The Place
Since our last visit the Gmachl family had added a new wing to their hotel. Despite this increase in size, however, visitors insist that the ambience here remains small and charming. The Gmachl’s have run the converted tavern as an inn for twenty two generations, making it the oldest family run establishment in Austria. The outside of the original inn cannot have changed much since the first Gmachls moved here back in 1583. Inside, white walls and moss-green bench seats show off the pale old wood in the reception area.
The Kaiserzimmer, the original tavern, is now a gourmet restaurant where diners duck through a low, carved wooden doorway. The less formal Gaststube has a bottle-green Kachelofen covered in biblical scenes. Bedrooms are in the new Haupthaus annexe and the Klosterhof, a converted barn across the street. Furnished in ‘contemporary country’style, these are pretty, light and airy, and can even be described as elegant. There is also a new beauty centre and spa. With six tennis courts as well as the heated swimming-pool, this is as useful for families as it is for culture-lovers visiting Salzburg. They now hold a ‘4 star superior’ rating.