Fetznhof Landpension

Disposing of waste is quite an ordeal. You have to lift a large manhole cover with an iron bar, while dishes are being washed at a sink right beside it. In the morning, little children gather there for pony rides and watch curiously as things are dumped into the hole. Farm holiday guests and campers all mix in that spot, including some campers who had just arrived because of the pandemic...

Our two-year-old son had a great time. We adults, though, were disappointed. The ponies seemed healthy and well fed, and were friendly with the children, but we couldn’t find the farm advertised on the website. After the long COVID-19 lockdown, I’d expected the garden and rooms to be clean and cared for. Instead, the grounds felt neglected, with lots of pots, some broken and full of weeds. There was dirt on the floor swept into a corner, and the wardrobe smelled awful. What had been in there for weeks, a dead mouse? That might explain it. The blanket stored inside couldn’t be used. We complained and it was taken away, but no replacement was given. There was no dish towel, and just three small hand towels for three guests. There were lots of playground toys, but it seemed like 80% were broken, including unidentifiable plastic pieces, broken buckets, and discarded colanders. None of the many vehicles seemed to work, and red ants were living in one go-kart seat. The sandbox was mostly gravel and construction debris rather than sand. Our son loved it, but I was worried someone could get hurt. We’ve stayed on farms several times, and this was unfortunately our worst experience. We felt like strangers whose complaints were a nuisance, not welcome guests.

The Fetznhof Alm was fantastic, lovingly furnished and stocked with everything you could want. The Gasteiger family and Dieter put in a huge effort and went out of their way to make things possible. The accommodation and service were simply superb.

Worst weekend ever. Mosquitoes everywhere. We spent Saturday night hunting them and didn’t sleep at all. My three-year-old son got a swollen ear and eye from the bites. We were told nobody else had complained, even though the walls had bloodstains from other guests swatting mosquitoes. The owners apparently haven’t considered putting screens in the window openings. We also had no Wi-Fi reception because our apartment was too far from the router. When we arrived, we waited around half an hour for the receptionist to get back from shopping, and they didn’t answer the phone number they’d given us. Never again.