Sport Strass Hotel

This was our fifth Christmas at this hotel, and equally as pleasant and enjoyable. The very warm welcome we receive on arrival continues throughout the week. All the staff are so helpful, and always ready for conversation. We love the restaurant. The choice of food and wine is excellent and is cooked and presented to a very high standard. Christian, the Maitre D makes you feel welcome and relaxed and oversees the smooth running of the restaurant. You select your main course for dinner the previous evening, and the salads, apetisers and soup course really set the taste buds going. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very pleasant as there is a broad balance of couples, families, extended families and groups. We particularly enjoyed the Gala Dinner on Christmas Eve. The spa is great after a day's skiing, and the bedroom has all you need to relax. Each year we have noticed renovations and improvements in the decor, and in the facilities and treatments provided in the Spa. We understand that the dining room, reception and icebar areas will be refurbished in October 2010. Next year we hope to visit during late January, and we are already looking forward to it. A bonus of the hotel is its close proximity to the Penken and Ahorn Gondolas, but the skibus stops outside the hotel, so it is easy to travel to other ski areas if you wish to do so.

Family room was very nice,plenty of space for 2 adults and 1 child(space for another child),comfortable beds and good shower. Apre ski bar attahced to hotel but was emptied by 9pm every night so not disturbed by noise. Food was good and varied although childrens menu never varied. Excellent wellness area.

Stayed in Junior suite at Garni Strass over xmas 09. Hotel nice although average. Junior suite, is a normal 4* hotel room, nothing special - rooms very clean. Great location, fantastic food at the hotel - served by Jouvou who was great. Staff at reception could do with some customer service training - service was poor/unhelpful. Long trek to room. Overall it was an enjoyable holiday - would I recommend?.....Yes.

As a couple, we have stayed at the Strass for the last 5 ski seasons. In case you are confused by Tripadvisor, the Sport Hotel Strass and the Fun & Spa Hotel Strass are the same so read both sets of reviews! The sporthotel is just one wing of the hotel. Although you can’t ski in or out, the hotel has the best location in Mayrhofen for skiing as it is next door to the main (Penken) lift. There are three separate accommodation wings in the hotel which share the central facilities. Like most hotels, the more expensive rooms tend to be better and more recently refurbished so, if that matters to you, ask - the best rooms are in the sporthotel wing. The hotel has a big pool that is ideal for children. However, the gem is a separate spa area which has several wet areas (i.e. whirlpool, saunas and steam rooms and its own swimming pool) plus a relaxation area. During the skiing season, the spa is well used by couples relaxing after a hard day on the slopes. The spa area has an attendant who is happy to explain how to use everything and also ensures that everyone follows the rules, including the standard Austrian rule that swimming costumes are not allowed. However, as you don’t have to remove your bathrobe until getting wet, anyone unsure can experience the spa at their own pace. Children are not allowed in the spa which enhances the calm atmosphere. A small gripe is that bath robes are not in your room on arrival but, if you want them, they have to be collected from Spa reception. The spa is so good that non-residents can use it for a small fee (once they have their robes, residents tend to come down from their rooms in robes but there is a changing room for others – very handy if you have a late flight on your last day). The hotel is ideal for families and couples and generally has a less formal and younger atmosphere than some of the Austrian 4 star hotels and is without the local folk band or pianist which you find in some others. The restaurant is very comfortable with magnificent views of the mountains. The food is as you would expect in a good 4 star hotel with superb breakfasts as well very good evening meals. We have stayed at half a dozen other 4 and 5 star hotels in Austria and this is the best for a skiing holiday.

Very friendly and attentive staff, excellent spa facilities to re-charge your batteries, superb restaurant, and choice-filled breakfast buffet, excellent nightlife and music. I will definitely be returning.

We spent 10 days at the Sport Strass in late Aug - early Sept. I had booked a superior room with the tour operator, and upgraded separately at a reasonable cost to a 'Penthouse Suite' direct with the hotel before arriving. The hotel is situated at the top end of the main street in Mayrhofen within easy reach of both the Ahorn and Penken gondolas. Our room was very nice, on the top floor, appeared to have been fairly recently renovated, lovely bathroom with bath and separate shower. The wardrobes were ample, with a useful safe, but the one thing we missed from other hotels was the lack of a fridge, for storing milk for that important English tradition - a cup of tea first thing in the morning!! (We took a travel kettle). Still we soon found that a pint of milk kept ok overnight on the balcony, which was a good size with a great view of the Penken and Ahorn gondolas going up and down the hills, and to the valley with Finkenberg in the distance. The restaurant was nice, with a good buffet breakfast, a very useful free packed lunch, and good dinner with choice of 3 main courses. It was our wedding anniversary while we were there and they gave us a surprise special dessert that evening. Restaurant staff were all very helpful especially Nicole. The pool area on the ground floor was very nice, popular with all the children in the hotel and their parents. The sauna and steam room area (LG floor, no children under 10) was fantastic, better than the 5* hotel we stayed at in Seefeld two years ago, several different steam rooms, 2 saunas and other facilities including a reasonable size swimming pool. Be aware though that as per Austrian tradition the sauna area is a nude area - you can walk around with a towel round you but in all the saunas, steam rooms, pool etc you can't wear your swimsuit!! You get used to it very quickly and don't be put off by it as the facilitlies were fabulous and kept absolutely spotless. There was also a separate wellness area on the LG floor for beauty treatments/turkish baths etc which we didn't have time to use! There were also tennis/squash courts which we didn't go to, and a reasonable size gym which we used once on a dull day. Lots of things for kids to do, but as the ground floor pool was open most of the day, they seemed pretty happy with that! The one small disappointment for us in the hotel was the lounge and bar area, the decor was very tired and rooted firmly in the 70's. The bar had live music entertainment most evenings, ok if that's your thing, pretty loud but it always finished sharp at 10.30 so no disturbed sleep! Could be different in winter as there was also a nightclub onsite which wasn't open in summer. There was a notice in our room stating that there would be renovations of the lounge/bar during November 2009, not before time! Drinks in the hotel were very reasonably priced and there was no problem in having a jug of tap water on the table at dinner time. Overall we really enjoyed our stay at the Sport Strass, if you want a small quiet hotel this is not for you but if you want excellent sports/spa facilities in a very large well-run hotel then it is! The Zillertal valley area is beautiful with loads of great walks opportunities. In summer definitely buy a 6 or 9 day Zillertal transport card (Z-card) if you can as it's great value to use on the cable cars/ski lifts/buses/trains etc., The Hintertux glacier is also well worth a summer visit. Get the bus from the train station as it's better value than the tour operator excursion, and get the cable car all the way to the top!!

We've just returned from our third consecutive summer stay at this gem of a Hotel in beautiful Mayrhofen. The facilities and service are excellent. Views from our comfortable and clean room were superb and we made full use of the wonderful Pool and Spa facilities. Each meal was a culinary delight, complimented by friendly, efficient service. These splendid meals were followed by a fun-packed and varied entertainment programme . All in all perfect - dreaming about our fourth visit!

Check was very swift and the receptionists were very helpful. We were initially given a room and then asked to change to a higher floor, the staff were very accomodating and let us see three rooms to choose from. We chose to stay on the side which over looked the Penken gondola being on the top floor gave us great views of the mountains and the high street below. Despite the weather we sat happily on the balcony. Our room looked as if it had recently been refurbished, we had a flat screen small TV mounted on the wall and the bathroom was very nicely decorated and the room was very clean. It had an easy to operate safe. We had twin beds and a table and two chairs in which to sit and watch the TV. Worth noting is that there is no tea or coffee in the room. Toiletries are supplied but not 4 star standard you would get in the UK, small bar of soap and a sachet of shampoo. So I would suggest taking yr own toiletries. The lounge area to the hotel is rather out of date but it is clean and tidy, but it feels abit like you are in a waiting room, I did hear it mentioned that this are would be the next one to be renovated. There is a bar with entertainment each night which was fun. We did not use the Spa facilities. The food was excellent I couldn't fault it. You had a chose of salads to start, then a very lovely presented starter, soup and bread, your mains which you could chose from meat, fish or veggie option followed by desert and tea/coffee. Breakfast was great there was hot and cold to choose from, including bacon and sausage and egg as well as cold meats, fruit, cereal, cake etc... We would definately recommend the hotel and would have no hesitation to go back. It was in a great locations so close to both the gondolas and a very short walk to the train station.

Wonderful value and great food and views but the highlight was the Spa. Saltwater pool in an middle eastern environment with music and privacy; many different kinds of sauna's and steam rooms. One was like a rain shower in the tropics. Treatments are extensive and in a different wing from the open area spa and include heated marble tables with loofa scrubs. I haven't had anything like it since 1970 in Istanbul and it included privacy which Istanbul did not. Also different types of massages and bath treatments are available.

A wonderful, helpful staff. The hotel rooms were clean, large and comfortable, a nice breakfast provided but the most outstanding part of my 5 day stay at this delightful hotel was the Spa.