Seehof, Salzburg State, Austria
Hooray, we have the room with the freestanding bathtub! My kids love it. Because of course we have already found out a bit about the hotel, where we would like to spend a few days with the family to celebrate a 70th birthday. And they found the photo of the bathtub on a small pedestal in the middle of the room particularly funny.
A happy birthday
Before that, we drove from Munich to Austria by car. There is a parking lot right next to the hotel and right in front of it is the lake, colorfully populated by ice skaters in winter and refreshing in summer. Great excitement with my little son, who only likes to go to the lake. But first you have to check in and bring your things to your room.
Entering the Seehof is like immersing yourself in another world
When you come into the Seehof, it's like immersing yourself in another world. We enter the cozy, dark corridor of a venerable farmhouse. Right here, the matching wooden stairs lead up to the upper floors. To be honest, with luggage we were also very happy about the later built-in elevator, but there are a lot of interesting pictures and objects to look at when climbing the stairs in the Seehof!
From the other end of the hallway, brighter light shines towards us and curiously we step into the lounge. A warmly lit room with a burning fire in the fireplace awaits us. And although I feel a bit apprehensive that we could still disturb the peace with our travel clothes, apparently we don't bother anyone, because none of those present let themselves be disturbed in their peace in the least. Just friendly faces and relaxed expressions far and wide.
That was our first impression and that's exactly how it continued for the entire stay.
It's familiar and cozy here
The Kusinchen move into a small family suite directly across the hall across from our room. There is a parents' bedroom and a children's room, where the little ones play together every morning, while the older ones sleep on until breakfast is served.
That's a good thing, because the children go to bed early in the evening after dinner and a long day in the fresh air. We adults, on the other hand, sit for a long time in the farmer's parlor at our large family table, where we can comfortably seat eleven, and enjoy the many courses of the evening menu and the many glasses - from the sparkling aperitif to the changing wine sequence from course to course , to the little "digestives", for which we will later move to the lounge and bar (at this point we would like to thank Florian once again for the great advice!). With several small, finely filled glasses, there were very animated discussions between us and other guests, in which the gentleman behind the bar also took part with his specialist knowledge at an advanced hour.
Here strangers feel like friends
Anyway, we noticed: in this hotel the boundaries are floating. Maybe because it's so close to the water? The Seehof and its furnishings, the upscale style and the perfect service could have inspired me in awe if it hadn't been so infinitely friendly and familiar at the same time. Is it because of our party atmosphere or is it simply the atmosphere in the hotel that every other guest and every employee seem like friends to us? However, there is a feeling of completely relaxed togetherness here at the Seehof between people of very different ages. As if we were all not strangers who were there for the first time, but regular guests who have been known for a long time. Which, by the way, many of the other people present have long been.
So we all sit comfortably in front of the fireplace, someone always puts on a new log at the right moment and stirs a little in the embers. Distinguished dogs lie at your feet and the Seehofer house pugs make themselves comfortable on the lounge sofas. Nobody is bothered by such manifestations of feeling at home here.
Children have fine antennae for the atmosphere
But the most amazing and probably the best proof of the atmosphere in the house were our children. In the evenings they were put into their cots and then fell asleep there completely relaxed with the doors ajar. They weren't bothered by the fact that other guests passed by on the creaky wooden floor in the hallway. And the fact that the rest of us were eating two floors below. They felt as safe here as at home.
With children it is sometimes not that relaxed in chic hotels when their loud little voices echo through the neat lobby, where fine people sit quietly talking or reading. Quite different in the Seehof. The little ones usually have very fine senses as to whether they are welcome in a place and with the people present and whether they are allowed to be completely free. The more free and informal they can be, the more peaceful and harmonious they will be in society. That was the case here.
And so the stay with at least three very small and two slightly taller people in the communal lounge and also during the meals was characterized by nothing but a happy party mood. When they had had enough of the children's meal, they darted down to the playroom or up into the room and passed the time there. So we adults had the peace and quiet to enjoy our many other courses in detail. And although we all eat out often and pay attention to good quality, we were positively surprised by the imaginative menu sequence in the Seehof every evening.
It was difficult to say goodbye
Driving away from here was by no means easy. The next time we come in summer, then we can go by boat and swim at the Seehof's own jetty ... already now, I can hardly wait with longing!
Would you like to find out more and can't get enough of the Seehof? You can find more information at Good travel
Photos: © Seehof
Tania Tavernese
Tania works as a freelance author for Good Travel and now lives happily again in her native city of Munich. But she can also well imagine going somewhere completely different and doing something completely different.
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