Reviews of Austria Hotel, Niederau, Austria

Having just returned from the...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Select

Submitted By:

Mrs J Reilly

Comments:

Having just returned from the Hotel Austria we had a great week. Having read comments from previous reviews i was abit dubious but i totally disagree with some of the comments. Alright the Church is nearby with its bell ringing but you can always take earplugs with you but you get used to it. The food was good and the staff very cheerfull and attentive. Neiderau is very pretty and the hotel was in a very cental location i would definately go back and stay in this hotel

Hotel was in a fantastic spot...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr A Horsley

Comments:

Hotel was in a fantastic spot for ski school and slopes and hire shop. For breakfast we would have liked an hot option before going out into the cold, but buffet style breakfast and plenty of cereal, breads, chesses and hams. Evening meals were very filling and very well presented, the clear soups were not always to our liking. All staff were helpful and any questions or extras were seen to straight away. Rooms were more than big enough and very clean, also the mini bar prices in the room were only slightly more than the bar. Also the hotel as a restaurant for the public which was very handing for eating lunch as you can walk through the bar into the restaurant. Only thing that let the hotel down was the breakfast for us.

I read the reviews on this site...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Bath Travel/Inghams

Submitted By:

Mrs C E Knight

Comments:

I read the reviews on this site after I had booked our holiday and having read them was dreading it.

However we had a delightful week at the Austria. The room was large enough and very clean. The towels were changed daily although the duvet covers were not but then I don't do it more than once a week at home. The staff were friendly and very helpful. The food was fine and there was plenty of it. There was a good choice at breakfast, meat cheese, eggs, 3 types of bread and ryvitas. Also cereals and 2 types of tinned fruit and yoghurt. There was a choice of 3 juices and none were watered down.

You did have to order your evening meal at breakfast but there was a choice of 3 main dishes and always a vegetarian option. There was a good salad buffet to start and then a soup course. The puds were fine, tiramisu, pannacotta and a couple of nights there was ice cream. We did have to share a table but that was no problem as our dining companions were lovely. As were the majority of the guests staying at the same time as us.

There was smoking allowed in the entrance area but there was never more than one or two people smoking at any one time so not too bad.

The room were a little on the warm side but we managed to turn down the radiator. We were on the side where we didn't hear the church bells we just heard the drunks but that happens in all ski resorts.

So I would recommend the Austria- the location was great and we had a good week's holiday.

We really enjoyed our stay at...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Preece

Comments:

We really enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Austria, from the moment we arrived we were greeted by a friendly receptionist, she was helpful and cheerful throughout the week. The waiters and waitresses were friendly and understanding and apologetic if something was delayed. We did laugh one morning though when someone asked for a boiled egg, "No" came the reply from the waiter.

Breakfast was what you would expect in Europe, good choice of cheeses and meats juices, cereals etc… ok the fruit is tined…. But hey this isn’t the Savoy!

The dining area was good and is no smoking, in fact I think the whole Hotel is now non smoking.

The rooms were also what you would expect on a skiing holiday, clean but dated. The beds were ok, the only area that was a let down was the shower, no shower screen or curtain…. So I promptly flooded the bathroom.

The Bells are Ok, yes they go off at 6 in the morning, but wear earplugs and you’ll never know. Any case I think the Church was there first, people who can clearly see a church in the brochure pics should expect bells at some stage.

The pool was great, and its worth spending a couple of euros on the Sauna and steam room, very relaxing, albeit naked.

The bar was OK but I preferred the local bars which had more action.

If you are fed up with the hotel menu, good Pizza restaurant down by the Spa shop.

All in all great value.

Fantastic location, just a...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr P Roberts

Comments:

Fantastic location, just a couple of munutes from the lifts and buses for other resorts stop right outside. Mixed feeling about the hotel. Some staff brilliant, other dead ignorant. Breakfast was the same every day, the only eggs available were hard boiled, no toast, no bacon, but lots of cheeses and hams + cereals.



Evening meals were great, with a selection of 3 different courses every night and the soups were delicious. You need to order you evening meal choice at breakfast time.



Single room suppliment is a rip off as they are only single rooms so you are not taking up any other space.



General very comfortable, very warm however you do get woken up EVERY morning at 6am by the sound of the church bells ringing constantly.



Would not return, but that only because there is a big world out there to explore.



Pete Roberts

Devizes

England

My husband and I chose this...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2008

Tour Operator:

Neilson

Submitted By:

Mrs J PHILLIPS

Comments:

My husband and I chose this hotel because of it's close proximity to all the ski amenities - Ski hire, boot room, ski school, gondola, ski bus stop. I have to disagree with some of the previous comments.



The hotel was spotlessly clean, staff were friendly and accommodating, typical Austrian food was chef cooked, delicious and there was a choice of three evening meals each day, chosen from the menu at breakfast time as most other hotels in the area. (If you want plain English food, don't stay at this hotel)



On our first evening we were shown to a table that we were expected to eat at for the whole week and also share with another couple. I requested that my husband and I have a table for two, that we did not wish to share with another couple. This was no problem at all. We were shown to a different table and asked if this was better for us.



The Ski hire and boot room were both at the bottom of the hotel and seemed to be quite efficient, though we disagreed with the additional compulsory ski and boot insurance that we had to pay on hire of the equipment, even though we had ski insurance and had booked and paid for the equipment in the UK. However they did reduce the fee when I questioned the reasoning behind this additional cost, especially as we were guests of their hotel.



Despite that one problem, we would definitely return to this hotel and would recommend it to our friends.

I have stayed in Niederau twice...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2007

Tour Operator:

Inghams

Submitted By:

Mrs L Heussi

Comments:

I have stayed in Niederau twice now. The first year at the Harfenwirt and this year at the Austria.



I chose the Austria because of its location (exceptionally well located for gondolas, ski school etc) , access to the boot room, and the fact that it had a pool.



I can only say how disappointed I was with everything except the location. The waiter almost accused me of trying to get away with not paying about 6 Euros for a couple of glasses of wine. When I said no problem, I'll get the money for you (I missed dinner two nights so wasn't there to pay) he told me that it was a problem. I complained to the manager who was most unhelpful.



The room was awful, I knocked my legs every time I got out of bed due to the way the beds were laid out. The church bells which rang every 15 minutes kept me awake every night, and the at 6am the bells went berserk, for at least an hour.



The downstairs area was so smoky that I felt that I had smoked several cigarettes just walking in to the lift.



The food was average and I agree with previous comments about the tinned fruit cocktail.



When skiing, I don't expect luxury, so wasn't surprised that we didn't get it. However, courtesy might have been nice!!



We had an early flight home and there was no coffee or tea available before we left at 4am.



I am well travelled and have to say that this was the most unpleasant hotel that I have had the misfortune to stay in.



Since returning, I have started working for a major tour operator, which does use the Austria. I can honestly say that I will never recommend this hotel to anyone!

As a family, the four of us had...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2007

Tour Operator:

MyTravel

Submitted By:

Mr S Trundle

Comments:

As a family, the four of us had two separate rooms, which were next to each other on the first floor.



There is 4 floors in total; -1 (bar, some rooms, sauna), 0 (reception, dining room, some rooms), 1 (rooms), 2 (rooms).



If you are considering staying in this hotel, there are some things you need to be aware of. Myself and other half consider ourselves as having reasonably high standards, but I think you will agree, that, even someone without high standards might be somewhat concerned by some of the following:



- Meals; our holiday was booked on a half-board basis;



Breakfast was a limited selection of cheap cereals, a bowl of fruit cocktail (from a tin - which was advertised as 'fresh fruit salad'), cheese slices with bread roll, an apple/orange, coffee/tea, and heavily watered-down 'fresh orange juice'.



They serve milk at the table - but be very cautious - I personally witnessed the waitress collecting the milk jugs from the tables and pouring the remainders into the 'big' jug for tomorrow’s breakfast – Yuk – disgusting, and dangerous.



Dinner was three courses - a fixed menu. They only serve at 7pm - yes - everybody in the hotel has to be in the dining room at the same time before they start serving dinner.



There are NO choices. At All. You eat what you are given, or you go hungry. Soup everyday for starter, followed by a heavily vinegered or salted main course, and some of the food was so greasy that you had to soak it off with your paper napkin before it became even remotely appealing or edible.



The dessert was usually a blob of something cheap and nasty such as angel delight or warm pears – overall, a very low standard of cuisine, and of little nutritional value. You will also be expected to pay for any over-priced drinks that you have with your evening meal, even if you are staying on a half-board basis.



- Smoking; the entire hotel (expect the dining room) is a smoking zone. Expect vast lung-fulls of smoke whether you like it or not.



- Bar; over-priced drinks in a very shabby surrounding. Loud music in the evenings - expect to be hearing it through the night if you are staying on floor 0 or -1.



- Rooms; A bath is non-standard and will cost you 100euros extra for the privilege. Our shower cubicle had many cracked (and sharp) tiles in and surrounding it.



The drinking glass in the bathroom had not been cleaned and had a layer of someone else's toothpaste drippings welded to the bottom of it - Disgusting.



Towels will be changed twice in a week, no more. Bed sheets / duvet cover will NOT be changed at all. Our radiator did not work and they took two days to fix it (there are no thermostats in the rooms either).



Overall we were VERY disappointed with the standards presented at this hotel and it certainly does not meet the UK expectancy of a 3-star hotel. I'd give it a 1, or 1 and a half, at best.



Just about the only thing it has going for it, is a ski-bus stop right outside the hotel, so if you're a skier / boarder and you need easy access to the ski-bus, then that might be of benefit to you.



We tried to move hotels on our first night but our tour operator said there were no rooms available in the surrounding hotels, so we had no choice but to put up with it. We would never consider staying there again.



If you do decide to give it a chance, I wish you luck, and hope you have a better experience than we did.

Spent my half term holiday with...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2007

Tour Operator:

Neilson

Submitted By:

Mrs S.A Taylor

Comments:

Spent my half term holiday with my family at the Austria. The location is fantastic and the ski and boot rooms at the bottom are very handy.



Marcus must get a special mention, he helped me on and off with my boots every day!



A couple of the staff wasn’t that friendly as previous reviews have mentioned however the majority were pleasant and friendly.



Our room was lovely, big and warm. The maids kept the rooms spotless and were incredibly friendly!



We found that the hotel wasn't all that social so we spent some of our evenings in the Staffler just down the road which we have previously stayed in.



The people were great and we had the most fun in the Cave bar especially on Thursday (full Monty night!)



The food was good in the Austria although a little on the salty side. On the whole a very good hotel and I would recommend it to everyone.

My girlfriend and I have just...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2007

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr M Roe

Comments:

My girlfriend and I have just returned from a weeks skiing in Niederau and the village is really beautiful.



The Hotel Austria is well situated in Niederau, close to the gondolas and the various bars/restaurants in the area.



As some of the previous reviews suggested the hotel is not very friendly. The staff in the hotel are extremely rude as is the gentlemen that works in the restaurant. They have both obviously never learnt how to smile and the concept of 'the customer is always right' has well and truly been lost on them.



During our stay we were forced to sit next to another couple for both dinner and breakfast even though there were plenty of spare tables in the restaurant. On several occasion we asked if we could be moved and were greeted by 'NO'!



This really ruined our holiday and I would not recommend the hotel to anyone. Niederau itself is beautiful and for beginners is a great place to learn to Ski, but I would avoid the Hotel Austria at all costs.

Second time staying at the Hotel...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2006

Tour Operator:

Inghams

Submitted By:

Mrs H Hoffin

Comments:

Second time staying at the Hotel Austria and have booked again for next year. You really cannot beat the Austria for location in Neiderau village. The ski hire shop is directly under the hotel, as is the heated boot room and ski storage all of which can be accessed from inside the hotel.



The other hire shop is just across the road, as is the ski school (Wildschonau, the reds), gondola, beginner & nursery slopes. The ski bus stop is just outside and there are about 4 bars nearby as well as the nightclub, Cave Bar. The food in the restaurant is very good and seems to have improved from last year, i.e. a more varied selection of main courses.



There is four courses, salad, soup, main (with a veg option) and dessert. The hotel does not serve a hot breakfast but there is a large selection of cereal, juice, cheeses, meats, bread and fruit, so something for everyone. The swimming pool is available at all times but the sauna has to be booked. It's free on Mondays and Thursdays but any other times costs 6 euro per person. There is a steam room as well, showers and a relaxation area. The pool is free. Any time we were there it wasn't busy at all. The rooms are kept clean and are very warm, not overly big but with a bath, shower, hairdryer, TV, minibar, safe, sitting area and balcony.



We have always found the staff helpful and this time some of them remembered us from last year. The ski shop underneath is owned by the same family as the hotel and although the hire shop was closed when we arrived (it shuts at 7pm), the lady opened it for us which was brilliant because it meant we then didn't have to queue the next morning. The bar drinks in the hotel are cheaper than the Cave Bar and O'Malley's "Irish" Bar across the road (avoid, tacky and boring).



The best pub for après ski is the Sports Cafe practically next door to the Austria. There is also a ski shop at the hotel selling all sorts of ski gear, gifts and confectionery. Because of it's location, the hotel is a good choice for beginners because you don't have to walk (or struggle) too far whilst trying to master the art of walking in ski boots and carrying skis and poles at the same time.

As a small group of 4 beginners,...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jan 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss C Paine

Comments:

As a small group of 4 beginners, we wanted to be close to the slopes and we couldn't get much closer than the Austria. Ski & boot hire down in the basement is well organised, and plenty of staff on hand if you need to change boots. There is a ski shop where 1 of our friends bought some boots and they were very helpful.



We all used the swimming pool which was nice to rest for those aching legs. There is a colour therapy heating unit by the pool if you don't like a sauna. I used the sauna twice (free & paying) and loved it, it is very hot & the cooling off showers were great. As other comments have said, the hotel staff are pleasant but not over friendly, they are a mixed bunch from other areas of Europe and sometimes the language barrier caused a few hiccups but nothing major.



The hotel is clean & tidy, the food on offer in the main restaurant is very good, however on the set half board menu can be a bit on the small side, and if you don’t like pork then you could be in trouble! The rooms are clean if a little basic even you have paid for a better suite. Be warned, if you have a room facing the church, take earplugs with you.



Thomson tour operators apparently do not have guest information folders any longer and only use info boards - the Austria does not allow info boards, so you may have to take a walk to the Hotel Vicky down the road to find out what is going on and when. Reps do visit the Austria everyday, but you will need to check what times they will be there when you first arrive. Overall, our group had a good time and would go back again.

This is my first ever review and...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr Dave Middlehurst

Comments:

This is my first ever review and skiing trip so please bear with me - and I hope you find this helpful.



Hotel Austria located on the main road, across from the hotel is the Gondala and one of the button lifts to the longer nursery slope - also the Red ski school is also opposite (there are 2 ski schools, red and blue both within 1 minute of each other red is closest to the hotel.)



The hotel Austria has a shop selling ski wear/ski's/boots etc and small selection of sweets/drinks and newspapers (handy for the kids who want!) - Also don't forget to get your 5% off if you are staying in the hotel, we didn’t find that out till the last day :(. Underneath the hotel is the ski rental shop where you can obviously hire your equipment and store your skis and boots at night (if you are staying at the hotel that is)



First off the hotel is pleasant and clean, the rooms are also clean & basic with a 14" TV with 2 English speaking channels, daily towel changes and maids tidying up etc the rooms have a bath and shower (from friends we met who were staying elsewhere they didn't have a bath - much needed after a day on the slopes).



The bar area is very small and it has a public restaurant incorporated/next into it.

The restaurant is also pleasant and clean and as mentioned above the meals were good.

Breakfast is continental style - meats/bread/jam and a good selection of cereal - but no toast, more on that in a bit.



Evening meal was chosen at breakfast and consisted of Salad to start, Soup and a choice of 3 evening meals 2 normal and 1 veggy. Kids have a separate menu with the usual nuggets/fish fingers/sausages etc.



Has small sauna and nice swimming pool (didn't use them but looked ok)



Now for the not so nice bits.

This hotel isn't really child friendly my daughter is 6 and got to say a little angel - but as normal 6 year olds they like to play - in the restaurant the staff aren't that welcoming of kids we had regular glares and mutter comments from them (mainly from the older staff) - staff had no sense of fun (all included this time!)



We met a couple who sat next to us at meal times and they had a little girl of 4 (i think) who like any other child has there own eating habits, one morning they asked if they could have a slice of bread toasted - there answer NO!!!

Now for me that is just pathetic how much hassle is it to toast some bread?



So for me the hotel gets a big thumbs down for child friendliness that’s why I’ve awarded it a 6.

The Hotel was well situated for...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Carl Nolan

Comments:

The Hotel was well situated for the Niederau Gondola and ski school but these slopes are a bit limited for snowboarders who should head for Auffach. Next time we go we will buy a 2 or 3 day pass and then go off to Ski Weld where there is 250km of piste.



The Hotel Austria restaurant offered a decent choice in the evening but the continental breakfasts became a bit samey by the end of the week. Bar and wine prices were very reasonable and the staff were great but took a bit of warming up!



Rooms were great but not much to do for the kids at the Hotel. We would definitely go back.