as the refreshing mountain lake situated in a cavy room, at a temperature of approximately 20 degrees celsius. In addition to the pools there are plenty of saunas, steam baths, relaxation rooms with water beds and an area with a small snack buffet and coffee.

During our stay, the resort offered a lot of activities with the retired ski star Hans Enn. Beside sport activities, there were also a lot of family, spa as well as culinary activities. We took part at the wine safari through Austrian wines in the wonderfully styled wine cellar. 

All in all the Stock resort is a truly amazing place for families, couples and friends seeking for a cool wellness and sport week. The service is great, the rooms very spacious and the spa truly world class. We can highly recommend this place. 

We were guests of the Stock Resort Finkenberg. This review has not been influenced and expresses our personal opinion.

24 Hours at the Grand Hotel Stockholm

After an unbelievable trip to the capital of Catalonia where we stayed at the Arts hotel in Barcelona, we have had the honour to go to the City of Islands, Stockholm. The flight has been short and comfortable and the pick up from the airport to the famous Grand Hotel Stockholm was incredible. Upon arrival the bellmen brought us to the back entrance because the main entrance was due to open on the same evening (there was a renovation ongoing). The employee at the front office was a bit unfriendly and did not give us the feeling to be welcome. Although he insisted on the fact that our room was a newly refurbished Deluxe Room, he sent us to the hotel room. In fact it was one of the older double bedrooms with a stunning view over the harbour of Stockholm.

 When we arrived at the Deluxe Harbour View Room we were amazed about the style and the lovely details of the 45 square meters big room. The main area, which includes the bed and a small seating area, was in a beautiful colonial style. The bathroom was extensive and modern designed. A big rainfall shower and a bathtub are there to hang out and relax from a stressful day of sightseeing. The Molton Brown toiletries are a nice touch. 

 At the first evening, we did a short walk through the Östermalms quarter and went to the market in this part of the city. At the beautiful little shops, you could buy everything you could imagine from Fruits to meat over cheese and jams to fresh fish and shellfish. We went to a small fish restaurant in the back of the market and ordered a shellfish platter for two. We got a big cold platter with Lobster, King Crab, two crawfishes and two sorts of shrimps served with a delicious glass of Chablis white wine.

 After this delicious dinner, we went back to the Hotel to relax at the world famous Spa area. When we arrived at the front desk, the friendly lady asked us if we want to book a massage. We did not had that much time so we decided just to go to the pool. After swimming in the well-designed pool we went to the steam bath witch was a little too hot for us so we decided to go to the whirlpool, which was so amazing and relaxing. You have to try it!!!

 The breakfast at the “Veranda” was delicious with a big choice. A young woman brought us a good cappuccino while we were eating fresh scrambled eggs. The buffet offered us a huge selection to choose from various meals, such as salmon, bacon, different sorts of cheese and jam. The location is one of the best in Stockholm. You can enjoy a beautiful view over the harbour and the royal palace.

We have been invited for one night by Mrs. Madeleine Brack, the General Manager of the Grand Hotel Stockholm to experience the full "Grand Experience".

With my best regards,

Beverage Executive

24 Hours at the Jagdgut Wachtelhof

Have you ever dreamed of a Private Ski Hideaway with lots of fur, fire places, wooden rooms, elegant design and a perfect situation - meters from the lifts and slopes - in the heart of the Alps? Well, you might have, but never thought that this dream is even affordable. Alright, it is not Gstaad, St. Moritz, Courchevel or Kitzbühel - it's simply Maria Alm - more exactely Hinterthal. That doesn't mean that you have to miss five stars, excellent food, luxurious furniture and personalized service: the Jagdgut Wachtelhof has everything. 

So why else should you spend your holidays at this lovely Small Luxury Hotel Property (SLH)? I would define the factors service, spa, food, location as well as my favourite part: design. Styled and designed by no one else than Mr. Michel Bönan himself, this hotel could also be a hotspot in Florence or Rome (he also designed the famous J.K.Place hotels). This was why my colleague, Mr. Beverage Executive and me arrived with high expectations and a need for a day of doing simply nothing than relax (we have been skiing for three days in various ski resorts in the Tyrol before).

Upon driving the driveway, we were impressed by the charme of the building and the location, near the slopes. Mrs. Maierhofer welcomed us and while we filled out the paper work, we were treated with an excellent rosé sparkling wine which tasted like fresh berries from the forest. After a short tour through the hotel, including the private cinema (a real highlight), the underground bar "Schluf" as well as the spa, we were accompanied to our wnderful yet spacious Deluxe Room.

Inside the room we found a handwritten letter and a small sledge with the hotel branding as a welcome gift - a very nice touch. The minibar as well as a large bottle of sparklig water was complimentary and much appreciated by us (most of the hotels only offer still bottled water). The whole room was larger than expected and we even had a sofa, walk-in wardrobe, hallway and a small but very nice bathroom with shower-/tub combo, toilet and single vanity. The toiletries were branded by the sister hotel and made by a German soap factory - however the smell was very good and the size at 100ml is very generous, too!

The yet so stylish "Heurigen Spa" turned out to be even more glamorous in the inside. Beside a huge dry sauna, an armomatic shower, changing rooms, vast showers and a small bar in the heart of the small building, there was an impressive and perfectely designed relaxation room overlooking the heated outdoor pool, snow capped roofs and mountains as well as fire places around the pool. There was also a jacuzzi around the corner, but at 26 degrees celsius we didn't find it comfortable to use - by the way the water level of the swimming pool is simpy too low (guessing it was 1 to 1.20 metres) and the temperature was also way too low - also the reason why no guest was using it. This should be considered to change in order to be a real spa hideaway.

Another important part of our stay - the food and beverage outlets: Having dined at the best restaurants, we found the cusine of the Jagdgut Wachtelhof very good for the region and the type of hotel/restaurant which is the typical Austrian chalet style. From the salmon tartar, the cream soup of chestnut, to the main course, which was a perfectly cooked fillet of venison with butter "spätzle" and an excellent sauce. The grand final was a parfait of elderberries on a milky and creamy souce. We had an excellent Barbera d'Alba (perfect to meat) and a glass of excellent Austrian Eiswein, followed by a housemade nut liquor. 

Last but not least - a stay with Mr. Beverage Executive wouldn't be final without having an excellent post-dinner drink -  we got two different ways of Gin Tonic (in fact it wasn't something you might think of!). I took the excellent "Mare" with spanish Gin, while my colleague chose the one with German Gin (helping to his home country ;-) ). Honestly, it was the best Gin Tonic we both ever had and it took our breath with every sip we took! This was the best barkeeper and hopefully he doesn't return to Apulia - where he is originally from.

All in all this is a perfect ski hideaway in the real Austrian Alps and we guess the prices are very moderate for what you get. You will feel like owning a private ski chalet - due to the guest-staff ratio of 17 rooms and nearly as many staff members.

We were invited by the Hütter-Bönan Hotel Group for a test stay at the Jagdgut Wachtelhof. All our above written represents our personal opinion and hasn't been influenced in any way.