AktivHotel Hochfilzer - Ellmau, Austria     

My husband and I have just returned from a week here, courtesy of a cheapie with Inghams via lastminute.com. We usually stay in apartments, so this was a change for us to have half board in a hotel but we were really happy with the hotel itself and the holiday over all in spite of unseasonably rainy weather. The hotel is spotless and comfortable and the staff very friendly and helpful. We couldn't fault the food, with a really good variety at breakfast and nice choices in the evening - all beautifully presented. Most evenings there was some sort of themed event, with dishes to match. We would definitely go back there. Ellmau itself is beautiful, as is the whole area, and we took full advantage of our lift passes to view the stunning scenery. The food and drink were very reasonable - a pleasant surprise. Beer 3 euros a pint and wine 2 euros a glass. I last visited Austria 30 years ago and it was really expensive, but not so now. We're not usually into walking, but took our boots anyway and were inspired to do some quite long walks, which we found very enjoyable. There is a resident guide in the hotel, and he was obviously very knowledgeable, but we preferred to buy a little book of walks in the area and do our own thing - mainly so we could stop and have a beer when we wanted one! The area is also really geared up for children, with loads of activities in the hotel and also at the top of the cable car runs. Very child friendly. I wish we'd known this when our son was young, as he would've loved it there, but it was never on our list of places to go. If you are considering the Hochfilzer, please don't be put off by any negative comments you've read. Lots of guests return year after year and I'm sure you'll enjoy a stay as much as we did.

We went to this hotel on an Inghams package holiday and enjoyed our stay, although I have to say that I can’t be quite as enthusiastic as previous reviewers, as we thought there were some things which could have been better. I notice that the last review was in March this year and most are during the winter, when it seems that resorts and hotels in the Tyrol really come alive – much quieter in summer. The accommodation was good. We were in the ‘Hausgarten’ annexe, across the road from the main hotel, and had a 2 room apartment, which was comfortable and spacious. The Hausgarten was very quiet and peaceful, the only down side was that it was a bit of a pain going across to the swimming pool in the main hotel, quite a hike with towels, robes etc! Problems with the shower/hot water were mentioned in previous reviews but we had no problem at all, plenty of hot water and good water pressure meant it was very quick to run a bath. All spotlessly clean and well maintained. There was a small kitchen area, with two rings and a fridge, and very basic kitchen equipment, but no kettle, which was a surprising omission, as there were cups in the cupboard. Perhaps a kettle is provided in the winter, but why not all year round? It would have been nice to be able to make a hot drink rather than having to go across the road to the hotel bar. Although it was June, it was rather cold in the mornings and evenings and the heating wasn’t on, but when we asked at Reception we were given a very efficient plug-in radiator. Breakfast was really good, with a huge selection of fruits, fresh and dried, cereals, lots of interesting breads, ham, cheese, eggs, and omelettes made on request. It varied a bit from day to day but there was always plenty of choice. The daily newsletter on the table was a nice touch. I was surprised at the rave reviews about dinner because we weren’t too impressed, and although I'm a fussy eater, my husband isn't at all. There were five courses –self-service salad buffet which was much the same every night and rather limited; an appetiser and a soup – no choice for these other than take it or leave it! – and a choice of three main courses, fish, meat or veggie, which had to be ordered at breakfast time. The main course tended to be rather small and the vegetables varied, sometimes there weren’t any, although there were usually potatoes. There was a choice of dessert or ice-cream, no cheese option. When sitting in the bar one night we found an a la carte menu which sounded good, but this wasn’t obviously on view. We asked at Reception if there was an allowance against the a la carte but were told there wasn’t. Even so, we thought the a la carte should have been offered in the restaurant at a supplement because we found the choice of dishes rather limited. The exception to this was the Farmer’s Buffet, which was excellent, with a huge choice of dishes, too many for even the biggest appetite! Wine by the bottle was expensive, but much cheaper by the glass, and the quality seemed just as good. We missed out on the free ‘welcome drink’ served on the Monday evening because we arrived about 2 minutes too late, having not realise it was served from 6 till 6.30 only (dinner started at 6.30). The staff were friendly, although some Reception staff spoke better English than others, having said that, their English was a lot better than our German! We had a rather unfortunate incident towards the end of the week when my husband, who has a heart condition, was taken ill on the Hohe Salve mountain and had to be taken by ambulance to hospital in Kufstein, where we spent most of the day. He had various tests, which fortunately concluded that it wasn’t heart related but was probably a rather nasty virus. They were very good at the hospital, but it was a very upsetting and traumatic day, and even though we contacted the travel rep who told the hotel what had happened, when we arrived back that evening, none of the staff on Reception asked if he was OK. When I appeared alone for dinner that evening, as he was still feeling ill, no-one even commented on his absence and even when I told the waitress what had happened she showed little concern. I was very grateful to the family who suggested I share their table, as it really isn’t very nice sitting on your own after such an awful day. Overall it was a good holiday, very comfortable accommodation and a wonderful setting. The views are fantastic.