Mavida Balance Hotel - Zell am See, Austria 

The Mavida Balance Hotel in Zell am See exceeded all our expectations and I can highly recommend this exceptional hotel. Whilst the hotel is not right in Zell am See this was not an issue for us. The hotel is a short drive or scenic bike ride (offered free by hotel). We stayed in the Deluxe Panorama Suite on the top floor. This suite was exceptional offering a spacious, modern and contemporary place to chill out and enjoy the stunning mountain scenery. The restaurant is of a very high standard and we chose the full board option which worked well for us. After being out all day exploring this stunning region it was nice to come back to the delicious food served at the restaurant. I imagine you would be hard pressed to find a better restaurant in Zell am See. The spa is also exceptional. Indoor pool, two saunas, steam room, Kneipp foot baths and relaxations rooms.They also have a flotation tank and the Blue Box which offer a unique and special experience.The only downside was the massage I had was quite average. This region offer some fantastic day trips. We visited Krimml Falls, Bad Gastein and drove the Grossglockner Alpine Highway which was an incredible and not to be missed experience. For us the Mavida offered us a modern, contemporary hotel which is often rare to find in Europe. We would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it.

Once you get used to the lack of traditional Austrian alpine charm, you begin to wish that there were more hotels of this calibre throughout the alps. From the moment you step into the designer lobby, you know that you will leave wishing that you could stay longer. There is a high ratio of staff to guests, and everyone from the cleaner to the owner is polite, friendly and keen to go out of their way to make your stay as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Our room, was big by Austrian standards and was furnished to a high standard, comfy bed, large wardrobes, high-spec bathroom, flatscreen TV, CD player, balcony, proper pillows (rare for Austria), but strangely, no blinds. Not sure whether these were missing from all the rooms (there were fixings where presumably they had once been), but it did allow for a beautiful view of the sunrise over the snowcapped mountains while still in bed in the morning. The ski-cellar was of good size, with plenty of heated boot racks, and literally a 5 minute stroll from the gondolas. A short walk back in the afternoon, followed by a slice of cake in the bar, and you were ready to hit the spa area, for a relaxing doze on the water-beds beside a decent sized pool. After a swim, transfer yourself to the sauna and steam room area, the best massages, or relax in the "silence" room. After all that relaxing, time to enjoy dinner in the Mavida's restaurant. Would strongly recommend booking the half-board option, since the food was definitely the high point of this hotel. Service was friendly and efficient while a window through to the kitchen provided some interest to see the chef's doing what they do best. The menu presented a daily special 4-course or choice to go a la carte. In addition there was an extensive wine cellar. If you still had the energy for more, you could head to the comfy bar, with live music at the weekends. Again, the bar had been given the designer treatment and was nothing like your traditional Austrian bar - well, apart from the smoke. While much of Europe seems to like nothing more than imposing a bit of passive smoke on those who don't, it does seem very strange that a hotel like the Mavida that prides itself on "wellbeing" and "balance" has not kept the bar area smoke-free (but then I suppose indulging in a drink probably isn't strictly that healthy either - trouble is the smoke tends to drift into other areas too! After a great night's sleep, time to eat again, with a great choice from the breakfast buffet, which included pancakes or eggs cooked to order from the kitchen. Overall, the Mavida was different from any other hotel I've stayed in in Austria, but well worth the extra cost of staying at "any other hotel" in Austria too. Great for couples who want to "escape" for a few days.