Oscar has completely fallen in love with skiing, much to Mr S’s delight and we decided to get one last ski trip in before the season was over…
Das Edelweiss Salzburg Mountain Resort had been on my radar for a while, a beautiful family run hotel with 2 Michelin keys, set in Grossarl in Salzburgerland. My mission is to uncover these rare hotels that work for the whole family – something that’s luxurious for me (and gets the Mr S stamp of approval) but also fun for Oscar and Noah.
Das Edelweiss ticks all the boxes for a luxury family-friendly ski hotel; total paradise surrounded by mountains and ski slopes with direct ski in / ski out access… a dream for Mr S. We’ve fallen in love with the concept of Kinderhotels after staying at Moargut and visiting Sonnwies twice and most recently the Feuerstein but Das Edelweiss is a different kind of luxury ski hotel, it’s one that really appeals to all generations.
Read on to find out about this hotel which is perfect for a family ski holiday or a summer mountain retreat near Salzburg.
What is DAS EDELWEISS Salzburg Mountain Resort
Das Edelweiss is one of those rare independent gems in a world of hotels owned by big brands. This is a hotel that has been run by three generations of the Hettegger family since 1979 when the idea was first born by Peter Hetteger, just 17 at the time!
It is now run by husband and wife Karin and Peter Hettegger (son of Peter Snr) and has been since 2018, recently reopening after a stunning refurbishment. I loved the fact that the owners are very much involved in the day to day running – it really adds to the personal touch – and we were always seeing them and their children around the hotel and chatting with guests.
It’s a not a Kinderhotel but it is very very child-friendly! And this is a hotel that has appeal to older kids and all generations really. Unlike the aforementioned hotels, you don’t need to have kids to stay here, in fact you can avoid them entirely if you wish!
Location
Das Edelweiss is located in picturesque Grossarl valley, in the Austrian alps, South of Salzburg and as such is fringed with snowy peaks and ski slopes. We’ve been to Grossarl before as we love coming to Austria – quite honestly it’s much cheaper than some of the resorts in France and Switzerland and we love the convenience on flying into Salzburg and then it’s only an hour drive to the hotel. Mr S says the downside is the skiing isn’t quite as good but this is something we’ve had to balance with all our needs.
The hotel is directly located in the small town where you will find a few restaurants and ski shops. A warning though, do not visit during Ladies Week as we arrived at the tail of it meaning I had two nights of thumping nightclub sounds from outside. The hotel management kindly made up for it with a discount though.
Talking of Salzburg, you can’t avoid The Sound of Music, connection. It’s actually my favourite film of all time, and we also did a two night city break there on this trip. IYKYK the connection between the name of the hotel and Julie Andrews’ famous movie and I’m not going to lie, that was something that drew me to the hotel too!
Design
A style that I would call modern alpine, the Hetteger family worked with local craftsman and manufacturers to create a design that is stylish and sustainable and reflect a connection between nature and design.
Use of wood, stone and glass and large windows that let in the mountain view give a level of comfort and elegance which means every generation feels at home. The hotel is intimate whilst incorporating extensive facilities.
The hotel’s Alpinlounge is combined with the lobby and reception area and we immediately felt comfortable and welcome (a cold glass of sparkling wine pressed into the hand helped with this!) as it’s so cosy with natural materials. The central piece looks like a fire (something that always makes me nervous with small children!) but it’s actually a clever use of lights mimicking a fire.
With the recent refurb everything feels shiny and new but care has been taken to preserve old elements and stay in keeping with the history and location of the place.
The slightly maze-like main restaurant takes up several different rooms on the hotel’s ground floor with interiors that are both alpine modern and alpine traditional. I loved the juxtaposition between the styles that somehow just worked.
The bar itself is beautifully designed too, so modern and elegant with lots of different natural textures but with the intention of the being the ‘social heart of the hotel’ and being so warm and welcoming too.
The Room
There is a wide variety of rooms at Das Edelweiss which cover all the needs of different generations. Of course there are there perfect family-friendly suites but there are also adults only options which include saunas and whirlpools.
Due to room availability we had to move rooms at the end of our stay in order to have a complete week but obviously I secretly love the opportunity to try out different rooms. Our first room was the ‘cheaper’ of the two a Suite Deluxe which was 70m squared. Honestly this is one of the best hotel rooms I’ve had since we started staying in family-friendly ski hotels. Most importantly there were two proper bedrooms… now Mum life I often end up squished inside a kids bunk room with a cot rammed against my bed but on this holiday I actually got to have space and a proper bed. The sofa could be pulled out as a bed too making the room perfect for big families.
I loved the minimal alpine design, it felt so wam and welcoming and it was practical too. Sliding door between the rooms meant that the room could be opened up for space and time together or closed for the praticalities of separate sleep areas.
As well as two full bedrooms, there’s two full bathrooms (one bath, two showers) I cannot tell you the bliss of having my own bathroom and not sharing with three boys!
There was this huge storage area too which is honestly invaluable for a family of four especially on a ski trip with lots of bulky stuff.
We had a wide balcony too and honestly I loved getting breakfast out here, it was one of the highlights of the holiday!
A cot was included in the room along with thoughtful extras such as snacks (including local chocolate, that we loved!), robes and slippers for the boys, a changing mat, nappy bin etc plus the mod cons such as Dyson hair dryer, stocked fridge, coffee machine.
Another thing I loved in the room was the detail, plug sockets in the right place, mirrors in the right place. I even loved that the shower could be turned on with the simple touch of the button. Anyone sometimes find you need the IQ of genius to turn on a shower?
The other room was a Family Suite Deluxe which was 90 metres squared. This was a beautiful room but there’s no real need to spend the extra money on the bigger room, the Suite Deluxe was perfect but I’ve included a gallery for images for a comparison.
One addition to this room was the Ergo Relax chair, a massage chair for after skiing.
FYI there was no evening turn down which I found quite surprising.
Activities
Of course the main activity here is skiing and as a ski in / ski out hotel it’s made really easy to hit the slopes (see I have the lingo even though I’m not a skier!). The cable car is about a 20 second walk from the hotel.
The hotel have a very slick ski depot with heated lockers, one is assigned to every room so you find your locker based on your room number. You can also easily hire your skis from the shop directly at the hotel too.
Indoor Activities
When kids aren’t skiing they can hang out in one of the age appropriate kids areas. Baby Mountain Area for under 3s which had a ball pit and soft play zones plus areas for babies to sleep.
Edelweiss Prinzenland with cinema, play kitchen, cooking area, art and craft room and Montessori style toys for aged for ages 3–6. These dual areas opened out into each other and also served as a supervised kids clubs but parents can stay and play any time too.
I was disappointed to see a few screens in here. I’m really strict on screens at home so my children often gravitate to them in a kids club and ignore the more physical activities as a result which is a shame. There was also only a small selection of books and they were all in German so Noah and I made up some stories by looking at the pictures.
Next is the Young Mountain Area with ninja warrior, climbing wall and trampoline and for older children. I’d say it would suit aged 5 or so plus but I was fine with Noah having a bounce on the trampoline.
Upstairs from here there’s the Cool Mountain Area with playstation and iWall and games like pool and air hockey.
Swimming
We loved our family swims every day (swimming is always a big deal for my boys).
My favourite was the gorgeous outdoor Sports pool, there is something so magical about swimming in the snow with the view of the mountains.
There’s a large indoor pool or the ‘big’ pool as Noah called it and the Baby pool which had fountains and a mini slide.
The piece de resistance was the slide room which was packed with slides over three floors (with set opening hours) admittedly, I found this room quite stressful as Noah wanted to go on everything and it wasn’t all suitable for him.
There’s even a family spa with whirlpool and sauna suitable for children.
Speaking of spa, the Mountain Spa is 7,000 m² with Adults Only Spa and Family Spa areas both in and outdoors over five floors. The Adults Spa includes heavenly relaxation areas, indoor and outdoor infinity pools, indoor whirlpool, saunas and infrared room.
The spa treatments are made from alpine ingredients with facials, massages and beauty treatments. There’s also special treatments for kids such as mini facials, massage, make up. There’s also a gym with a view, yoga for beginners, family yoga, and fitness classes. They also have a reformer machine.
The hotel run a full programme of different activities based around food, wellness and sports and timetable can be found on the app and they can also easily be booked through it.
It was a shame that Das Edelweiss lacked outdoor activities, Feuerstein and Sonnwies are based on a farm so there’s lots of opportunity to interact with nature plus huge outdoor play spaces. Das Edelweiss only had one small playground.
Kids Club
Childcare for over 3s is available in the Edelweiss Prinzenland and there is a programme of activities most days from 9am until 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am – 12pm and 4pm – 9pm included in the cost of the stay. Parents can also join the activities and Noah and I loved baking Easter bread and painting eggs, these could easily be booked via the hotel app.
Children under 3 are an extra charge and the times are variable as follows (from the website):
MON/TUE/THU: 09:00 am – 01:00 pm & 05:30 pm – 09:00 pm
WED: 09:00 am – 01:00 pm
FRI: 09:00 am – 03:30 pm
SAT: 04:00 pm – 09:00 pm
SUN: Closed
The child needs to be booked by 7pm the day before. To be honest I found the timings annoying as they meant I couldn’t meet Mr S and Oscar for lunch during their skiing. I did end up just bringing Noah though which was actually fine.
Another thing to note, the kids club were happy to feed babies and toddlers and Noah had lunch in there one day but they don’t take kids to dinner as other hotels we’ve stayed in do. Also I thought it was a shame there was no live entertainment in the evening, the kids could go to kids club after dinner and play in the area but the only programmed entertainment was a movie.
Food
The food really stands out at Das Edelweiss and all guests stay on a half board basis enjoying the local cuisine. Guests are allocated the same table for breakfast and dinner which makes it really easy when travelling as a family. Thought is put into the table allocation so that if you are travelling with young children you are in the same room as other families and adult groups can be separate for a more peaceful dining experience.
Our table was set with a high chairs for Noah though there was no children’s cutlery and crockery. When I asked for a plastic cup for Noah they didn’t have any, in the bar they offered him water in a wine glass which I felt was a bit lacking in attention to detail.
Breakfast is a very enjoyable experience – people are fuelling up for a day skiing. There’s an actual bread room and juice room, full buffet (including a children’s section) or eggs made to order. Our room service breakfasts were included in the half board with a 10EURO tray charge.
Lunch is not included on the half board which makes sense as lots of people are out skiing. However, as a non-skier I had lunch with Noah in the hotel and a times Oscar was there too after ski school. Restaurant Hoamat 78 is the main option with an a la carte menu of classics – burgers, schnitzel, salads plus stone oven pizza. There’s a children’s a la carte (which is the same through out the hotel offered too).
You can also order from the hotel’s Sushi Bar Sakura, which was a real highlight for me, with nigiri, sashimi, maki, and inside-out rolls and poke bowls. All beautifully done.
For lunch you could also pop to the Spa Bistro which allowed for casual dining in your spa robe. There’s salads and sandwiches and a selection of cake. Plus you can order from Sakura here too.
Another option is Wolke 7, an alpine restaurant that Das Edelweiss co-owns. One day Noah and I took the cable car up the mountain to meet Mr S and Oscar there but honestly I was terrified of the cable car and when we got to the restaurant we ate inside and the weather meant we couldn’t see the view. With the food being fairly mediocre, it wasn’t really worth the fear it incurred but I can imagine on a day with beautiful weather eating outside would be so atmospheric.
Dinner, which is on half board, is at the main restaurant. There is a four course menu every night and the quality is excellent plus you can order a selection of a la carte dishes, food from Sakura as well as caviar and oysters. The a buffet of salads, bread and cheeses plus a hot selection of food for the kids or a la carte. The food was always delicious for the kids and Oscar especially loved the pizza.
The hotel also has a gourmet a la carte restaurant, Sirloin. It’s not included on the half board but you can use an allowance towards a meal there. As you can imagine, the meat is excellent quality and it’s a really fantastic experience.
Finally worth mentioning is Kork and Gloria, the hotel’s wine bar which carries 30,000 bottles and is available to guests for tastings.
Final Thoughts
Das Edelweiss is truly beautiful and we had an absolutely wonderful time here. Mr S is keen to go back as he loved the ski in / ski out element and he thought it was one of the best family hotels we stayed in for actual skiing. For me, it’s a place I’d love to return to when the boys are a bit older (especially Noah) as I missed the outdoor activities that places like Feuerstein, Sonnwies and Moargut had. However, Das Edelweiss is still as place that makes family travel effortless with activities to suit every generation, great food and stunning design.
Great for Kids
Multiple indoor play spaces, water world (including slides) and outdoor playground.
Food that kids will love.
Plenty of spaces for parents and children to enjoy together.
Great for Parents
Beautiful hotel design both exterior and interior.
Extremely spacious and well designed rooms.
Adults only areas for total relaxation.
PIN IT!!
