Der Wiesenhof is a three generation family-run hotel, set in the small hamlet of Pertisau, next to Lake Achensee in the Austrian Tirol. It is about a half hour drive from Innsbruck airport.
Surrounded by mountains and fresh air, there is outdoor activity to enjoy all year round, right on your doorstep. The cable car is a mere five minute walk away.
The hotel is modern but with traditional touches. The bar extension has floor to ceiling windows overlooking the nearby mountains, bare stone flags, attractive hanging lights and more atmospheric candles placed on the tables in the evening. A log fire is lit as dusk falls; sitting here with a nightcap is very pleasurable.
The dining room is split into areas, separated by waist high wooden dividers. In the middle, a large table is set for the resident family to use. This really is a working family hotel: grandparents, children and parents all eat here together.
Breakfast is a buffet feast, well laid out to resemble a home kitchen. There is a huge selection of hot and cold food available and omelettes may be cooked to order. The rye bread is especially tasty.
Soup and salad is available here for lunch, which is eaten in the bar area. A tradition I’m glad they don’t have at home is “Abend Kuchen” – tempting cakes are laid out between three and five in the afternoon and served with excellent coffee. Temptation is not there to be resisted.
Female staff wear the traditional Austrian dress, of dirndl skirt and white bodice, a subtle nod to the past . They were without exception, extremely helpful and friendly.
Our spacious junior suite room with balcony overlooked the mountains but I think you’d be hard pressed to find yourself in a room without a view. There are no walls anywhere in the resort, so gorgeous vistas in every direction. Our wooden four poster bed and matching wardrobe prevented the room from feeling too corporate; a separate area with settee and desk meant it could be used for both relaxing and working. The toilet was in a separate room from the sink and shower combo. Both were well equipped with exclusive toiletries from the area, magnifying mirror and hairdryer.
On the first floor is a comprehensive health spa; a special feature of the hotel. As well as their signature hay bath and Tyrolean shale oil bath – enjoyed in a wooden tub with a view over the mountains; there is the sound bed – I disliked this but my colleague fell asleep; and a raft of other facilities such as massages, swimming pool, steam rooms and sauna. In addition to pampering, the spa has grown its reputation as a place to both recover from and avoid ill health, especially heart conditions, and has various monitoring treatments and proactive programmes to help you to understand your body better.
Der Wiesenhof is a friendly, well run hotel; spotlessly clean with good facilities and home made food. I cannot think of a pressing reason not to return.
Pertisau 9, Pertisau am Achensee, Austria
Cost standard double room: £££, suite: ££££
Services spa, swimming pool, fitness equipment, parking, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, room service, internet access