72 Hours at the Krallerhof, Leogang
Austria and South Tyrol never had a shortage of excellent wellness resorts. Over the last three years, design has become an important key player when developing new spa areas or hotel extensions. While I am not a fan of adding a new building to an existing property and not updating the other rooms, I think it makes sense to keep the rooms all in one style and add a completely new spa area. One that‘s a revolution in the spa market of Europe is the new Atmosphere at the Krallerhof in Austria‘s family-friendly mountain village of Leogang. Nestled somewhere between Salzburg and Kitzbühel, Krallerhof it is the ideal weekend getaway for people living in Munich and Vienna. From the Bavarian capital, it took us exactly two hours to arrive at the vast property right next to a futuristic gondola station. From the street side, one could never assume that this resort boasts the sexiest spa area in Europe. You will ask yourself if the Atmosphere is worth alone a stay at Krallerhof and if that‘s truly the only reason to secure a room at this family-run business. Well, you‘re about to find out what our four days in one of Austria‘s prettiest corners were like.
Run by the owner family Altenberger ever since it opened, the Krallerhof is a well-established five-star hotel in Salzburger Land attracting couples, single travellers and families alike. The media attention around the hotel‘s brand new spa was immense and even though they opened the new Atmosphere Spa in December 2023, almost every person on Instagram has already seen the Reels of the floating pool underneath the “Steinernes Meer” mountain range. And yes the view is as spectacular in reality as it is on Social Media. When we arrived at the hotel, we were warmly welcomed by a lady from the front desk who checked us in and immediately offered us a complimentary welcome drink at the bar. It’s always lovely to start a wellness holiday in such a relaxed way. We could get a first glimpse of the grounds and facilities when we were guided around the hotel by the front desk attendant. The tour finished at our room which was a Double Room “Hesse”, which would most likely be a Junior Suite category at most chain hotels.
Upon entering the room, there was a spacious entree with space to hang your coat and ski outfits. On the right was a separate toilet with a single vanity which is great when you travel with a friend. Moving further, there was the entrance to the bathroom covered in structured marble with double vanities, a bathtub and a spacious shower. While the toiletries were of high quality (the shower gel had a lovely herbal smell and was by Austrian-based Be … my friend and the shampoo and conditioner by Biosthetique), the hotel could have invested in stylish pool bags instead of unbranded linen ones. Housekeeping came twice and arrived just in time after we left for skiing or when we headed to dinner. The main living- and bedroom of our Deluxe Room was quite airy and came with a lovely balcony, king bed, wardrobe, writing desk and L-shaped sofa that apparently can be turned into an additional bed. One can tell in small details that Krallerhof was originally designed to be a very family-oriented property. However, no need to worry about privacy at this point as the main attraction - the atmosphere spa - is adults only.
Also during dinner, we never felt disturbed by any noise from children. No clue if this was due to the season which we were staying at (last weekend in January) or if the hotel manages well in offering a kids' dinner at a dedicated area of the hotel ensuring an elegant atmosphere for the set five-course menu served daily. Guests have the choice of a daily changing menu consisting of a cold starter, a salad from the buffet, a soup dish, a main course and a dessert. Generally, there is always a choice of two dishes (for starters, soups and desserts) and four options for the main course. During the three evenings, the food always matched our preferences and we enjoyed the selection of dishes a lot. We got to try the perfectly cooked duck breast on the first evening, were served a perfect escalope Viennese style during the second dinner and rounded up the food experience with a mouth-watering veal goulash on our last day. Service was very consistent and attentive, all servers were thoroughly friendly and fulfilled all our requests accordingly.
Breakfast is also served at the main restaurant and each room is assigned one table for the entire length of the stay. So there is never any confusion nor the annoyance of a full restaurant, it’s a very relaxed way to make sure each guest feels welcome alike. Another huge advantage of staying at Krallerhof is the breakfast service offered until 11:30. Having stayed at quite an amount of hotels over the last years, I was pleasantly surprised to find such extended breakfast hours at a ski resort. Needless to say, we mostly enjoyed a late breakfast from the excellent and vast buffet. From a fresh juice station, mouth-watering bread selection, upscale ham and cheese offering to a live-cooking station and daily changing specials including Bavarian sausage, porridge or pancakes with several toppings - the breakfast buffet at Krallerhof is among the better ones I have seen. During the warmer months, guests can also enjoy breakfast on the generous and sun-protected terrace. Overall the breakfast experience was so good we didn’t even make use of the complimentary afternoon spread at Glocke. Die Bar - the hotel’s bar. However, I have heard from fellow guests that it’s a great way to fuel up after coming from the slopes with warm soup and other Austrian delicacies.
Now let’s talk business. The main reason why some of you are considering a stay at Krallerhof in Leogang: the Atmosphere Spa. Designed by Hadi Teherani Architects this brand-new spa building set right in front of the hotel is out-of-this-world. Might it be stunningly romantic Instagram Reels, one of the longest outdoor infinity pools in the world (this one is a 50-meter pool floating in an artificial lake), the most stunning relaxation room or simply the one-of-a-kind vistas of the mountains? I don’t know where to start but agree, this uniquely designed wellness area beats everything I have seen before (think of Park Hotel Vitznau and Corinthia London) and is reason enough to put Leogang and especially Krallerhof on your radar. There were moments at the spa where I indeed felt like time had stopped: While floating in the stunningly beautiful hydrotherapy pool designed like a cave with a silver ceiling for hours. Then I remember the moment I was sitting in the Finnish sauna heated to 90 degrees Celsius, where the only thing I could think of was the sound of the water dripping on the hot stones and the power of the mountains had just turned into the most beautiful purple tone. Finally, it was the moment when I enjoyed a Stiegl Beer in the brand new Cafe am See covered in a fur blanket overlooking what seemed like a dream: the 50-meter infinity pool in the floating lake surrounded by active fire baskets. Does a ski holiday get any better than this? Honestly, Courchevel doesn’t have wellness and spa areas of this calibre.
Speaking of ski holidays, believe it or not, skiing was the main intention of this trip. Having never been skiing in Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang, my friend and I were about to explore why this is one of the most talked about ski resorts in Austria. As a ski expert and fan of high-altitude ski resorts, I would return to Leogang for the Atmosphere spa rather than for the ski area. Good News alert: we ended up spending an entire day dedicated to our wellbeing and enjoying the vast Atmosphere spa. One is for sure, you can stay an extended weekend here at Krallerhof and you won’t get tired of the facilities at all. They still operate the “old” spa as a family wellness area and to be honest, it’s not less unique. So you see, there is plenty to discover even outside the high season. I will definitely return to the Krallerhof one day and next time I will for sure make use of the lower prices in the low season. Simply due to the fact that I feel there is nothing better than to escape the cold and wet fall days in the sumptuous environment of a heated infinity pool in the Austrian Alps such as the one at the Atmosphere spa.
