Hotel Seethurn

There is a 15 minute walk into Strobl which is mainly quiet although you must cross a main road. However, this never proved to be a problem. Once in Strobl you can catch the boat to St Wolfgang and St Gilgen on the lake. The view from our balcony was fields down to the lake and with the mountains either side. It was stunning.

It is probably better to have a car although you can get to Salzburg by bus. We were on a coach in a small group so our excursions were already set-up. However, it is less than an hour to Salzburg and from there you can get into Bavaria and Berchtesgaden.

The service was superb. The reception staff, the waiters and owners were proficient in English but had time for me trying out my German and made it an enjoyable experience. The rooms were always clean and prepared when we returned back each evening and the duvets were arranged in different patterns which we found delightful.

The reception staff were friendly, always with a smile, and always very efficient and helpful. They are very attentive.There is plenty of information available on the desk.

The waiters were very efficient,attentive and good fun as well.

What impressed me most was the owners: they seemed to really care about our well-being and comfort during our stay. That really makes a change.

There is one restaurant area which contains a bar. You can sit at the bar or order drinks to your table. We were never in during the main part of the day, so I don't know what was available service-wise. There is also the breakfast room. The seating is arranged in not so formal a manner which gave the place a relaxed feel.

The food was excellent. Austrian food is fantastic but not good for the waistline. We had a buffet which had a big selection of food most nights and the set meals (with limited choice) were beautifully cooked.

The breakfast was continental style but still very well presented and plenty of choice.

We tipped at the end of the week.

There is free Wi-Fi connection, a good pool, sauna rooms and therapy centre. The gym was a little basic, but I went there to get bigger not slimmer. Again everything was clean. They have very good TVs with the standard European mixture of channels on. But we never switched it on as the view from the balcony was much better.

We don't always get the best rooms when we have gone to different hotels, but this time we struck lucky. A balcony overlooking the lake(with two chairs and a table with umbrella). The room had two double beds close to each other which didn't come apart like some do (which was good). There was a table and four chairs in the room and a very clean bathroom with a good quality shower dispenser. It was one of the bigger rooms I have stayed in. There is a safe, minibar (which we did not use), telephone and plasma TV. Tons of storage but you may need to ask for some more pillows and hangers; we did and got them within 10 minutes!

The rooms had a comfortable feeling but still looked modern. Nothing about this hotel felt dated yet it kept the character of the surrounding location.

Mobile phone access was no problem. I've been told late September early October is fantastic weather and it was for us. However, of course it is ideal for skiing holidays, so is pretty much an all year round place to visit.

Do take different types of clothing; in September 2011 we had a temperature of 5 celsius one day and then the rest of the week was in the low 20s. And of course up the top of the Schafberg it can be a bit cooler.

Note: although there are some tip collection points this does not include the waiters, you have to do that separately.

Salzburg is the best airport to go to (and is relatively small, so is bliss!).

My tip is: if you are in this area and don't believe you could find a better hotel.