They do things with style in Austria and DasPosthotel in Zillertal, deep in the mountains of the Tirol, exudes charm and chic. One of the elite circle of ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’ it wears its membership with a confident and well-deserved pride. The Binder-Egger family brought in cutting-edge interior designer Harald Margreiter to fill the space created by architect Thomas Urthaler. The partnership works to perfection. From the moment you arrive you are enveloped in an ambience of natural wood, bright pools of colour, simple furnishings, paired with dramatic murals…and understated luxury. Let’s not forget the luxury. This isn’t the blingy variety, more the flair for something comforting paired with a single stand-out object which makes you re-evaluate simple textures and lines.
Bedrooms and suites are each decorated individually and furnished with handmade pine beds, natural ZillerSeasons mattresses and beech fibre bed linens. Result? Snoozetastic. ServePads (AKA tablets) give access to international magazines, internet, films, games, and information. Likewise, Bio-Naturals cosmetics and care products are provided. My bedroom had a hot-tub cleverly built both in and out of my private terrace. In the winter, triple glazed sliding windows kept the cold at bay while still retaining the glorious view.
Don your towelling robe (but leave your modesty and cossie in the bedroom) and head down to the exquisite Spa and Sauna (naked and 15+ as per normal in Austria) to discover the Finnish sauna, bio sauna, aromatic steam bath, saltwater steam bath, ice fountain, bucket shower, foot basin, infrared cabin, relaxation and lounge area, waterbed, and pine relaxation room. This is truly a place to drift and dream, perhaps with something fizzy to hand (or, if you’re ‘drying out’ organic teas by Sonnetor). Get too comfy and a brief, bracing foray into the outdoor (heated) pool is sure to revive the torpor. Treatment use organic natural cosmetics and care products by Susanne Kaufmann.
In direct conflict with The Donald, the DasPosthotel is a fully signed up Environmentally-Friendly establishment with two certifications: the Austrian Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel. Solar panels heat the pool. The hotel is efficiently wired for clean energy. Leave your car behind and arrive by train with integrated transport to get around. For extra romance access the ski slopes by the dinky 119 year-old Zillertalbahn steam railway which chugs past not 10 metres from the lobby and will run you to nearby Ski-Central Mayrhofen in two loads of a fireman’s shovel ( mmm…maybe not the most enviro-efficient method on reflection).
In order to comprehend this next bit you’ll have to be, a) A serious foodie, or, b) Austrian. So here goes…what has Gault Millau with a hood and 13 points; A La Carte with 2 stars and 70 points; and Falstaff with 82 points and one fork? Answer: The Heleni Restaurant at the DasPosthotel. But you don’t need to be either of the above to enjoy the food. It’s local, organic, seasonal. Yes, the mantra of all good restaurants, but in the Heleni there’s the added injection of fun. For example: extract from the hotel website…‘Our chefs are insatiable’. I’m still puzzling that one out.
The place is truly a family affair. Owner Christina Binder-Egger was born in the hotel, inherited operations from her parents in 2009, and is carrying forward the tradition with a 3rd generation: their two children were born and are being raised in the hotel.
Boutique Hotel DasPosthotel
Rohrerstraße 4
A-6280 Zell im Zillertal
Tirol
Austria
