my husband, teenaged son, and i recently stayed for a long weekend at the austriahof lodge's 1 bedroom condo in the mammoth view villas. we arrived late at night and as promised, our keys were waiting to be picked up at the lodge front desk. we then drove down the hill to the condo. the decor was pleasant albeit a little kitschy (lots of bears and little wreaths). the beds were comfortable with a king in the bedroom and a pullout in the living room. the bathroom had a shower and toilet, with the sink in the hallway for easy access. the kitchen was well stocked. there were plenty of soft towels and toilet paper. the heating was from a gas fireplace in the living room and a small wall heater in the bedroom. there was no housekeeping. the condo is walking distance to the main village, and the shuttle stop to canyon lodge was a short block away. there is a jacuzzi in the complex which was a typical condo spa...a little dirty around the edges, but overall tolerable. it is located in a little club house with a ping pong table, sofa, changing rooms, a sauna, and a bathroom.

we drove each morning to the austriahof lodge at about 8 am for the continental breakfast which consisted of toast, bagels, yogurt, granola, hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit (excellent quality), and individually wrapped zucchini bread. several juices, tea, and horrible coffee were also available. it is a nice thing to have "free" breakfast so overall i was happy with their offerings. we took some of the wrapped zucchini bread to munch on later in the day on the slopes.

we parked at then end of the free parking lot for canyon lodge, close to the austriahof lodge and walked up a little snow ramp to a triple slow chair. from the top of that chair, you can take the roller coaster high speed lift and you're off to anywhere. at the end of the day, we boarded down the little ramp and hopped into our car...very convenient. we had a parking pass to the austriahof lodge which we really never used. although i suppose if we got there really late and the canyon lodge parking was full, it would have come in handy to be able to park in their lot and just walk the very short way to the little ramp.

we had dinner one night in the restaurant of the austriahof lodge. they have a $25 special for a 3 course dinner from 5-7 which was reasonable. the food was quite good. we had a great ahi tower salad and scallops appetizers. the spaetzal was bad...not anything like what we have had in austria or germany...not enough cheese. we had to return the tomato soup as it was extremely watery...it tasted like watery campbell's soup. the beef wellington was above average. the service seemed a little amateurish, like most places in mammoth. there were forgotten things like coffee ordered. overall, i would say it was an above average dining experience compared to other places in mammoth. there is a 10% off coupon for the restaurant in the lobby.

i cannot vouch for the lodge rooms now, but we stayed in a lodge room many years ago for our first wedding anniversary, and it was quite decent. i would say that it is a better deal than mammoth mountain lodge, which is a little more expensive, and not really any more convenient.