We had a very nice stay from Feb 10-16 2011 where we rented two adjacent rooms on the 2nd floor, went skiing, visited the SPA and siriously dipped into the fine hotel cuisine.
Hotel: Well run hotel with a friendly typical Austrian atmosphere. Very cozy, but still with lots of amenities. The SPA is huge with lots of different treatments but it seems to be very popular so you best book in advance. We did not, but still managed to get a couple of regular massages squeezed in. The SPA amenities seams complete with different kinds of sauna, swimming pool (nicely heated both in-door and out-door), whirlpool and lots of other offerings. As it is custom in Austria, Germany and several other countries folks at not shy in the SPA, so you will find naked people walking around…
The rooms were rather big with a nice bathroom, a separate toilet and a nice big balcony facing the mountains. Beautiful views! The rooms are quiet except the noise from the outdoor pool that can be a bit annoying in the afternoon. It does however stop at 7PM. The shower works very well – lots of water that can be regulated to your liking - nice and warm (no water savers here).
There is a cozy bar where you can enjoy a private setting for a family card game or sit around the bar and enjoy other folks. Live music seems to be arranged every day. Not intrusive, just nice. At the bottom of the hotel is an indoor garage with amble parking space free of charge.
The hotel has lots of computers with free internet and there is wireless at the reception and wired connections in the rooms. But the Internet connection is very slow and we often experienced inability to connect from within the room. Not the perfect setting if you need to work and depend on a fast Internet connection. If you just need to check your web-mail it works okay. (This seems to apply to many hotels in Austria).
The hotel is equipped with excellent gym facilities with lots of Technogym equipment and you’re for sure not in a crowded space. We used the gym several times but never with more than one other guest present. I guess most folks think they got enough exercise at the slopes!
The hotel is situated in the small city of Finkenberg so unless you want to drive to Mayrhofen (6km) to dine you’re best off dining at the hotel. Upon arrival, you are shown “your” table which will remain your table for the rest of the stay. This is common in Austrian hotels and quite charming, but you better make sure you get a nice table, because you will be “stuck” with it for the entire length of your stay.
Food: Excellent breakfast with a vast selection of bread, fruit, freshly made eggs to your liking, fresh juice and all sorts of yoghurt, tea, coffee and so forth. Really enjoyable! The lunch was not especially interesting but the dinner menu was included in the price (as was the breakfast). The dinner is deliciously prepared as a 5-choice menu with lots of options, and you can opt out for the a-la-carte menu with steaks, wiener schnitzel and several other options. All in all we looked forward to dinner every evening. The hotel has an extensive wine menu with lots of Italian, French and Austrian wines. Quite expensive though.
Staff: Friendly, polite and with some language skills. They all speak German and they all seem to understand English, but their ability to speak with you in English is somewhat limited. The waiters in the restaurant varied a little bit in their skill level but all in all a good experience. The maid service ensured a flawlessly clean room each morning when we left the room.
Surroundings: Beautiful Mountains, and a 6km drive to Mayrhofen (down the valley) and a 16km drive to Hintertux with the great glacier up the valley (at the valley end). We visited during the “Winter” but there were no snow in the valley except at the end by Hintertux.
However once you take the first lift which is just 200m from the hotel (fine little morning walk or you can let the hotel shuttle you for free) there were nice snow conditions. If you visit during the warm winter be sure to ski the south facing slopes in the morning before the snow turns to slush ice. The slopes at “Rastkoghl” were especially nice with a fine mix of blue and red slopes. If you want the wild stuff you can try the “Kamikaze” slope or opt for a paragliding adventure. The hotel will gladly help you with both ski rentals and lift passes – just say the word at the reception. The ski pass is valid for the entire Ziller Tall (Valley). We skied the Hintertux glacier the last day. Great conditions, but considerably colder, more windy and with a lot more people on ski than the other slopes.
The conclusion is a nice hotel in a beautiful setting with a friendly staff and enjoyable cuisine. Good for a weeks stay. You won’t regret it.
- Sporthotel Stock Finkenberg
