Earlier this month my travel-addicted friend Katja and I went on yet another trip into the Alps this year. After we visited South Tyrol in Italy in late summer we now made it to the North of the region situated in Austria: Tyrol – more specifically Kitzbühel, one of the oldest ski resorts in Europe and known for its wealthy and often famous clientele. We stayed at the luxurious Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol which is one of many 5-star-hotels in the area. Within only three days we experienced this amazing winter wonderland from its best side with thick layers of snow, sunny weather and of course amazing food. Thumbs up for beautiful Tyrol! Enjoy my latest travel story with lots of pictures after the jump.
Kempinski Hotel – Das Tirol
One of the major perks of our trip to Tyrol was our fancy accomodation: The Kempinski in Jochberg. The 5-star-hotel group also has one address in Berlin, the Adlon Hotel at Pariser Platz. But in contrast to the one in Berlin which is inside an old historical building and has a more traditional, luxurious interior the one in Jochberg is a very modern one in a new building with a more contemporary interior combining traditional colors and materials with a youthful design. Situated a bit outside of Kitzbühel it offers stunning views from its balconies such as the one below from my room.
Kempinski The Spa
Apart from the breath-taking mountain landscapes it is embedded in, the hotel has a lot to offer for its guests: They have two restaurants, one small brasserie, two big lounges with fire places, a few little shops, one of them to borrow skiing gear, a fancy bar, a wine room, children’s day care, a gym and one amazingly huge spa and pool area. Speaking of which, they have two outdoor pools (one of them a heated and with salt water), one indoor pool, several saunas and steam baths, and numerous rooms for spa treatments. You can spend whole days in here.
Kempinski Luxury Suites
In the beginning of our trip we got a little tour of the Kempinski hotel which did not only include all of the mentioned amenities but also this secret, locked-up section of the hotel for special guests of the hotel who can afford 200sqm luxury suites with 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, private fire places, patio and so much more. We could only afford 5 minutes in these rooms but we made the best of it 😉
When going on a trip to an exclusive ski resort such as Kitzbühel you of course want to look your best. I’m not quite sure if I really lived up to that in the 90’s snow suit that I borrowed from my dad and the bargain snow shoes from a discounter. But at least I got to finally wear my brand new leopard print snow boots from Diemme x Slam Jam that I found thanks to Vreni. Love these wonderfully warm and unique looking shoes! Although I didn’t dare wearing them in the snow really…
Sra Bua by Winni Brugger
On our first evening we tried out the Asian restaurant Sra Bua by Winni Brugger, one of the two dinner opportunities inside the Kempinski hotel. The atmosphere in there is amazing, thanks to the stunning chandelier. The food was fantastic as well, I had lamb chops that were as tender and juicy as they get.
Snow Hiking in Tyrol
While being in the snow covered mountains one should of course take full advantage of the great outdoors. Wrapped up in snow suits and winter boots we took a hike through the beautiful landscapes of Tyrol. I haven’t been a big fan of winter vacations in the past, but I am now! This was fantastic! Beautiful and such good air. And a great work-out as we noticed after about 2 hours… But we had so much fun and took some fun photos of the excursion for you. Btw. these guided tours through the snow are offered for free by the Kitzbühel Tourism office, especially interesting are the ones at fullmoon. You only have to pay a lending fee of 15 EUR for the walking sticks and snow shoes.
Rosi’s Sonnbergstuben
After we’ve spent the afternoon in the spa and in our lovely beds in our even lovelier hotel rooms we had a lovely dinner at Rosi’s Sonnbergstuben. This charming restaurant is located a bit up the mountain in a traditional Alm house. It offers a warm rustic interior, a homey atmosphere with family photos, a friendly host (Rosi) welcoming all her guests and handsome waiters with Tyrolean leather shorts. The food here is as traditional as the look of the place. I enjoyed a hearty roulade and a delicious chocolate tarte for dessert. Yum!
Horse Sleigh Ride around the Schwarzsee
Even though it was a struggle to leave the cosy bed we once again went back into the snow the next morning. As the ski season hadn’t started (all slopes and lifts were not operating yet) we had to come up with yet another winter activity that was not skiing or snowboarding. This time it involved some giant English coldblood horses. You guessed right: we went on a sleigh ride! As I am a fan of horses this was an extra treat for me, even though for the bigger part of the trip we only saw their behinds, making an occasional drop. The ride was really enchanting except maybe for the part were the snow was so heavy that we had to cover ourselves with the blanket. But regardless I can only recommend this.
Discovering Kitzbühel
In the afternoon we made a little stroll through the small town of Kitzbühel, had a coffee here and a mulled wine there, checked out the Christmas market, had some jolly old folks sing us some carols, met the horned furry monsters that apparently accompany St. Nikolas here and also scouted some bars for later that night.
The Petit Tirolia
On our last night we had dinner at Petit Tirolia, the restaurant of the Grand Tirolia Hotel – amazing place. This must have been one of the most luxurious dinners I’ve had. Before and after every course we were served Amuse Gueule – in Germany we call these in-between-snacks “Greetings from the Kitchen” (cute, no?), and it felt like at some point we seemed to have a permanent line of greetings to the chef. Much to our delight of course as one was more delicious and attractive as the other. My main course was a pair of upper rips, meat so soft it practially cuts itself. The redbeet-themed dessert turned out to be a second highlight. Check out the photo below (4th image), what a looker!
On the third morning we allowed ourselves to sleep in, what a luxury these days… 😉 Luckily the Kempinski Hotel serves breakfast until noon, so we had a lot of time to enjoy the amazing buffet with Champagne for a final time which we of course took full advantage of (nom nom nom). In our final moments in our hotel rooms I actually got a little sentimental, what a shame we had to leave the beautiful place so soon already. But I guess with a stunning view like that I would have felt the same even after a week.
Now that I’m back in Berlin and writing this review I have the magnificant view into my neigbors kitchen and all I can do is dream of the snowy landscapes of Tyrol… See you soon!
More info: www.tyrol.com – www.kitzbuehel.com – www.kempinski.com
