We stayed at the Forsterhof for 10 nights at the beginning of July 2007, courtesy of Crystal Holidays. Situated on the outskirts of St Wolfgang town in a nice quiet residential location, it is still only 10 mins walk down to the centre of this charming town on the shores of Wolfgangsee.
Our room was on the side of the hotel, with a balcony overlooking a gushing stream. Although not a large room, it was beautifully decorated, and comfortable.
Breakfast and evening meals were taken in the non-smoking restaurant area and were buffet style, with ample choices of good quality food available.
There was no hotel entertainment, but I think this is probably the norm for this area/accommodation type, and we enjoyed the tranquility.
We could only find one minor point for criticism. As dedicated non-smokers, and being used to a smoke-free environment (as in the UK!), we found the bar area smokey, with the tendency for the stale smell to drift through the reception area.
Even so, this is a good quality hotel, with a welcoming atmosphere, and we have no hesitation in recommending it.

We have just returned from an 11 day stay at the Forsterhof and would definitely recommend this hotel. We had a room at side of the hotel with balcony which was quiet and from which we could see the mountains to the side. To the other side is a stream which some people might not like, i.e. the sound of running water! The staff are excellent, nothing is too much trouble and they go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The food is so good with lots of choices, homemade Tiramasu is delicious! Everywhere is very clean and maintained to a high standard. Lake garden has a lovely view, although water can be cold, but probably warmer by August. So much to do in this area, Salzburg was a fantastic day out and the Mozart Concert brilliant. Cog Railway etc. In all a lovely spot, peaceful, bands play in the town sq twice a week, trips across lake with stunning scenery all around. We will go back again and stay in the Forsterhof as feel you would be hard pressed to beat the quality, although want to see more of the rest of Austria. I would recommend this hotel for couples and families with small children, not a great deal to amuse teenagers I don't think.

I returned yesterday from a week's skiing, based at the Forsterhof. It is a really superb hotel and exceeded all my expectations. The staff are exceptional: friendly, welcoming and good-humoured, and the kitchen staff bent over backwards to cater for vegetarian guests. The food is excellent and so is the local wine, although the red is not for lightweights! The owner, Manfred, and his wife were charming and always made time for a chat. My room was comfortable and clean and newly decorated.

There are two local ski resorts. Postalm is 35 minutes away and is better for beginners and lower intermediates. When I was there, only one 5km. cross-country ski trail was open, because of lack of snow, but it was well groomed and varied: meadows, woods, streams and plenty of up and downhill slopes. Gosau is one hour away, and is mainly for upper-intermediate and more advanced. The cross-country trails were closed. Facilities there are limited and you need to take an annoying number of lifts to get to a good downhill run. The journey by ski bus to both Postalm and Gosau is picturesque , but becomes time-consuming as the week goes on.

The local bus service is good and it's easy to get to Salzburg. A good day trip is Strobl and St. Gilgen on the lake: walk round the quaint houses and stop for coffee and cake (again!) and then return to St Wolfgang by boat. Hiking and cycling in the area looks good.

Many thanks to the staff at the Forsterhof for an outstanding holiday.

Pete, York, UK

We've just literally come back from a week at the Forsterhof and can definitely recommend it. The hotel itself is lovely, rooms are spacious and kept very clean - cleaning staff going in twice a day. Very homely in that it felt very comfortable just lounging around in the various areas that had sofas. Pool table was great for the kids, as was the specially designed childrens room with loads of different toys.

Food was out of this world, lots of variety and plentiful - we've all definitely put on weight! Staff are very very helpful and friendly, always on hand to help in anyway.

About 10 minutes stroll from the centre of town which is lovely, especially at this time of year with the Christmas markets on. Obviously though things are very quiet over Christmas Eve through to Boxing day with not much open, but luckily there is a bus that collects outside the hotel and goes up to Postalm daily where you can ski, sledge, eat that sort of thing, costs about 8€ for adults.

Recommended are the sleigh rides and a trip into Bad Ischl to go on the cable car and ice skating. Bus is available 5 minutes walk from the hotel by the lake.

Would definitely stay there again if I were going back to the same area!