Grand Tirolia Hotel Kitzbuhel, Austria - hotel review

Think of Kitzbühel and steep black runs and glühwein immediately come to mind.

Austria’s premier ski resort — with 170km of slopes including the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill run and more than 50 gondolas and lifts — has for years attracted the full range of visitor, from daredevil off-pister to naïve beginner, from fur-coated wealth to regular families.

About a kilometre south of town, the Grand Tirolia Hotel Kitzbuhel, Curio Collection by Hilton is a five-star retreat built in 2009 with 81 rooms and suites, the most sought-after (and expensive) offering views of the valley and the snowcapped Tyrolean Alps.

All rooms are dominated by pine, on the floors and walls, with cowhide on the rugs and chaise longues in the superior rooms. Bathrooms, too, are pine-walled, with touches such as a television screen embedded in the mirror above the sink and separate bath with ceiling shower.

The hotel also has two bars — a cocktail lounge and the bigger Herbarium bar nearer the clubhouse of the Grand Tirolia’s Eichenheim golf course.

Light bites are offered in the Herbarium, while restaurant Eichenheim serves hearty local dishes for dinner, such as kasnudel (cheese noodles) with tomato, chives and nut butter.

The real trump card for the Grand Tirolia, though, is its 1,500sq m spa, sunk below the hotel and the main forecourt (it is visible from the road via a glass ceiling and bronze water fountain pouring into the middle).

It’s a multi-award-winning complex with seven saunas, treatment rooms and a swimming pool that is both indoor and outdoor.

With winter relaxation in mind after a hard day’s skiing, the indoor part of the pool is surrounded by chaise longues, with more in a separate chillout zone next to the spa. A floor up is a fitness room with power Pilates, a cardio area and a workout room, while yoga classes are also on offer. Skiing guests also benefit from complimentary shuttles to the chairlifts.

As for the golf clubhouse, come off the 18th hole and you walk straight into a high-ceilinged, modern lounge area complete with an enormous TV screen showing Sky Sports.

Adjoining that is a more traditional-looking bar and dining area. The raised tables and chairs encourage you to eat Austrian-style — wooden boards loaded with cold meats, cheeses and farmhouse breads are brought out to you by waitresses in traditional costume.

Away from the Grand Tirolia there’s a wealth of activitie. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road along Austria’s highest mountain in the Hohe Tauern National Park is 48km, with 36 hairpin bends. Party types, meanwhile, are spoilt for choice in Kitzbühel, with Irish pub O’Flannigans, raucous, particularly in ski season.

For a special experience head halfway up the Hahnenkamm to the Einsiedelei, known as Pinky’s Hut, adorned with memorabilia such as skis owned by Austrian ski legend Franz Klammer. Meals are predictably hearty here — the Tyrolean roast, for example, offers a huge glazed duck with dumplings and sauerkraut, while desserts include the pastry-and-sugar-laden kaiserschmarrn. All with stunning views from an outdoor terrace.

Details:

Grand Tirolia Hotel Kitzbuhel, Curio Collection by Hilton, Eichenheim 8, 6370 Kitzbühel, Austria. Doubles from 195 a night B&B.

Ratings: Rooms: *****/ Service: ****/ Value: ***

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