There is only one hotel in Lech where you can swim outside in a warm pool surrounded by snow, and that is the gorgeous Gasthof Post ski & spa hotel in Austria. This hotel is favored by the Dutch Royal Family, who stay here every year and Pippa Middleton (Princess Kate’s sister) was a resident just days before we last stayed here.
Location
The location is great, right on the main street, just a few buildings up from the main Strolz department store (the Harrods of ski shops), and the classy hotel restaurant looks out over the main street so you can keep an eye on the activity.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Lech is always in the prime of winter, the end of January to early March, but prices are much lower at the start and end of the season, so we feel there is better value to be had in the lower season. Stay anytime from December, including some of January and then April, and you can grab a bargain at this luxury hotel and throughout the hotels in this region.
How To Get There
Lech in Austria can be reached by train from Innsbruck or Zurich airports. The nearest station is Langen Am Alberg. It’s then around a 20-minute taxi ride to the resort.
Style & Character
The Gasthof Post has a stylish, traditional feel throughout. The modern rooms to the back of the building are my favorite rooms and embrace a warm red or green color scheme. Our room was 72, and IMHO this is one of the best rooms in the place, although the Kaiser suite also looks good if more pricy. The Spa is ultra-modern and stylish, and the outdoor infinity pool… that was my highlight!
Rooms
When you stay, do request one of the rooms on floor 4 (the top floor, they start with 7) in the modern section of the hotel. You get beautiful high-beamed ceilings in these rooms, whichever room you end up in, and in the summer, glass doors at the end of the corridor open up directly to the infinity pool area and garden, which is decked in loungers. So utterly convenient for enjoying this pretty space.
Our room had a bedroom and lounge area with a pine separating wall in between. In the bedroom area of our very large room, the handmade bed looked like Santa’s sleigh with whimsical red wooden struts and a little crown carved into the bedstead. I can’t imagine how much fun it would be to hang your stockings off if you were staying on Christmas day. Above the bed, a pretty canopy gave way to a painted alpine scene that put you unquestionably in Austria, whether you look out of the window or not.
The magic of this room, beyond the enormous balcony, the massive bathroom with roll-top bath, the walk-in shower, the 2 separate sinks with surround to place your toiletries (perfect if you like to spread your mess, as you won’t bother your partner, you can have one sink area each), is the fireplace in the central wall.
The design of the fireplace was double-sided, which means you can warm your tootsies while in bed, while your partner lounges in the lounge area and enjoys the fire in the other room too!
Also worth mentioning is that there was a generous volume of l’Occitane Verbena (lemony) toiletries in the bathroom replenished daily along with water and a fruit bowl. Toiletries shouldn’t make or break a hotel choice, but l’Occitane Verbena is one of my favorites, so this was a tick in the excellence box for me!
Service & Facilities
The spa and relaxation rooms are an absolute highlight at the Gasthof Post with their multi-million euro, sympathetic, glass-sided extension. Inside, you could enjoy warm pine-clad resting rooms and a slopeside relaxation area looking out onto the pool and the slopes beyond. Of course, there was also a gym for those who decided not to ski, looking out over snowy pine trees and a kids pool with a water slide, numerous jets, and a waterfall, along with a baby pool with mini fountains. Oh, and let’s not forget that infinity pool.
The spa area itself offered numerous treatment rooms, including his and her larger rooms with large tubs filled with petals in the center.
Food & Drink
The hotel restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a vista of the center of Lech and all the associated action. On warmer days, the bar opens up onto a sunny south-facing terrace where you can enjoy drinks and light bites alfresco.
The breakfast at the Gasthof Post was particularly good. Excellent Bircher muesli and fruits. Loads of other cereals were also available, including choco pops for the kids. Salad and cheese were spread out on platters, as well as charcuterie meats. Fresh bread and some gorgeous pastries, including muffins and the cinnamon apple pastries that the Austrians do so well, completed the buffet. Of course, there were a million juices, very good tea and coffee, sparkling water, and eggs made to order. All presented beautifully.
My tea came with a precise hourglass timer, so I knew when it was ready, the boiled eggs for my son came with little hats to keep them warm and a strange device that involved dropping balls on top of the egg to slice the shell perfectly, so he could get the egg open without making a mess of the shell (such fun!).
In the afternoon, a resident’s lounge (available to hotel guests only) supplied newspapers and free teas and coffees, which was a nice touch and a good place to unwind.
In the evening, the ambiance of the restaurant was excellent, as was the salad bar. The menu was generous and adventurous, and the staff went out of their way to supply ice cream and smarties for my son, which is always appreciated.
In contrast to other hotels in Austria, the Gasthof Post had a large number of refined British guests while we were staying. Perhaps the Royal guests had spread the word, or perhaps we Brits are suckers for a water slide for our kids and a gorgeous outdoor infinity pool for a sophisticated swim? After all, is there anything more indulgent than bobbing about outdoors in a warm pool as snowflakes fall on your head? I think not.
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