There must be few places left in the world as beautifully peaceful and quiet as Hotel Falkenstein on the far banks of the Wolfgangsee in Austria. This hotel is such a well kept secret that I am not going to make myself popular with certain family members for letting you in on it!
Not only does it have kind and welcoming hosts who have owned Hotel Falkenstein for generations, it also has incredible food (including a daily cake menu featuring the best apple strudel I have ever ever tasted!), and in my opinion it has pretty much the best spot on the lake. Unlike many other hotels dotted around Wolfgangsee, this one really is directly on the waterfront – perfect for sunrise and sunset viewing should the mood take you!
I can’t actually guarantee that you will have the best sleep on your first night (however many courses of amazing home-made dishes you enjoy in the restaurant!) – you may not have recognised that you were a tinnitus sufferer before staying here, but it really is so lovely and quiet that you might suddenly realise that you are (I slept like a baby on the second night once I was used to it!)…
They do say that silence is golden however, and they are definitely doing something right as Family Hödlmoser only open their hotel doors for six months of the year (usually from Easter until late October!).
Weather permitting (and we were pretty fortunate on the weekend we visited) you can make use of the generous sun terrace – perhaps for a spot of lunch made from locally sourced ingredients – before resting in the garden to the sounds of nothing but the gentle waves of the lake lapping against the garden shore, and in our case the sounds of two small people happily enjoying themselves with a fishing net and a bucket they had procured from the sun bed house!
They would have been more than happy not to venture outside of this perfect hotel and its grounds at all during our stay, and I have to say, we would have been more than happy with that decision as well (we did of course, and very pretty the surrounds are too!).
Generational rowing – a good way to tire the small boy out!
Highly, highly recommended!
A photo posted by Emma (@bavariansojourn) on
Hotel Falkenstein
A-5360 St.Wolfgang
Ried 29
Tel: 0043 (0) 6138 2258
email: gasthof.falkenstein@speed.at
It sounds like you have found a real treasure in Wolfgangsee. We usually stay in Fuschl when we visit in the fall but always make a trip over to Wolfgansee, it is such a picturesque spot.
It is gorgeous isn’t it? Thanks Karen! :)
Oh wow it’s stunning! :)
Thanks Vanessa! It’s really worth a visit if you are ever down that way! :)
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m adding to my Spring itinerary for next year. Looks super peaceful and relaxing.
Claire xx
So glad Claire, thank you! Do get in touch soon though, I think they book up really quickly! :)
You do make me want to travel. The food sounds great – I do love a bit of cake. It looks so tranquil there.
Thanks so much J… x
I just started singing “Im Weissen Roessl am Wolfgangsee”. That’s bad, right? :D
It looks like a beautiful part of the world though and as always gorgeous photos x
Hahaha… Thank you! Glad you like the pics, it is v. photogenic! :D x
Ah you keep getting me all sentimental for Austria. Cakes, peace, scenery and pootling about on the lake. What’s not to love?
I have spent so much time in Austria this year (as you know) and I don’t think I will ever get tired of it! :) x
Sounds like the perfect hidden gem! Such lovely images as always :) xx
Thanks so much! :) xx
STOP! You are killing me with these quintessentially Alpish views!
Thank you! :D So funny, I never imagined it would actually look like that, but it does! :) x
what a secret gem. I love silence and I’m just getting used to it in the day now all the kids go to school!
It’s a strange feeling at first isn’t it Emma? Thank you! :)
Beautiful place! I wish I could travel more!
Thanks Otilia! (:
That hotel looks gorgeous and the scenery is amazing! I can imagine myself completely relaxing with a book there x x
The perfect place for it! Thanks Cass! :)
Sounds and looks totally idyllic.
Shame I kept reading it as ‘hotel Frankenstien’!
Funnily enough, that’s what the 7 year old thought it was called. Think he was a bit disappointed being a little close to Halloween and all that! :D Thanks Liz! (:
Wow, it looks amazing. I love the generational rowing picture, one to treasure. Mich x
Thanks Mich. Hope you had a good journey! (: x
As usual, your pictures and the places look exquisite! Oh to be in Austria at Autumn – perfect :)
Thanks so much Anya! (:
Ooh – that looks AMAZING! LOVE that decoration at the breakfast table too. Those little touches are what make places like that so special x
Totally agree. Thanks Katy x
I remember this place well. I can smell the crisp sharp air just by looking at your pictures. Wonderful place. Elinor x
Thanks so much Elinor. Special isn’t it? :) x
Well, it looks utterly fabulous – what a wonderful place to stay!
You would totally approve of the cooking and the cake Sally! Thank you! (: x