Earlier this year, in a different life – okay, well, it was March, I had the chance to spend two nights at the very traditional Vollererhof in the Salzburg Area of Austria. The hotel is located on top of a not very steep but long hill, and as it was already dark when I arrived there, it felt a bit creepy. You have to follow a long and narrow dirt road that leads through a forest. Every time the car headlights were reflected by an animal’s eyes, it made me jump a bit.
But once I arrived at the hotel, I started to appreciate the remote location of it. From my room’s balcony I had a really nice view towards the blinking lights of the city of Salzburg. The room itself was very spacious, the bed comfortable and the balcony huge. The bathroom came with a tub, which I always like a lot (as I don’t have a tub at home), the provided robes and slippers were super soft and smelled good, just like the whole room did. The atmosphere was very cozy and nice and all in all I enjoyed my stay a lot, despite a few ifs.
The room
One of the ifs was the food. The breakfast was just awesome, they served a nice selection of high quality breakfast food, which – in Austria – contains of rolls, bread, cold cut, cheese, cereals, Austrian pancakes (called “Palatschinken”), jams, bread spreads, coffee, teas, juices, cakes and pastry. I just couldn’t stop eating. When it came to dinner though, I was a bit disappointed. The meal consisted of four courses and all of them tasted a bit – well, tasteless. I don’t know how to describe it the best way… Everything on the menu sounded super fancy but tasted just – well, – healthy.
Breakfast was just awesome.
That’s the other if: You should stay there if you plan on doing some detoxing cure or a FX Mayer Cure (they’re famous for it and are the experts for that one, as they are doing it for 25 years by now), doing a diet or having some sort of health issue, but not if you want a nice staycation or weekend getaway. There’s only one indoor pool and a small outdoor pool, as well as a tiny sauna area. It’s not a wellness hotel per se, more like a health hotel. It is perfect if you’re there with a loved one and not leaving the room anyway, but not so much for friends planning a nice wellness trip. Big plus: If you have a special diet you’re following or allergies, it’s no problem that you get whatever food is right for you.
Outdoor pool
If you stay there but need a break from your break: There are eight golf courses close by, the city of Salzburg is only like 20 minutes of driving away and after like 35 minutes by car you arrive at the entrance to the Ski Circus Amadé, which comes with about 270 lifts and 760 kilometers (that’s for those who do miles: 472) of slopes. Oh, and before I forget: A short review on the staff. The service is good, it’s a family-owned hotel and you can feel that the people in charge live for their jobs.
More information:
Vollererhof Hotel & Gesundheitszentrum
Vollererhofstraße 158
5412 Puch bei Hallein
www.vollererhof.at
Rooms for two start around 200 Euros per night.
