Seehotel Astoria

This weekend and the drive from Vienna were wasted. We booked a room at Astoria Hotel and drove three hours, only to be told that another customer had decided to stay longer, so our room couldn’t be given to us. The management and reception were completely unreliable. What gives them the right to treat people this way? If you care about your time, your weekends, and your peace of mind, don’t go there. Small-town behaviour!

The houseboat room had a lovely view, the location was convenient, and the staff were friendly. It’s very bare bones, so bring your own toiletries. If you’re coming from the US, don’t forget plug converters.

A beautiful place to stay, and we were very satisfied. The staff were nice, the private beach was great, and breakfast was good 👍👍. Service could have been quicker.

This has been my worst hotel experience so far. At 2 pm, after we’d spent an hour waiting in the sun with our 11-month-old while they got our expensive room ready, we were finally let in. The high ceilings and huge window were impressive. The narrow bed less so, and the bathroom and toilet were worse: a glass partition separated them from the room, so you could hear everything, even if you couldn’t see it. The balcony was lovely, though. Then we noticed the gap under the wooden balcony railing, at least 20 cm between it and the boards. A small child could easily slip through and fall. We kept a close eye on our baby, assuming this obvious hazard might have been left as part of the old building’s design. He crawled around happily with a toy, well away from the edge. Only when we went inside did we see 20-30 black spots on his feet, knees, and wrists. They were splinters from the balcony boards. We tried to remove them, but he was screaming. Reception brushed it off and told us to use a needle. A doctor couldn’t help, so we went to a local pharmacy and spent 54 euros on ointments and equipment to get them out as gently as possible. When I returned and asked for the manageress, I told her how shocked I was about what had happened to my son. She claimed there was a notice advising guests to wear flip-flops on balconies. That wasn’t true. The sign was about wearing flip-flops on the boardwalk at the hotel’s beach. I asked why nobody had told us. She said there were lots of dangers around the hotel, and pointing out every one would “fill half their web site.” I asked what other dangers she meant. She said their rooms were in great demand and they wanted guests to be happy, but if I wasn’t happy, I should leave straight away. I said that was disgraceful treatment, but agreed to go. My partner and baby had just travelled for five or six hours and were exhausted, so I asked if they could stay one night. She agreed. My partner was so exhausted she chose to stay and went to plead with the manageress to let her remain with the baby. I packed and went home, making the eight-hour round trip each day to be with my family. Our holiday was completely ruined, and the baby suffered for weeks afterwards. I’ve never been treated so shabbily by a hotel. The photos may look glamorous, but beware of hazards you can’t see. If anything goes wrong, keep your fingers crossed, because these people won’t give you much help.