Two weeks ago I was invited to spend two nights at the Seehotel Grundlsee in the beautiful Ausseerland. Situated right at the waterfront with a wonderful panorama of the lake, the Seehotel Grundlsee offers an incredible scenery and a cozy retreat for a short break from the city.
Winter Wonderland in April
I’m not going to lie, when I got the invitation, I was hoping to get a head start on my tan, picturing myself sunbathing on the deck of the hotel and walking along the lake. While driving to Styria, my husband and I were greeted by a snow storm. Thankfully I had checked the weather beforehand and thrown my snow boots in the car before leaving Vienna. But you can see from the photos that the scenery couldn’t have been more picturesque and the weather was perfect to enjoy the wellness area of the hotel to the fullest.
We even braved the snow storm and explored Altaussee and Badaussee. The last time I visited Badaussee I was 14, and got a beautiful Dirndl in the typical Ausseer pattern. I still have it, but don’t know if it still fits me!
I can really recommend a visit to the patisserie Lewandofsky-Temmel for cake and coffee and the delicatessen shop AnnaMax for delicious souvenirs. They sell homemade mustards and have very fancy creations like poppyseed and cranberry mustard.
Moments of wellbeing – Arrive, relax and enjoy!
Great importance is attached to hospitality and we experienced this right upon checking into the hotel. The staff was incredible and we felt at home right away. We had a beautiful room with panoramic views of the lake and a cozy seating area.
The rooms are furnished with lots of wood in a modern style and a lot attention to detail. My personal highlight was the bathtub next to the bed. I had a relaxing bath every evening while watching TV.
After freezing our butts off in the snow, we enjoyed the small but nice spa area. The sauna overlooking the snowy lake provided a calming retreat to relax and take in the snowy alpine scenery surrounding us.
Culinary pampering at the Restaurant Seeplatz’l
Chef de cuisine Matthias Schütz combines traditional and international cuisine, the main focus lies on seasonal and regional produce. I loved that all of the ingredients are sourced from local producers.
The breakfast offer is nothing sort of amazing. Cereals, bread, and homemade cakes are available from the buffet, everything else will be served to your table. The breakfast starts with a tiered cake stand filled with a variety of small homemade dishes that change daily such as porridge, overnight oats or homemade yogurt and freshly pressed juice. A variety of freshly prepared egg dishes can also be ordered.
The illustrious culinary offer doesn’t stop at the breakfast table. We also had dinner at the restaurant and it was a feast. I ordered the arctic char cooked in a nut flavored butter, served with crushed peas and romanesco florets. It was the best fish I’ve ever had and the peas added a sweet, buttery texture to the char.
We were so full from dinner that we didn’t order any dessert, which is very untypical for me, but the head chef, Matthias Schütz, brought us some of his homemade truffles, which were the perfect ending to the delicious dinner. My husband and I especially loved the eggnog truffles with chili. The combination of smooth white chocolate, with a hint of eggnog was perfect and the spiciness of the chili hit right at the end. You don’t have to be a guest to enjoy the delicious truffles as they are also available for purchase at the reception.
It was the perfect trip to recharge our batteries and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Why I absolutely want to come back during the summer? Next time I want to sit on the terrace of the restaurant, jump into the lake after a visit to the Finnish sauna and do the 3 lakes tour on traditional wooden boats to Grundlsee, Toplitzsee, and Kammersee.
Xo Vicki
* Thank you for the invitation Seehotel Grundlsee – press trip
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