Hotel Der Waldhof - Zell am See — Hotel in Zell am See

SHORT VERSION:||Excellent. Thoroughly recommend. Perfect stay for us. Great staff, great room and good food. Will return. ||THE LONG, DETAILED VERSION:||probably don’t read this if you like to discover things for yourself! :)||This place warrants 5 star - from the warm welcome to checking out. Thank you all for making our stay memorable and relaxing.||STAFF: Thomas welcomed us and we had a very good first impression. Everything was well explained to us. He had perfect English (as do all the team throughout) and a great sense of humour. Shout out to Monika also, who was there throughout our stay offering friendly service with a smile. The restaurant and kitchen staff all had great personalites and were attentive and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. The team have been well selected and trained.||SPA: I enjoyed the spa facilities while the other half went off hiking. Note - the adult spa area is traditional Austrian, let’s just say, you won't need your swimming costune for this section. I advise bringing your robe for walking about it, thought the towels are generous in size. There is a separate sauna you can request, across the private courtyard contained within the spa. There are plenty of loungers and showers.||The indoor swimming pool is separate, in the family section. This was a bit of a shame, as you couldn't swim in the adult area. I can see why they are seperate logistically though. The hotel had lots of children there, which was lovely to see and they were all very well behaved. Without sounding like a misery guts (!) a peaceful adult swim wasnt possible, as the only quiet times were during dinner. Great for families though.||FOOD: We ate in a lovely, private, booth. We enjoyed the food, which is typical of our previous holidays in Austria. This invloved a good selction of meats, usually two potato options and generally one vegetable side (sometimes mixed vegetables). Personally, we would have preferred two vegeatble sides. The pork fillet and local beef were especially good, melt in the mouth - the only problem was they were on the same night and were too full for a second helping! ||Breakfast was excellent. It was the same each day, but an extensive choice so that suited us. A choice of filter coffee or a selection from the machine. We did find the fresh juices were soemtimes a bit watery, but they were from a machine, so maybe it was putting too much water through at the start of the shot? The meats and cheeses were excellent quality. There was a variety of breads (to be honest, the white rolls were sometimes a little dry, which sadly meant a bit of waste, but you could go back a choose a different one/different bread, as the stock was replenished regularly. The best part for us was the provision to also make up a packed lunch each day, a rarity. You put it in a paper bag, which is provided. You also have the option of a hot lunch in the hotel, let reception know by 10am so they can determine numbers. It’s lovely to enjoy lunch on the terrace.||DRINKS: Unlimited beer/wine all day (07:00 - 23:00!) We loved the beer, which was a German lager (similar to Bitburger/Rheinbacher) and always served nice and cold. The white wine had a very slight sparkle and was medium dry, I’d compare it to a Riesling/Gertwürtztraminer. The white was more to my personal taste than the local red, which I’d say was dry and medium bodied similar to a Gamay/Rioja (dry but not oaky). The measures were geenrous and this too was always served nice and chilled. The all-inclusive also includes a traditional, local, non-flavoured schnapps.||THE BAR: Had a nice atmoshpere, with plenty of seating and nicely decorated. The bar staff were efficient and friendly too, we were mainly served by Peter and he was lovley.||THE OUTDOOR POOL: Was shall we say, fresh! It didnt feel heated, but it was probalby the last week of the season (and 28*C). It was extremely clean and weel maintained.||ROOM: We had a family room on the 3rd floor. It was arguably the best room we’ve ever stayed in. It was very spacious. There was loads of wardrobe space and surfaces. We loved having a sofa to sit on. The beds are on the firmer side, but that’s what we have at home. The shower was big and had a nice powerful flow. I can’t comment on the standard rooms, as we didn’t see inside those. The cleanliness and daily room cleaning service was impeccable. As were the cleaning team.||EXTRAS: The Summer pass was not included. We paid 119 Euros for the 6 day pass. Which was way better value than individual tickets, e.g. Kitzsteinhorn-Maiskogel was 59 Euros alone. The pass covers Kaprun and Zell am See lifts. if you can DO THE 3K Konnection! It is breathtaking! A real feat of engineering, I regret not doing it again. The hotel does include a Guest card, entitling you to free bus travel within the whole Pingzau area - the bus service is very efficient. ||The use of the hotel bikes are included (e-bikes extra, if I recall correctly, at a rate of 21 Euros per day). We didnt have time to use them, but will next time. I think this is a great addition.||LOCATION: We didn’t mind it being up out of the centre, as it made the hotel lovely and quiet and next to the picturesque forest. Our views from the room and the terrace were lovely. Other reviews mention it being approx 15 mins walk, we found that about right, it took us 10 minutes and I’m onle moderately fit and had ankle surgery last year. The hill is quite steep, so if you do have limited mobility, you would need to take the bus, the stop is directly opposite the hotel entrance and is regular from what I can gather. Remember to take/show your guest card. ||WALKING: Lots of local walking, for all abilities. Inghams, for one, do walking holidays to this region to give an indication. ||RESORT: We love Zell am See and recommend it - both in Summer and Winter. Excellent walking in Summer and skiing in Winter. The large lake is lovely and pretty to walk around.||What more can I say. I really don’t think you’d be disappointed with choosing Der Waldhof. They are doing it right.||Footnote : We travelled with TUI (who might I add were great this trip) and had a coach transfer to Zell hub and then a minibus transfer up to three hotels, to save further journey time. The driver was really friendly and we had a nice chat and a laugh with him. The transfers were very smooth. The reps and staff great. Check-in was a bit of a chew - both at Manchester and Salzburg - self check-in/bag weigh and the machines often out of...

SHORT VERSION:||Excellent. Thoroughly recommend. Perfect stay for us. Great staff, great room and good food. Will return. ||THE LONG, DETAILED VERSION:||probably don’t read this if you like to discover things for yourself! :)||This place warrants 5 star - from the warm welcome to checking out. Thank you all for making our stay memorable and relaxing.||STAFF: Thomas welcomed us and we had a very good first impression. Everything was well explained to us. He had perfect English (as do all the team throughout) and a great sense of humour. Shout out to Monika also, who was there throughout our stay offering friendly service with a smile. The restaurant and kitchen staff all had great personalites and were attentive and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. The team have been well selected and trained.||SPA: I enjoyed the spa facilities while the other half went off hiking. Note - the adult spa area is traditional Austrian, let’s just say, you won't need your swimming costune for this section. I advise bringing your robe for walking about it, thought the towels are generous in size. There is a separate sauna you can request, across the private courtyard contained within the spa. There are plenty of loungers and showers.||The indoor swimming pool is separate, in the family section. This was a bit of a shame, as you couldn't swim in the adult area. I can see why they are seperate logistically though. The hotel had lots of children there, which was lovely to see and they were all very well behaved. Without sounding like a misery guts (!) a peaceful adult swim wasnt possible, as the only quiet times were during dinner. Great for families though.||FOOD: We ate in a lovely, private, booth. We enjoyed the food, which is typical of our previous holidays in Austria. This invloved a good selction of meats, usually two potato options and generally one vegetable side (sometimes mixed vegetables). Personally, we would have preferred two vegeatble sides. The pork fillet and local beef were especially good, melt in the mouth - the only problem was they were on the same night and were too full for a second helping! ||Breakfast was excellent. It was the same each day, but an extensive choice so that suited us. A choice of filter coffee or a selection from the machine. We did find the fresh juices were soemtimes a bit watery, but they were from a machine, so maybe it was putting too much water through at the start of the shot? The meats and cheeses were excellent quality. There was a variety of breads (to be honest, the white rolls were sometimes a little dry, which sadly meant a bit of waste, but you could go back a choose a different one/different bread, as the stock was replenished regularly. The best part for us was the provision to also make up a packed lunch each day, a rarity. You put it in a paper bag, which is provided. You also have the option of a hot lunch in the hotel, let reception know by 10am so they can determine numbers. It’s lovely to enjoy lunch on the terrace.||DRINKS: Unlimited beer/wine all day (07:00 - 23:00!) We loved the beer, which was a German lager (similar to Bitburger/Rheinbacher) and always served nice and cold. The white wine had a very slight sparkle and was medium dry, I’d compare it to a Riesling/Gertwürtztraminer. The white was more to my personal taste than the local red, which I’d say was dry and medium bodied similar to a Gamay/Rioja (dry but not oaky). The measures were geenrous and this too was always served nice and chilled. The all-inclusive also includes a traditional, local, non-flavoured schnapps.||THE BAR: Had a nice atmoshpere, with plenty of seating and nicely decorated. The bar staff were efficient and friendly too, we were mainly served by Peter and he was lovley.||THE OUTDOOR POOL: Was shall we say, fresh! It didnt feel heated, but it was probalby the last week of the season (and 28*C). It was extremely clean and weel maintained.||ROOM: We had a family room on the 3rd floor. It was arguably the best room we’ve ever stayed in. It was very spacious. There was loads of wardrobe space and surfaces. We loved having a sofa to sit on. The beds are on the firmer side, but that’s what we have at home. The shower was big and had a nice powerful flow. I can’t comment on the standard rooms, as we didn’t see inside those. The cleanliness and daily room cleaning service was impeccable. As were the cleaning team.||EXTRAS: The Summer pass was not included. We paid 119 Euros for the 6 day pass. Which was way better value than individual tickets, e.g. Kitzsteinhorn-Maiskogel was 59 Euros alone. The pass covers Kaprun and Zell am See lifts. if you can DO THE 3K Konnection! It is breathtaking! A real feat of engineering, I regret not doing it again. The hotel does include a Guest card, entitling you to free bus travel within the whole Pingzau area - the bus service is very efficient. ||The use of the hotel bikes are included (e-bikes extra, if I recall correctly, at a rate of 21 Euros per day). We didnt have time to use them, but will next time. I think this is a great addition.||LOCATION: We didn’t mind it being up out of the centre, as it made the hotel lovely and quiet and next to the picturesque forest. Our views from the room and the terrace were lovely. Other reviews mention it being approx 15 mins walk, we found that about right, it took us 10 minutes and I’m onle moderately fit and had ankle surgery last year. The hill is quite steep, so if you do have limited mobility, you would need to take the bus, the stop is directly opposite the hotel entrance and is regular from what I can gather. Remember to take/show your guest card. ||WALKING: Lots of local walking, for all abilities. Inghams, for one, do walking holidays to this region to give an indication. ||RESORT: We love Zell am See and recommend it - both in Summer and Winter. Excellent walking in Summer and skiing in Winter. The large lake is lovely and pretty to walk around.||What more can I say. I really don’t think you’d be disappointed with choosing Der Waldhof. They are doing it right.||Footnote : We travelled with TUI (who might I add were great this trip) and had a coach transfer to Zell hub and then a minibus transfer up to three hotels, to save further journey time. The driver was really friendly and we had a nice chat and a laugh with him. The transfers were very smooth. The reps and staff great. Check-in was a bit of a chew - both at Manchester and Salzburg - self check-in/bag weigh and the machines often out of...

We stayed at the Hotel Der Waldhof in January 2025. Our group was a mixed group of six friends (all roughly in our 40s) on a skiing trip to Zell Am See.||We booked the Waldhof through Crystal Ski, and stayed in 2 of the Junior Suites, 3 to a room. The price per person for the week was £1144 - this included just the room, half board and flights. I did feel that this was quite pricey for one person sharing a room with 2 others, that's nearly £7000 for 2 rooms for the week!! ||The suites have a European style double bed (which is more like to small double mattresses on a single bed base with individual bedspreads), a pull out sofa bed, and a separate room with 2 bunk beds. It slept 3 quite comfortably, though if you were very familiar with your co-travellers you could probably push the numbers to 5 or 6. The shower room and toilet are separate rooms, and all rooms are separated by glass doors. The pictures on the website are a good representation of what you get. Overall, the rooms were warm, clean, and the beds were comfy. There are no kettles in the room, which was a bit of a pain when you're gasping for a cup of tea!!||Our rooms were in the new part of the building; there are a couple of social areas within the landings, so do be prepared for some noise in the night. The building also houses a children's area, so it can get quite noisy. ||WiFi is good throughout the hotel. ||Half board included breakfast, evening meal, and an apres ski snack between 1530 and 1730. Breakfasts were alright, with a typical hot options (bacon, sausages, eggs etc) and plenty of cold options. Dinner was alright - couple of hot options (stews, roasts), and lots of traditional colder options. The apres was a bit hit and miss - if you get there at 1700 when they're looking to get ready for dinner service there isn't a huge amount of options left - if anything!||Whilst the food was all pretty decent, it gets a bit repetitive after a few days. The service area is also not big enough for the hotel, so it does get a bit busy from time to time. And with only 2 coffee machines in the morning, when everyone is trying to get out and on the slopes there is usually a decent sized queue for coffee. ||Drinks are somewhere between average hotel prices to expensive. a Beer is approx £5.00, a large Coke is approx £5.00, and a triple whiskey is approx £18.00.|They don't accept card, only cash or room charges!||A jug of topwater on your table with dinner is charged at 4.50 Euros !!! ||Moving on, the boot room was pretty decent. There are plenty of lockers and your equipment is always dry and warm in the mornings. The slopes are either a 3 minutes bus ride up to the main gondola station, or down to the lowest gondola station. The bus stop is a 1 minute walk from the hotel and is included in your left pass. Heading down on the bus takes you to the "postplatz", where you can easily catch buses to Salbach or Kaprun (also included in your left pass, and definitely with the 20-30 minute trip!!). The Ski in/Ski out is just off Blue Run 7, and there is a bit of walking to do, but it is quite accessible.||The spa consist of an outdoor pool and an indoor pool with a steam room. The outdoor pool is roughly body temperature, so whilst it's not cold, it's not warm either, but it was still pretty decent. |There is also an area which has a warning sign of nude area only. We thought we'd have a look for a giggle, and found to our surprise it was packed out with more hot tubs, jacuzzi's, and steam rooms etc etc. Much more than in the non-nude areas. Everyone inside was wearing swimming gear so we stayed!! ||All in all, Hotel Der Waldhof was a nice place to stay; warm, clean, comfortable. It's a nice little hotel, good for families and kids. ||But I don't think I would go back. I just felt it was a little too expensive for what it...