Must've been there same week as Sanatana ( we were the middle-aged couple with sons in their early 20s sitting near the salad bar!..we were also in the hotel bar most evenings!).
This was our 2nd year at Kristall...can't fault the hotel. Although, do feel that if you book with Crystal Holidays, you do get put in a lower class room (the same happened last year), but we did get moved to better rooms after politely asking.
The hotel & bedrooms are kept spotlessly clean by friendly efficient cleaning staff. Huge amount to eat at breakfast (fruit salad,cereals,scrambled & boiled eggs, ham, cheese, many types of bread)..a lot to eat at dinner too (salad, starter, soup,main course, dessert and/or many cheeses to choose from).
As Santana says, the the non-smoking ban has yet to reach Austria, where it seems almost compulsory to light up at every opportunity, usually by Austrian men sporting dodgy moustaches and mullet haircuts from the early '80s.

Drinks reasonably priced, €3.20 for a large beer...only a few cents more expensive than local bars.

The saunas & steam room are great for winding down, although you do have to bare all.......be prepared to see (or avoid) people's bits and pieces.....you've been warned!!!!

Location: approx 200m from gondola, although quite a steep hill to get there...a good cardio workout! You can leave your skis in the ski school hut near the top station.


Slopes: lots of variety, fast chair lifts. Worth taking the cable car for the sunnier (& easier) pistes. Eat at Christina's..great chicken & ribs.

Finkenberg itself is a small quiet village, very little night life. If you want to party to the early hours, take a cab to Mayrhofen, approx €30 return fare

Returned yesterday from a week's ski-ing holiday in Finkenberg. Plenty of snow but the weather was not fantastic with a couple of days when visibility was poor. Wednesday was the best day and we took the opportunity to head up to the Hintertux glacier which was just brilliant. Got the Green Line (free) bus opposite the hotel at 8.30 and it takes 30 mins to get there. Well worth the trip with stunning views and wide open runs - all reds and blues. Bus then dropped us off back outside the hotel. Hotel itself was first class. Clean and spacious room with a balcony overlooking Mayrhofen in the lower valley. All we seemed to do was eat all the time - the food was traditional (apart from an Italian theme night) and absolutely delicious - 5 star ! Staff all very friendly and helpful. Nothing to do in the village but that wasn't a problem for us. We walked down the woodland track to Mayrhofen (follow yellow signs) which was very beautiful but a bit sore on the knees coming back - so take the bus from Mayrhofen train station (no 4104). A really excellent hotel.

We've just come back from a week's skiing in Finkenburg, staying at the Kristall Hotel.

The hotel is only a few years old, and as a result you get all of the modern facilities but with still enough of the local charm.

Our room was spacious and clean, and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful.

The spa facilities are amazing - especially after a hard day on the slopes. What better way to relax than with a sauna and steam, followed by a lovely doze on a lounger overlooking the mountains?

The food was superb - 5 courses every night, including a great salad bar (an antidote to the pickled salads that dominate the mountain restaurants), and there was a good choice. (Some of the translations are interesting, including one evening where we were offered 'cheap cheese' as a main course!). The translations certainly did not do the food justice however, as everythign we ate was fresh and tasty. Even the breakfast buffet was something to look forward to.

In terms of skiing, although the conditions weren't entirely perfect when we were there, 99% of the runs were open and the slopes were plentiful. More than enough to keep the interest of a moderate intermediate skier happy. There are very few black runs, and the red runs were so wide they did not feel overly challenging, but they were incredibly enjoyable al the same. The Hintertux glacier is also a must-see - but make sure you go when the conditions are clear as its not as much fun in a blizzard.

Don't be dispondent if there's no snow in the resort itself as its lies low. You need to take the cable car that's 5 minutes from the hotel (you can see it from the front door, but the slope you walk up is steep - definitely gets the heart racing after a big breakfast!). Once you reach the middle station the snow appears, and if you take up the next cable car you fnd yourself in acres of snow. Definitely worth getting to the lifts early to miss the ski school queue jumpers and get some of the best snow.

There's not much in Finkenberg itself - a couple of pubs, a Spar shop and a handful of restaurants, but Mayrhofen is only 5 minutes away by taxi. To be honest, we didn't even manage to get that far, as after a long day on the slopes, a bit of relaxation in the spa, a lovely dinner, and a post-dinner drink in the bar there was little need (or time) to venture outside.

All in all, the only problem with this holiday is that I'm writing this from home when I still want to be there!!!!!!!!!! (particualrly as I notice there's loads of snow being dumped this week :-( ).

I have just returned from a week at the Hotel Kristall in the majestic Zillertal valley in Austria with a ski party of 7, including 2 children.

The hotel is beautiful, possibly the cleanest I have ever known. The rooms are large. I had a family room with a separate bedroom (great for an escape!), but the standard rooms were also very spacious and well equipped. With only 49 rooms and family run, it really has a homely, personal feel.

The public rooms are traditionally decorated, warm, cosy, but bright and modern. (hotel is only 3 years old)

The food was fabulous, wonderful breakfast, afternoon tea consisting of home made cakes and pastries and a savoury option (goulash soup, spag bol etc). Dinner was five courses, with lots of variety.
All staff were very efficient and friendly.

The spa is lovely too after a hard day on the slopes, although English beware: the euro tradition of unclothed sauna is observed. Oh well, when in Rome...A pool would have been nice, but sauna, steam and showers, massage and relaxation was fine by me.
I really feel we have found a gem here. The gondola is next to the hotel, although there is a steep hill to climb for about 100 metres. We left our skis and boots at the top of the mountain, so even that was a luxury!
Mayrhofen is a 10 minute bus ride down the hill if you want a change of scene.
All in all, highly recommeded.