GRUNER BAUM HOTELDORF

Snowboarding The hotel was very nice. It had a small gym (which was really good for me), a nice spa area with a warm pool and super comfortable 'laydowners'. The staff was really nice and helpful. The views are AWESOME! But awesome views also have a downside: its too faraway from any activities in the town and the ones in the hotel were not so exciting..But I really enjoyed staying there. It also has a free transfer to the bahnhof and skiing place.

An outstanding place with an outstanding Team. Since 2012 with my wife and our two boys we have the pleasure to spend two weeks every winter in the Grüner Baum. Every year, we stay in "our" Trapp apartment with a wonderful terrace with a breath taking view on the Hohe Tauern National Park. The Team is so nice and caring for all of us that we really feel at home.

A beautiful, peaceful location for an enjoyable ski holiday Overall the Gruner Baum was a good hotel for a week's skiing holiday. At the right price, it is good value for money and I would consider returning depending on the price compared to other hotels in the Austrian alps. In summary: Staff 95% of the staff were absolutely fantastic and willing to go out of their way to assist. There were just a couple of individuals who were incredibly rude (one in particular who beggared belief). Location The hotel is in a stunning location outside of Bad Gastein. It is far too far to walk to the centre of the town or the ski lifts but the shuttle bus service provided free of charge by the hotel was excellent and meant the distance was not a problem. Food The breakfast selection was not of the standard or range expected in a 4 star hotel. The omelettes cooked to order were very nice, however the pre-cooked scrambled and soft boiled eggs were below par and the poached eggs hit and miss (some days tasting solely of vinegar rather than egg). The bread and spreads selection was good and there was a wide-range of cereals. Pastries are only available on "special days", which seemed to be about every other day. The chef at dinner is clearly very keen on presentation as all the dishes looked beautiful. The majority of the meals were fantastic, however there were a few exceptions, which were simply inedible due to the strange flavour combinations or incredible amount of salt used. The main disappointment was that none of the meals were hot, simply lukewarm at best. Even after informing the staff of this nothing changed and meals were served almost cold in some cases. The salad selection at dinner was extremely limited and became rather tedious after 7 days. Rooms The rooms are spacious and clean. The rooms are quite dated but everything is traditionally Austrian and perfectly functional. The one major complaint about the rooms has to be the mattresses. These were incredibly uncomfortable. A double room should have a double bed, not two single beds pushed together with a large gap between. A double room should also come with a double duvet rather than two twin duvets. Facilities The hotel has a large ski/boot room which was very convenient for drying wet equipment. The bar area and other seating areas were very comfortable although unfortunately lacking in atmosphere as the hotel seemed very quiet. The pool was amazing, so warm and lovely after a hard day skiing. The rest of the spa area was also very nice with a wide range of facilities. The horse-drawn sleigh rides offered (for a fee) are excellent and a lovely way to spend a few hours. I don’t think the hotel is of a 4 star standard at present but with some tweaks it could be fantastic. Overall the holiday was very enjoyable and a pleasant stay was had at the Gruner Baum.

Don't go there before it's renovated It's a very nice location in a quite valley and I like the idea of an old fashioned Hotel village with organic food very much. But the whole place desperately needs a lot of renovation and redesign. The whole Spa is rotten and even dangerous, the rooms are tiny and the facilities are dated (not in a charming way). The staff is great, the food as well. But as long as the whole place doesn't get a serious makeover and completely new Spa, you won't get good value for you money.

Winter Wonderland Our second visit to this little hidden gem set in its own valley. The staff are friendly and helpful despite our poor German and the Spa facilities are very welcome after a day on the slopes. The cuisine is a mixture of organic traditional Austrian will a modern twist, however, always very well presented with plenty of options for young children. The little fun extras like the night time torchlight forest walk was a both informative and enjoyable. Thanks Tom Hope to return next year....