Naturhotel Forsthofgut — Hotel in Leogang

I strongly dislike leaving negative reviews but I wish someone had warned me before I booked at stay. Let me start with the positive. Their natural lake pool was the best pool I ever swam in. It was refreshing, clean, and the mountain views were breathtaking. The surroundings, inclusive of the happy animals they house, provide serene views unlike anywhere else. The food was delicious and fresh with plenty of organic offerings. I noticed small touches to make special occasions ‘special,’ such as balloons for birthdays and rose petals for anniversaries or newlyweds.

Unfortunately, we travelled from very far for a stay here and left feeling tired. The hotel, in July, seems at its peak busy. There were children screaming everywhere even in the adult-only areas which made relaxing difficult. At times, it was hard to find a free outdoor lounge area. On the days with periodic rain, the staff cover outdoor lounges and keep cushions inside, so even when it’s sunny for a few hours in between rain there is nowhere comfortable to sit outside. The main restaurant sitting arrangement was packed like sardines, we had to whisper every dinner. No AC, hard to sleep on extreme heat days. One very small thing that disappointed me was that the room coffee bar was not topped up more than once. One day, I asked for milk and it took over an hour for delivery, I had to follow up. Likely due to understaffing, so it’s not any one particular staff’s fault. On another occasion, we chose not to have our room cleaned but instead I asked for turndown service with a request for coffee bar top up, but tea and sugar were not provided. For this price range, I found it annoying that I was unable to have coffee in the morning as I take it, but I recognize this may not be important to others. This is a very small thing, but noticeable to a coffee-lover.

All in all, I wouldn’t say that I don’t recommend this place, but perhaps adjust your expectations before arrival and note: there will not be 5-star service, room amenities may not be topped up. If you need something just call in advance and be patient with delivery. Aside from this, rooms are cleaned nicely. coffee, tea, tap water are up charged for lunch and dinner. although marketed as all-inclusive, be prepared to tip for lunch and dinner. I recommend tipping. some items in the lobby don’t have prices, such as the cake bar. Be mindful these are not included, €9 cake slice. I recommend booking during less busy times for a more relaxed experience. expect the dinner experience to last about 3 hours and wait up to 30min between courses during high peak period (another reason to book at a later time). the beds are Japanese-style hard. Take advantage of the pillow menu for better sleep. seems like a genuinely nice place for children/families, book...

We just returned after a late Feb/early March ski trip. We were so impressed that we’ve made plans to return and recommended it to two friends, one has already booked.

The facilities are perfect for adults and kids. They do a great job sectioning off adult only areas while still providing an array of family facilities and services.

Pools/Spa: We’ve been to some pretty impressive spas and this really is at the top of the list. Loved the outdoor pool (heated: 32 degrees) and the adults onsen pool (heated: 42 degrees).

Family Activities: The waterslide w/ racing timer was a hit. The water was a good temperature in all the pools (the nature pool was freezing, as you’d expect, but we saw plenty of people use it).

We enjoyed the horse walk. Our son loved art & woodshop. The ski-in facilities and locker room area are great.

Food/Drinks: The dinner was great, we really liked the variety of cheese for the cheese course and the selection of juices at breakfast.

Sushi restaurant but it was good. The sake selection was excellent.

Drinks from the Botonist were excellent too, a bit pricey for some but not abnormally high for a five star hotel.

The allocated dinner table was also a nice touch, it meant being able to order bottled water or wine and drink it over the course of two evenings.

Staff: The staff was really friendly, especially the man who runs the ski shop.

Cleaning & style: Everything is well maintained and clean. Be a little aware of water on the floors in the indoor family pool, make sure your kids don’t run when it’s busy.

The architecture and design are beautiful. It’s a treat to stay in a place that’s so beautifully designed.

Slight improvement suggestions: Feather comforters would be nice, at least as an option upon request. I didn’t find the beds to be uncomfortable but they weren’t super comfortable either. Personal taste of course but the a feather duvet would’ve made a noticeable improvement. Another reviewer alluded to the same, and I agree.

Also charging for tap water at dinner implies a stinginess and makes me as a guest feel like I need to be on alert for excess/unexpected charges. But the hotel isn’t like that at all, it’s literally just the water at meals and in the bar where you get dinged with a silly overcharge.

At this price point, adding €4 a night to the room rate would go unnoticed, but being asked to pay it for tap water sends the wrong message. The cost isn’t the issue, it’s the message that it sends. Push the cost into something else—maintain the revenue without the messaging.

Also - the spa. The prices are a bit steep and two of our three massages started late which isn’t great. I assumed they’d just add time at the end, but it ended early. I wouldn’t get a massage next time.

Overall a really great hotel, services and experience. Look forward to...

I usually never write reviews but because this was such an interesting case I decided to put in my two cents.

If you’re like me, you saw this hotel on Instagram, FOMO’d into it without doing any further research whatsoever, and then ended up here to discover some people warn against booking it or calling an outright scam.

These comments made me panic about my decision and I started doubting the whole thing until the moment I arrived.

Let me assure you, it’s not a scam (lol). Sure, it’s expensive, and yes - sometimes some things can go wrong with staff or orders. But the hotel is absolutely stunning and everything is in my experience exactly as advertised.

We have a two year old and he absolutely LOVED Rocky’s Club. He felt so at home there in the ballpen he even got disappointed if we would pick him up early. They also changed his diapers and fed him lunch and dinner. We went to pet the animals every morning and the Family Sauna was a paradise for us.

There are so many activities planned every single day. In my opinion, these are a large part of what makes the price what it is. Guided hikes, HIIT sessions, yoga, sauna sessions, etc. I did one of the smoke ritual sauna sessions followed by an icecold plunge in the lake. Simply incredible. Everyone I spoke to in the hotel was excited about their experience.

To be honest, I don’t even understand what people are warning against exactly. Okay - I would (maybe) not want to come here without kids. But they try their best to separate everything and I spoke to a couple who came on a romantic weekend and they said it was a total non-issue. They hadn’t read any of the reviews either so came unbiased.

If there is one thing I was annoyed with, it’s that they charge really high prices for drinks. It feels really dumb being charged 5.5EUR for a Coke Zero and 3.8EUR for a bottle of plain unbranded still water with every meal when you are paying almost 1000EUR a night. It just made me want to not order anything on purpose. I wish non-alcoholic drinks were for free. But it’s not gonna stop me from recommending this place.

If you are looking for some kind of a value deal, this place is not for you. It is expensive, but it’s also an amazing getaway. It’s the views, the spas, the daycare, the meals, the activities, the amenities, all combined. If you need to talk yourself into it, it’s probably not the best idea. But if you can afford it and forget about the money, and you feel like having a relaxing time in the Alps while someone takes care of your kids - totally go for it. I would definitely do it again.

The staff is super friendly and extremely helpful, but don’t expect to be treated like the royal family.

Enjoy your stay! You...