Haus Edelweiss

For the price, with breakfast included and the town center within walking distance, I’d definitely come back for another ski trip. The hotel is just off a Main Street, so there was some light traffic noise, but it wasn’t anything earplugs couldn’t handle. The breakfast bar was great, with fresh food, and the cook was attentive and even made scrambled eggs for us. The saunas were open, and there was a tea kettle downstairs to use anytime. Our room was very clean, the staff were friendly, and check-in was easy if you’re comfortable using technology. The reviews here gave me the wrong impression.

The only drawback was being so close to the road, which could get too loud at times, though I guess that comes with a tourist area. We stayed at four hotels during our road trip, and Edelweiss had the best rooms and breakfast. Check-in went smoothly, the staff were among the friendliest I’ve met in Austria, and they even offer to wash your clothes for a small fee.

The room and breakfast were both good, but checking in was a pretty bad experience. The keycard from the self-check-in machine had already been broken and taped back together. In the middle of the night, with a child, we spent 20 minutes trying to get into our room. The hotel phones only work until 18:00. If we hadn’t eventually managed to open the door, we might have spent the night on a couch in the hotel hall. A note to the manager: don’t tape a room key back together. Replace it as soon as it’s damaged.

The sauna was clean, well maintained and looked smart, and I wasn’t woken by banging doors. The hotel was generally quiet. We were there as a couple, and our room was a decent size with the basics we needed. Breakfast was lovely, with a wide enough range even for someone like me with lots of food intolerances. We had only a little contact with staff on the first day, but it was pleasant and straightforward. A great place to stay in Zell.