Entners am See

Nestled into the valley by a lake called the Achensee, the 4-star superior wellness hotel "Entners am See" (meaning Entners at the lake) has a stunning location right at the shore in the small village of Pertisau. Only the seafront promenade separates the hotel from the lake. This picturesque, quiet village is mostly made up of hotels and is surrounded by a stunning mountain panorama.

The Achensee is a glacier lake and even in the summer, the water temperature rarely rises above 20 degrees Celcius. It is the largest lake in Tyrol, a county in Western Austria which is known to be one of the most beautiful and most sought after regions of the country and which has a reputation for good food as well as outdoor activities.

This family-run hotel is beautiful inside and outside (pun intended), with a traditional facade and a refurbished interior. Almost all the guest areas and rooms have been renovated, creating a cosy yet modern atmosphere. This hotel has done an excellent job of preserving traditions and combining them with modern, stylish elements. The hotel has a parking lot in the back, however, parking spaces are relatively small considering the size of cars and especially SUVs nowadays.

Boasting 14 different room categories, this hotel surely has something for everybody, provided that it fits your budget, because this hotel and all its amenities do not come in cheap.

We booked a 4-night stay in this hotel via Secret Escapes, a website offering deals on luxurious hotel, mostly for last-minute trips. We were given an Alpine de Luxe room on the 6th and last floor of the hotel. This room category boasts an impressive view towards the back of the hotel, into the stunning mountain panorama. Walking into the room was quite impressive, and we loved this large room with its wooden decor and high comfort factor.

The room was made up of a large, free-standing bed, a small seating area, a desk area, a large wardrobe with safe as well as a cloak area. We were on the last floor, so we were lucky to have high windows and a balcony, giving us a spectacular view of the mountains, so, that we did not even miss not having had a view of the lake.

The bathroom was huge, with two sinks, a gigantic mirror, bathtub, shower as well as a separate WC and bidet. Only downside, we found a hair in the bathtub which should have been seen by housekeeping. Furthermore, we would have wished for a soap dish for the piece of handsoap.

The room also came with a large bottle of water which was usually refilled by housekeeping, fresh apples as well as a spa bag, with towels, bathrobes and slippers for the duration of your stay. Another plus, the flat screen TV on the wall actually folded-out, so you could also relax in bed and watch some TV. The hotel actually offers a nice selection of international channels.

The hotel has a large indoor wellness area, with a swimming pool and a whirlpool in the basement of the hotel as well as large sauna complex one floor up. Both are reachable via a specific lift. Though the sauna complex is not yet refurbished it is however very well maintained and quite charming. There is a relaxation area with sun beds and water beds to relax after a sauna session as well as a little refreshment corner with water and tea.

Entners actually has one of the largest selection of saunas I have seen in a hotel, including your standard dry Finish sauna with around 90 degrees Celcius, a relax sauna with around 60 degrees Celcius, two steam rooms (one being scented) as well as an ice cave. In the Ice Cave, with a temperature of 8 to 12 degrees Celcius, the body is cooled and open pores are closed after leaving the hot saunas. The sauna area of course includes showers as well as two tanning booths. There is also a fitness room in the hotel but there are not many actual sport equipment/machines provided.

The hotel also offers a very limited range of massages and spa applications in house. I decided on a partial body massage which was 39 Euros for 25 minutes. Whereas I think that the hotel is doing really well service-wise and being customer oriented, the massage fell short. The welcome was cold, there was no introduction from the massage therapist as well as instructions regarding the massage and no questions regarding health issues etc. were asked. The massage itself was very good but there was no music playing in the room which also entailed that you could hear the massage therapist yawning. This was really disappointing and should not happen in any establishment.

However, the highlight of this hotel is undeniably the new outdoor infinity pool right at the lake shoreline. The pool is heated throughout the year to a comfy 33 degrees Celsius and offers a stunning view onto the lake and the surrounding mountain panorama. It actually has quite a nice size and it never felt overcrowded. On the rear end of the pool there is an elevated, shallow area, perfect for hanging out and enjoying a cocktail.

The pool is part of a guest-only lounge area with ultra-comfy sun beds and parasols and has pool-side service. For the winter (and summer months), there is a sauna house with a panoramic window, complete with shower, bathrooms and chill area. Thus, the pool is also a great spot for the colder months and the scenery must be beautiful in the winter, with snow covered mountains in the background. You actually have to cross a low-traffic road and the boardwalk to get to the pool, but that is not a big issue and you can see quite a few people walking about with their bathrobes and slippers. Nonetheless, people walking on the boardwalk can easily look into the pool and lounge area and often stop to look and take pictures. For privacy reasons, I would have liked a discreet sight protection.

The pool definitely gives the hotel an advantage compared to their next-door neighbours, who only have lounges but no pool. However, all of them, including the Entners have access to the lake in which you can take a swim in, if you are brave enough because the lake is freezing cold, even in the summer. Even if it gets to around 20 degrees Celcius in the warmer months, it still feels like taking an ice bath. It is actually a bit funny watching people taking a dip in the lake, and all having the same surprised facial expression when diving in. My advice, do not hesitate but just go for it. You can always heat up later in the pool or the sauna.

Our stay at Entners included the 3/4 board, meaning breakfast, sweet snacks during the afternoon as well as a dinner. During breakfast, which was served buffet style, there was free seating, whereas during dinner you have a fixed spot throughout your stay. The hotel restaurant has a large panoramic window, so depending on where your seat is you have a nice view onto the lake. During summer, you can also have breakfast on the terrace.

The breakfast selection was abundant with meats and cheeses, jams, cereals, porridge, juices as well as scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon. There was a daily sweet special, such as French toast and there was also a live cooking station where you could order an omelet. During the afternoon, you can find a small cake buffet in the hotel bar, for those craving something sweet.

The hotel offers different dinner options, an evening menu in the main restaurant or you can choose between three themed menus, which are served either in their Tyrolean parlour or in their sea lounge at the lake. Menus change regularly and you can sign up for any of these special menus at the reception before noon each day. You can find the menu selection on your table during breakfast.

The 5-course evening menu included some bread and spread on the table, a starter, a soup, a round at the salad bar, a main as well as a dessert. The food is inspired by Austrian cuisine and also includes some classics, such as Kaiserschmarrn or Tiroler Schlutzkrapfen (Ravioli filled with potatoes) but also offered new interpretations of this well renowned cuisine. You usually had between two and three options for each course. The main course also offered a vegetarian option. They also have a couple of open Austrian wines should you wish to have a glass with your meal. One thing I cannot recommend is their apple juice/spritzer, as it was really lacking tastewise.

Portion-wise however, it was perfect, not too big nor to small, so you felt satisfied at the end of the meal but not overstuffed. Nonetheless, the food just fell a hint short for me for a 4-star superior hotel, tough nicely presented and well executed, there was just something exciting missing for me. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all meals; except maybe for their interpretation of a burger, which served a whole steak on a burger bun, making it quite awkward to eat.

The hotel bar as well as the sea lounge offer a nice selection of drinks and cocktails. Even though prices were not cheap, ranging from about 10 to 13 Euros, the cocktails themselves were very well crafted, with good quality alcohol and had a nice size. Tough a bit too expensive for my taste to chuck one cocktail after the other, treating yourself to a good drink after dinner or poolside is well worth it because they are delicious. I can recommend the Pims Cocktail as well as the Gin Fizz. They also have a range of alcohol free cocktails.

I have to give a big compliment to the reception staff working at Entners. From the arrival (with a glass of sparkling wine) to the goodbye (with a couple of bottles of water for the drive), the girls at the reception were great, always friendly, forthcoming and professional. I had left them with one of the comment forms, and they emailed me a couple of days later regarding my comments and how the hotel might address them. This extra steps shows great dedication to providing great customer service. The restaurant and sea lounge staff were also great, sometimes maybe a bit too enthusiastic, but they took good care of us and there were quite a few young trainees who were doing a great job. As mentioned, the spa staff fell short in my opinion but I do hope that this will no longer be an issue with future customers.

I had also just returned from London, where we stayed at The Nobu Hotel in Shoreditch, where the housekeeping staff was amazing. Maybe that's the reason it became a bit more apparent to me that the housekeeping staff at Entners were handling things a bit differently. One thing which was the most apparent to me was that the tray with the bathroom amenities, which we used as a soap dish as there was no soap dish provided, was not cleaned throughout our stay; meaning that it quickly became yucky and smudgy. A few other things, such as forgetting to fill up the water bottle were not completely up to part with a 4-star superior hotel.

Pertisau simply has an amazing location next to the lake and right in between majestic mountains. It is simply stunning, no matter the weather. Just a couple of minutes' walk from the hotel is the Karwendel cable car, which takes you up the mountain, while you can enjoy the beautiful sceneries without having to put in any effort. On top, you will find a little inn which serves traditional Austrian food (we can recommend the Kaiserschmarrn) as well as drinks to refresh yourself. Their terrace has some of the best views in the area, so just sit back and relax.

The inn is also a good starting point for hikes in the area, tough watch out, the terrain can sometimes get a bit rough and steep, so make sure to bring your hiking boots! For those looking for more action, right next to the stop of the cable car is a starting point for paragliders, which you see swooshing above the lake all day during good weather conditions. It must be an amazing view from up there. If you are interested, you can book your tandem flight at the cable car station in Pertisau.