Garni Strass Hotel

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The Strass Hotel itself is in a fabulous position on the main street, right next to the Penkenbahn cable car, which is the link up to the main ski area. We booked to stop at the Landhaus Roscher, a 3 star chalet run by the same people, with breakfast at the chalet, and evening meals at the Strass.
The chalet is a little more off the beaten track, and not the easiest to find first time round, but its only a 5 minute walk in the cold to the Penkenbahn.
The rooms are excellent sizes for 3 star, and all have a balcony, private facilities, and plenty of space. I could not fault the rooms at all. Breakfast was served in the restaurant area, and consisted of the usual Austrian fare: rolls, bread, ham, cheese, jam, strong coffee. We would get to breakfast for around 7.45 to ensure leaving the hotel at 8.30, so as to be up on the slopes for just after 9, thus missing the early rush to be first up, and let me tell you - the Penkenbahn gets VERY busy first thing. Try and avoid the first lift up and the last lift down.
Evening meals were in a quiet part of the restaurant down at the Strass, and there was always a choice. We were actually there over Xmas and they put on a special festive menu on 24th. It was always 3 courses, and the service was acceptable, although the room was terribly hot. Our waitress was Czech, and spoke virtually no English but we got by with my pigeon German.
Mayrhofen: The town is pretty, traditional tyrol style resort, and there is a long street with plenty of shops and banks, bars and restaurants. I would suggest the best option would be to go B&B as there are some great places to eat out, most notably Mo's, about 400 yards down the hill on the corner. Its also a good place to have a beer. Prices are reasonable, but the portions are huge! Service is great, the waitresses are brilliant. There are Italian, Indian, Chinese and traditional Austrian places to eat too. You wont be pushed for choice.
If you want to hire skis, best place is the slightly more expensive shop underneath the Penkenbahn. The service in there is second to none, they really know their stuff, and look after the equipment. Its also in the perfect place to come off the slopes, and drop off your skis and boots before having a beer. They all speak good English as well, and don't rush you with anything.
Unfortunately, this time we hired skis from Mannis, which belongs to the ski set group. Their service was poor, the equipment tired and some of it damaged - I had to take my boots back on day 1 as the strap broke! There are 2 Mannis stores, neither of them is any better. They rush you and force you into taking stuff which might not be suitable If you haven't got your wits about you.
Another good thing about the hire shop under the Penkenbahn is the fact that it is owned and managed by Uli Spiess, ex downhill racer, who is usually found up in the main restaurant on the Ahorn during the day, or in his bar in the evening, the well known and well used Happy End - it looks like a conservatory opposite the Penkenbahn. Go in there and speak to Gitte. You will notice some of the ski instructors also double up as bar maids in the evenings.
There are so many places to go out, I wouldn't want to start. However, there is a very nice contemporary looking bar on the main street about 150 yards down from the Strass, very nice food and drink, great atmosphere. If you like it loud and mad, you cant miss the noisy Ice Bar attached to the side of the Strass, which is open for apres ski and closes at around 8. Its not cheap for drinks, and is always packed to the rafters, so it takes an eternity to get served, but its good for a laugh one night, just to watch the Germans and Austrians singing their heads off to classics such as "Live is Life". Only in Europe....
As for the skiing, you cant fail to find something suitable whatever level you are. The Ahorn is the perfect place to relax and warm up on day 1. There is a brand new 180 man cable car just around the corner from the Penkenbahn, but you might want to take the bus up there. THE SKI BUS SERVICE IS ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT ALL ROUND THE RESORT. There are several easy blues to loosen up on, a more challenging red which is perfect just after lunchtime usually, and a black off the mountain which only opens when conditions allow - very tricky in places, but a good challenge to competent skiers.
If you take the Penkenbahn up, which is quick and efficient, you will then need to take one of the 2 chairlifts to the next level. I suggest skiing down through the beginners area to the bottom lift, and taking that up - its 6 man and its quicker, and is usually less crowded. The 4 man from the main area often breaks down and the queues can be annoying. The lifts operate on a chipped card, so no stopping to get passes out.
Take the run down to the Penkenbahn a couple of times to get the feel of it, and then drop over the back into the bowl, but beware - this red might be massively wide, but it can be icy and bumpy, especially in the morning. There are lots of runs to choose from, but once you are over the back and at the bottom, where the Horbergbahn joins from down below, its a great place to explore out from.
Red 7 was our favorite - take the Schneekaar up and enjoy the run back down. Its wide at the top, but has a few narrow and steep sections which need to be taken with care, especially when it gets so busy. There's a lovely cafe about half way down too, with tremendous views. There is also a cafe at the bottom, but this is often in the shade. Try going the opposite way, and heading for the 150 man cable car and then ski over the back of Rastkogel - lovely open blues and reds in the sun most of the day.
The whole ski area is fantastically maintained, and there is always something open, even last December when the snow was as poor as it had been for years. It didn't prevent us from having a fabulous time, as we always do in this resort.
The Strass looks to be an over priced hotel for most skiers requirements, which is somewhere to sleep at night, but the Landhaus Roscher is the perfect place. You can take B&B or half board usually.
If you have been to Mayrhofen and are looking for a decent base, this could be perfect for you. If you want a sauna, spa, 4 star treatment then don't bother with the Strass, go to the Neue Post. For those of you not sure about Mayrhofen for a winter holiday, don't even give it a 2nd thought - go and book it now.