Harfenwirt Hotel

11 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a great Inghams ski holiday in the Hotel Harfenwirt, Niederau. Party of six including a 15yr and 8yr old. I would really recommend this resort and hotel unless you are allergic to cigarette smoke which is very strong in the bar and hotel corridors in the evening. The food was good, daughter and son didn't eat much because they are fussy and only want their usual food,the adults were very pleased with the breakfast and evening meals. Herbert, Walter and Anthon were all very good all week and the pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room facilities were brilliant in the evenings. Sking for beginners, intermediate and good skiers was very enjoyable at Neidereau and Affauch. if you are miserable then stay at home, if you relax and chat to the staff and other guests you will have a really good holiday.

3 readers found this review helpful

Having upgraded our room we found it very good,though the bathroom was small & basic. The food was varied, simple but well cooked, with a choice of main course; staff were pleasant and obliging. What some saw as 'bossiness' by Herbert the owner, I saw as a host trying to ensure that his guests were satisfied. A measure of organisationwas necessary on his part, with excited children running around the dining room.
All in all a very pleasant stay and I hope to go again.

13 readers found this review helpful

I have just returned from a week in Niederau and had a fantastic time. I have been to the resort once before (5 years ago) and stayed in a different hotel. This time I decided to stay in the Harfenwirt, as I was going on my own and it was the best value for a single traveller. I can honestly say that I had a fantastic time. My room was small, but very comfortable and clean, and the spa facilites were fantastic after a hard day on the slopes. Herbert was a fantastic host, and sat me with some great people for mealtimes. One night I was late back for dinner, and they had kept some aside for me which I thought was really nice. The food was great and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every meal while I was there. While I was there I joined the Aktiv Blue Ski School, and the instructors were great and I met some really nice people. I will definately be going back to Niederau and staying at The Harfenwirt next year.

19 readers found this review helpful

Booked with Inghams 6 weeks before we went having read all the reviews on this site, I thought I would add my comments in the hope that they will be useful to someone!
On arrival, we were put in the Guest House approx. 3-4 mins walk away from the main hotel. My first impression wasn't good as it was very shabby but I was really pleased that it was a 2 bed apartment (I was expecting twin rooms so that I would share with my 8 year old & my husband would share with our 10 year old) so it suited us really well as a family. It was slightly inconvenient to have to go over to the hotel 3-4 times a day (breakfast, swimming & dinner!), especially when it rained but it wasn't too bad.
Having read the reviews about Herbert, I was interested to see what he was like - no problems at all although I did feel that he was far more interested in talking himself & had no interest in what you had to say! Definitely a character (in a good way!).
We thought the food was great & the service excellent. Our two children can be quite fussy but they ate as much as we did & were thrilled with it all!
The swimming pool was fantastic. Slightly on the small side but really nice - all brand new & really nicely done.
Niederau itself was lovely. As we were only there for a week, we decided to stay locally in the Wildschonau valley. Children under 15 are free on the buses & a weekly pass for the valley in EUR9.20 for an adult. We got the family pass for the two gondolas in the valley which was EUR56. We inquired at the Shell garage about car hire & it was EUR45 for a Fiat Panda for 1 day with up to 150km mileage so we decided against as there was plenty to do. You can buy a Wildschonau Family pass to include the gondolas, a walking programme & kids programme (where you can leave your children for the day for a small fee to do various published activities) but again, as we were only there for a week, we didn't feel the need. There is a lovely outdoor pool perfect for kids between Niederau & Oberau but we didn't get there until the last day when it rained!
I could go on but will leave it at that - a brilliant family holiday enjoyed by us all & would recommend it to all those with active children!

11 readers found this review helpful

We booked through lastminute.com £1400 for my husband and I and our 4 kids half board.We had booked 2 triple rooms but when we got there were allocated a pretty grotty tiny twin room with a laundry chute in it for our 2 eldest kids in the old part of the hotel and a gorgeous huge room in the new part for everyone else.After the first night we asked Herbert to put another bed in it (there was more than enough room) and that was much better .A lovely wooden balcony overlooked the meadow and the village.The cleanliness of our room and the hotel generally was very high.
The swimming pool was fantastic and usually no-one else there
Herbert himself was a very hard working man and clearly runs a tight ship.He was very friendly and made a big fuss of the children.The head waiter Anthon was very competent and offered to use his own mobile phone to call a taxi for us when mine wouldn't work.
Also deserving of a mention is Sarah the rep.Extremely knowledgeable and struck just the right tone with the guests.I would give the excursions a miss and a hire a car instead.It was only 50 euros a day for a people carrier from the shell garage. Niederlau itself is pretty quiet really quiet
Food at the hotel itself was fine .Plainish food but tasty and skillfully cooked.Goulash,turkey in dill cream sauce ,mixed grill and gorgeous soups.My kids are pretty fussy eaters but all ate well.I peeked in the kitchen one day and everything was spotless.
I would definitely recommend this hotel.Excellent value for money

9 readers found this review helpful

Hotel harfenwrit was great value for money. They provide a buffet style breakfast each morning - including cereals, toast with jams etc, bread rolls with a variety of spreads (margarine, butter, nutella, soft cheese etc) and hams, cheeses, and boiled eggs. The breakfast really filled us up for most of the day meaning that we didnt need to buy alot for lunch on the slopes.
Dinners were equally good - especially the soups which served as a starter each evening - they were superb.
The hotel facilites were good - they have a newly built swimming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi etc which we used daily after finishing skiing for the day.
The hotel room we stayed in, in the old part of the hotel, was quite basic with a balcony, double bed, tv, and ensuite bath/shower room. Although our room was basic it satisfied our needs. The maids cleaned the rooms each day and provided fresh towels etc.
Herbert the owner was a character, he could be quite entertaining, but equally it could be difficult to get answers from him at times (not sure if this was due to hearing problems, linguistic problems or selective deafness!) Herberts harp playing is worth a watch too...
By far the most fun evening was on the night of the ski school awards, held in the Harfenwirt. The ski school instructors put on quite a show with music and dancing etc.
We booked the holiday with Inghams who organised some good apres ski activites - wine tasting sleigh rides etc, well worth going along to!
All in all a great value holiday!

7 readers found this review helpful

Just back from a wonderful holiday in the Harfenwirt Hotel. We stayed in the new part of the hotel. The rooms were large, clean and had fridge, safe, tv and wondeful views from the balcony. The hotel has a lovely pool physiotherm room, sauna and steam room. Sauna and steam room not on til 4pm each day, an hour or so earlier would have been nicer. food in hotel is lovely, good heartsome meals, no complaints from any if our party. Red ski school meets opposite hotel, excellent for beginners - didn't have to walk too far in ski boots!!! Red ski school has presentation evening in hotel- wonderful and such a laugh with ski instructors providing the entertainment. Only complaint was that holiday over much too quick. What a perfect place and already look forward to returning next yr to Harfenwirt and it's wonderful owner Herbert and brother Walter

6 readers found this review helpful

What a fantastic holiday I have just been on, we have been to Niederau twice, this first time was in 2007 and now last week, this time we stayed in the Harfenwirt Hotel, I had read so many different reviews about this hotel and was a little apprehensive to say the least but when we got there wow!! We had originally book three separate rooms which meant that my husband and eldest son had to share and I was sharing with my youngest son, and our friends had their own room. When we got there my husband was asked if he would like to be transferred from two rooms to a family room as Herbert had realised that we had a young family what a fantastic man, he was most helpful, polite, great with the children and my eldest son made his day when he told him what a wonderful hotel he had. When my husband opened the door to the family room wow it was fantastic. We were in the new building and had a balcony with a great view. The swimming pool was out of this world my boys really enjoyed swimming every night before tea. The food was great excellent choice but the only thing that I would say is because there were alot of families in this hotel it would have been nice to have had a children's menu as the menu seemed rather too much for the children. Our friends had a fantastic time too, in fact we are in the process of booking our holiday for next year returning to the Harfenwirt with their family.

5 readers found this review helpful

I have been to Niederau twice with my family, christmas 2006 & the christmas just gone and both times we stayed at the Harfenwirt. Niederau is one of my favourite places and the hotel harfenwirt is lovely and exactly what you need.
Reading some of the bad reviews has upset me some-what because i would happily go back to the same place and hotel any day. When we went in 2006 we stayed in the orignial part of the hotel as the extension hadn't began, it was homely and cosy. Returning for christmas just gone was quite a suprise because of the massive extension and pool. This time we were put in the new part of the hotel and i thought it was lovely, clean, cosy and had everything you needed and the heated floor in the bathroom was very much appreciated after being out in the snow all day.
I disagree with some comments made about the food, we found it lovely and not one night did we go hungry after being fed well with soup, salad, a main and a desert, just what you need in a place like Niederau.
We did come across the situation with the doors being locked through to the new part from the dining room and we didn't find out the reason for this but we didn't see this as too much of a problem because we were able to get to our rooms through the original part of the hotel, took a little bit longer but we got there.
Herbert is such a busy man and sometimes may come across as being rude but he is such a lovely man and very welcoming, he would come into the dining room at dinner times to make sure everyone was doing ok and his harp playing on christmas eve and christmas day always brings a tear to my eye, and lighting the candles on the christmas tree is lovely to watch.
About the situation with Herbert using the extension part for his brother's birthday happened when we were there, and some guests did have to move and eat in the second bar area. We didn't have to move as we weren't in the new part of the hotel to eat and were a large party of 10, and that evening the waitors did struggle with the food and we did have to wait a while for our food but we were quite happy to just soak up the atmosphere, i don't think people realise how hard the waitors actually work, it wasn't their fault.
The swimming pool did take a while to get open, but Herbert was finishing the floor then cleaning it by himself, he can't do everything to please everybody, he practically runs that hotel single handed. He is a lovely man and i don't think people realise how hard he works to maintain a lovely hotel!
I enjoyed every minute of our holiday there and the atmosphere at the hotel made it really 'christmassy' and of course the heaps of snow really helped. The village is beautiful and i would recommend going on the cable cars to go right to the top of the mountain, the scenery is breath taking, it really is! Some nice cafes and a few bars and you must try the hot chocolate, it is amazing!! We also took a horse and cart ride through the mountains on christmas day and we took the tractor train up to the highest peak (can't remember the name of it) I would recomend that you try everything, you can't fail!

8 readers found this review helpful

My Partner an I have spent New Year 2008/2009 in the Hotel Harfenwirt and enjoyed our stay very much. Hence the reason why we returned this year January for two weeks when we enjoyed another great stay.
Reading negative comments by some guests about Herbert and his Hotel fills me with concern and sadness.
My answer to to you all is ( if you are looking for 5 star treatment.....pay for it!)
We booked our stay in October and payed full price ( not last minute ) like most of the guest who feel they have been hard done by.
The Harfenwirt is a traditional Austrian Hotel with the the character and standard of a 3 star you should expect in Austria. The staff is very hard working and always does their best under the circumstances. Unfortunately we have overheard some guests been disrespectful towards waiters and waitresses so they must not be surprised if the same staff does not go the extra mile for them. We never had any problems with the waiting staff, the were friendly and done their best which was good enough for us. We treated them with respect and in return we found them to be friendly and courteous.
Where would you find a 3 Star Hotel with Stainless Steal Pool, Sauna and Solarium, heated floor in the bathroom, daily cleaned rooms, amazing views from the balcony with Staff who treats you like a King in the UK, at this price...... I wonder!!!!?
Was very surprised to hear about looked internal doors and only been shown one way to the new wing, which is through the dining room which of course is looked at 1AM in the morning. We stayed in the new wing with the new lift which always opens two doors one in and one to the old wing which is obviously the way to the reception and the way out. Personally I find it surprising that people do not use their own initiative and find out where they actually staying. A child shows them were to go and this must be the only way?!
Herbert is a no nonsense austrian which we found to be part of his charm, he works extremely hard always thinks of the next thing to do, is on his feet most of the time and all because he is trying to please his guests. Yes he can come across grumpy at times but so would we all be, if we were faced with guests who feel nothing is good enough. Herbert is a great character all you have to do is talk to him, if you can get hold of him :) Everybody is pleased when Herbert plays his harp, which is causing him to have bleeding fingers most of the time. This is how far he goes to make sure his guests have a memorable stay.
About the entire dining room been relocated into the bar because of a private function for Herberts Brother... Walter, I have to wonder. This apparently happened at Christmas which I know is a time when the Hotel is fully booked. Since the extension was build last year the Hotel has got the capacity of at least 250 people, no way ever did they fit into a bar with eight tables???
And yes the bar is open every evening and of course it is not cold, if it were we would not have spend as many evenings of our 2 weeks stay in the bar. Guests who return at 1 AM in the morning from an Irish bar in an Austrian Village must not be surprised to find the bar closed at this time!
The Harfenwirt Hotel is extreme value for money for a 3 star, just relax and do not take any negative comments from some guests to seriously. It's Austria, the slopes are right opposite the hotel, the pistes are very well looked after, the view is stunning and Herbert is a funny guy if given a chance.
Herbert.........we will be back!