AUSTRIA HOLIDAY REVIEWS
Austria
A country of majestic mountains, grand cities and the mighty Danube River, Austria was once the power-house of a vast empire that included most of today’s modern eastern European countries. The legacy of the Hapsburg Empire still dominates the architecture and opulent ambience of the capital city, Vienna, while the enchanting Alpine towns draw crowdsmore
A country of majestic mountains, grand cities and the mighty Danube River, Austria was once the power-house of a vast empire that included most of today’s modern eastern European countries. The legacy of the Hapsburg Empire still dominates the architecture and opulent ambience of the capital city, Vienna, while the enchanting Alpine towns draw crowdsmore
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Olga Desnica. Date of travel: Aug 2005
We've just spent 4 days in Graz, on a sightseeing cum gastronomic visit. The City: lots of wonderful streets, houses and parks that it's a pleasure to walk through them. There's a hill (Schlossberg) right in the centre of the old town which one can climb (stairs, lift inside the hill or a funicular). The shopping is great, clothes are good value, although I was a little surprised at the cost of shoes relative to London prices (couldn't find a pair under 300 euros, but perhaps I only went to the expensive shops). There is an amazing church on top of a hill just outside Graz (can't remember it's name now), a place of pilgrimage, where people climb a long run of stairs to get to the church and a spectacular view on Graz and the surrounding hills. The Hotel: The Weitzer hotel was wonderful - right on the banks of the river Mur in the very centre of town, and a perfect 5 minute walk across the bridge to the main square, or - if you prefer the more modern architecture, stay on the same bank and walk 2 mins left to the Kunsthous, and slightly beyond that to the floating Island/Bridge in the shape of a conch shell (called Acconchi, but don't trust my spelling). The hotel rooms were not the largest I stayed in, but they were comfortable, spotlessly clean and a mix of traditional and modern features which I found ideal. For example, the windows were original tall double windows (fantastic views of the river), quality parquet floors, yet the lighting and the bathroom fittings were very modern and stylish. All in all, a very comfortable base for a sightseeing trip. The laundry service was unbelievably fast even after we missed the laundry deadline by many hours:- by the time we got back to the room from dining out on Saturday evening, the clothes were already hanging in the room. As for the food - it was wonderful, so much so that we stayed and ate in the hotel twice (a rare compliment). There was only one small thing which could have been better, and that was the house wine - it was drinkable, but not what we were expecting. However, they do have very nice wines, and next time we had dinner at the hotel, we asked for the wine by name. All in all, this is an impressive hotel which perfectly blends quality, elegance and comfort, so much so that we felt it was a good example of what civilisation has to offer. We will go back there again as soon as possible. Food: This was one of the main reasons for our trip, and boy, was it worth it! When in Graz, go for local Styrian cuisine, it's healthy, wholesome, plentiful and delicious. Wiener schnitzel is lovely, but try schnitzel natur(al) for a change, with roast potatoes... mmmm. A lovely local wine was a "weissburgunder", almost worth the visit to Styria for that alone. We went to several restaurants, cheap and expensive, but the one which no visitor to Graz should miss is the Gosser brewery's own restaurant opposite the Joanneum gallery. Make sure you're hugry before you go there, as the portions are slightly too large, and the food was so scrumptious that all our self-discipline couldn't stop us from eating more than we should have done. The beer came with a lovely froth of the whipped cream consistency. Such a pleasure. Tourism: Graz was almost empty when we were there (late August Bank holiday), and we couldn't understand why. Of course, that made it much better for us - no crowds, no queues, big welcome wherever we went, but I couldn't help contrasting Graz with a place like Pisa for example, where you couldn't move (or get a view) for the hordes of loud, snap-taking, smelly travellers. Any lovely historic town needs the income from tourists for the upkeep of its treasures, and I was sorry that we saw so few other tourists in Graz. In terms of value for money Graz was one of the best places to visit, and as for the quality of the experience - it was so civilised. Austro-Hungarian Empire still rules there.
We've just spent 4 days in Graz, on a sightseeing cum gastronomic visit. The City: lots of wonderful streets, houses and parks that it's a pleasure to walk through them. There's a hill (Schlossberg) right in the centre of the old town which one can climb (stairs, lift inside the hill or a funicular). The shopping is great, clothes are good value, although I was a little surprised at the cost of shoes relative to London prices (couldn't find a pair under 300 euros, but perhaps I only went to the expensive shops). There is an amazing church on top of a hill just outside Graz (can't remember it's name now), a place of pilgrimage, where people climb a long run of stairs to get to the church and a spectacular view on Graz and the surrounding hills. The Hotel: The Weitzer hotel was wonderful - right on the banks of the river Mur in the very centre of town, and a perfect 5 minute walk across the bridge to the main square, or - if you prefer the more modern architecture, stay on the same bank and walk 2 mins left to the Kunsthous, and slightly beyond that to the floating Island/Bridge in the shape of a conch shell (called Acconchi, but don't trust my spelling). The hotel rooms were not the largest I stayed in, but they were comfortable, spotlessly clean and a mix of traditional and modern features which I found ideal. For example, the windows were original tall double windows (fantastic views of the river), quality parquet floors, yet the lighting and the bathroom fittings were very modern and stylish. All in all, a very comfortable base for a sightseeing trip. The laundry service was unbelievably fast even after we missed the laundry deadline by many hours:- by the time we got back to the room from dining out on Saturday evening, the clothes were already hanging in the room. As for the food - it was wonderful, so much so that we stayed and ate in the hotel twice (a rare compliment). There was only one small thing which could have been better, and that was the house wine - it was drinkable, but not what we were expecting. However, they do have very nice wines, and next time we had dinner at the hotel, we asked for the wine by name. All in all, this is an impressive hotel which perfectly blends quality, elegance and comfort, so much so that we felt it was a good example of what civilisation has to offer. We will go back there again as soon as possible. Food: This was one of the main reasons for our trip, and boy, was it worth it! When in Graz, go for local Styrian cuisine, it's healthy, wholesome, plentiful and delicious. Wiener schnitzel is lovely, but try schnitzel natur(al) for a change, with roast potatoes... mmmm. A lovely local wine was a "weissburgunder", almost worth the visit to Styria for that alone. We went to several restaurants, cheap and expensive, but the one which no visitor to Graz should miss is the Gosser brewery's own restaurant opposite the Joanneum gallery. Make sure you're hugry before you go there, as the portions are slightly too large, and the food was so scrumptious that all our self-discipline couldn't stop us from eating more than we should have done. The beer came with a lovely froth of the whipped cream consistency. Such a pleasure. Tourism: Graz was almost empty when we were there (late August Bank holiday), and we couldn't understand why. Of course, that made it much better for us - no crowds, no queues, big welcome wherever we went, but I couldn't help contrasting Graz with a place like Pisa for example, where you couldn't move (or get a view) for the hordes of loud, snap-taking, smelly travellers. Any lovely historic town needs the income from tourists for the upkeep of its treasures, and I was sorry that we saw so few other tourists in Graz. In terms of value for money Graz was one of the best places to visit, and as for the quality of the experience - it was so civilised. Austro-Hungarian Empire still rules there.
beautiful country - Lauren Kelly. Date of travel: Jan 2005
Austria is a beautiful country to say the least. The snow is like a blanket of clear white. You feel very safe and secure.
Austria is a beautiful country to say the least. The snow is like a blanket of clear white. You feel very safe and secure.
Jo Wall. Date of travel: Feb 2004
We stayed at Manis sporthotel in Mayerhofen. Absolutely brilliant: the food and everything was lovely - the roof top outdoor pool is so relaxing when you come back from the slopes. It is really central in the resort and great for the ski lifts. The nightlife is great with loads of pubs playing live music. Tour Operator: crystal
We stayed at Manis sporthotel in Mayerhofen. Absolutely brilliant: the food and everything was lovely - the roof top outdoor pool is so relaxing when you come back from the slopes. It is really central in the resort and great for the ski lifts. The nightlife is great with loads of pubs playing live music. Tour Operator: crystal
CHOOSE A DESTINATION IN AUSTRIA
| Hotels in Austria | User Rating |
| 5-Star Hotels | |
| Altstadt Radisson SAS | | * * * * * | |
| Crowne Plaza | | * * * * * | |
| Goldener Hirsch Hotel | | * * * * * | |
| Hotel Bristol | | * * * * * | |
| Radisson SAS Hotel Altstadt | | * * * * * | |
| 4-Star Hotels | |
| Austrotel Salzburg Hotel | | * * * * * | |
| ATEL Hotel Lasserhof | | * * * * * | |
| Altstadt Weisse Taube | | * * * * * | |
| Altstadthotel Wolf-dietrich | | * * * * * | |
| Auersperg | | * * * * * | |
| 3-Star Hotels | |
| Hotel Kaiserhof | | * * * * * | |
| Altstadt Hotel Goldene Ente | | * * * * * | |
| Altstadthotel Amadeus | | * * * * * | |
| Centro | | * * * * * | |
| Edelweiss | | * * * * * | |
| 2-Star Hotels | |
| Zur Tenne Hotel | | * * * * * | |
| Other Hotels | |
| Arcotel Elisabethpark | | * * * * * | |
| Arcotel Elisabethpark | | * * * * * | |