Hotel Alpenschlossl, Söll, Austria

Absolutely idyllic location, about a 5-minute drive from Söll, with fabulous views over the valley. A cosy, charming chalet with comfortable, good-sized, clean and well-equipped rooms. Quaint, slightly old-fashioned style, but very homely. Our room had a fabulous view from the balcony. Plenty of free parking if you are driving. There’s a charming bar and restaurant area, centred around an open fire. The food was good, often very good, and could legitimately be described as gourmet. Perhaps at times they were guilty of the odd shortcut (such as frozen veg), but in general there was plenty of variety of wholesome, hearty Austrian fare that ensured meals were always looked forward to, matched with a quality, well-priced wine list. There’s also a small buffet provided daily until 17:00 for hungry returning skiers (annoyingly ends five minutes too early for those returning on the last bus!). A nice spa and pool, with three saunas and a steam room. There’s a pleasant relaxation area where you can enjoy complimentary juice or tea, and wander outside to cool down after the sauna. It’s a good-sized hotel (around 45 rooms), which strikes a nice balance between having enough people to bring life and energy while still maintaining a cosy feel. Everything is close and convenient — dining room, spa and ski room are all a short walk from the bedrooms — which is refreshing compared to larger hotels where it can be quite a trek in your dressing gown. We stayed over New Year’s and were treated to a gala dinner, a lively seven-piece band and fireworks. Söll is part of the 200km SkiWelt area and fantastic for skiing. One slight drawback is that the hotel is about a 15-minute bus journey from the gondola. Buses run every 30 minutes, are very reliable, and stop directly outside the hotel — minimal walking. It’s also the first and last stop, so it’s generally easy to get a seat. The last bus back at 16:50 does somewhat limit après-ski. Taxis are available but cost over €20. The staff were friendly and helpful. At times service was a little on the slow side and occasionally needed a reminder, but overall this was forgivable within the gorgeous alpine chalet ambience. In summary, a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would strongly recommend Alpineschloss, with the caveat that you should be prepared for a quaint, idyllic, homely and relaxing alpine stay, with decent, honest Austrian food and convenient bus access to the slopes, all at a reasonable price. If you’re seeking ultra-modern luxury, high-end gastro dining and a central après-ski location, this isn’t for you — and you’ll probably need to pay a lot more.

Great hotel, in line with previous reviews. 1 star for me because of restaurant service. First dinner had no kind of introduction or communication, unclear on what was happening, wait staff very busy. Was a special multi course meal as Sunday, by the end of the meal it became clear 2 of our courses had not been served but we had been in the restaurant for nearly 2 hours so chalked it up to experience. 3rd day dinner has just finished and is the reason for this review, we got into the restaurant at 6.05pm and just got into our room at 9.04pm. We spent 3 hours in the restaurant after a day of skiing and apres in the pool. We asked multiple times for our food to be served, at least one other family had given up and walked out. After asking for our starters twice (we had been seated over an hour) our mains came out. I said it is fine and we will eat them and can we have desert and the starters brought out together. The waiter apologised for the starter being skipped and said sometimes it is because of bad communication between him and the waiters from another section. I could hear the waiter explaining the meal system to another family so maybe he was just really busy on our first night. I have spent hundreds of days skiing all over the world and this is maybe my 8th week in Austria so I know the meals can be slow but with young kids 3 hours really reduces the enjoyment of the experience.