Wanted - Austrian hotel with its own not too rowdy apres ski bar which also serves food

A snowHead

UPDATE 9.9.15 - thanks to a suggestion by Markymark29 on this thread I have now found the right place in Stuben. This demonstrates the power of Snowheads' combined experience!

Original Post -
I am going to organise a ski trip to Austria for a group of friends and I want to stay in a hotel which has its own not too rowdy apres ski bar but will be pretty busy with music and where we can also eat in the bar around 6pm and then stay in the bar and then stumble up to bed.

The perfect place would have been the Hotel Josl in Obergurgl but they have decided not to open their Kellar Bar until 9pm now and hence I am searching for a replacement.

Please note, I have been fortunate enough to have skied in over 50 resorts in Europe and I have done several ski seasons. I know there are numerous apres ski bars in most resorts but most are not attached to a hotel or don't serve food or are too noisy or too busy. If I didn't have such a specific request I wouldn't have to ask here so unless it fits my stated criteria then I am afraid it is not going to work for my group.

A snowHead

@waitrose, I think you'll have difficulty finding a hotel where you can eat around 6pm. From my experience the earliest you can get the evening meal in a hotel is usually about 7pm.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Somewhere like Hotel Anton in St. Anton would suit, it's got anton cafe/bar/grunbeck/square bar as part of the bar's chain, piste side in St. Anton, with the hotel above, it's at the bottom of the main piste, whereby you can go to Apres at Crazy Kangaruh/Taps/Mooserwirt above, or basecamp by the hotel then eat in the Anton cafe or go into town for food (variety of restaurants a minute away)

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dorfschmiede in Hinterglemm normally has a pretty good Apres scene in schnee Bar, then you can eat in the Road King Bar right next door. Or do Apres in the goatstall then eat in the Roadking.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@waitrose, Most villages in Austria will have a couple of hotels that fit the bill. Saalbach - Hotel Post, Alpinresort, Saalbacherhof. Ellmau - Alte Post. Hinterglemm - Dorfschmiede, Alpine Palace. Mayrhofen - Hotel Strass ... and so on. If you find a resort that you fancy, ask on the forum for recommendations.

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Why would you eat at 6pm? are you american?

in all seriousness - St Anton is ace but you may struggle to have a dinner at 6pm with the Apres still going on. We always stayed in Chalets and would struggle to get home, washed up and ready for canapes at 8pm as we were all enjoying the Apres so much.

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@waitrose, A relatively inexpensive way of doing it (if you're hell-bent on staying in a hotel and skipping the usual mountain hut apres-ski parties, which typically start around 4pm and go until around 7.30pm) would be to stay in Saalbach's Hotel Central and do your 6pm till bedtime bar/dining experience in Bobby's Pub just over the road. You'd be there for the early evening happy hour, and you'd also have the Underbar underneath Hotel Central for a 'night-cap'. The kitchen in Bobby's seems to be almost permanently open, so eating early wouldn't be an issue, and you can get a very acceptable plat du jour for around 7-9 euros.

After all it is free

Not sure I fully understand why the apres needs to be in the hotel rather than a short walk? Unless it's something about wanting to change and shower before apres?

But if it's a firm request as Quinton says every resort will have a couple of places just maybe not immediately at the foot of the slopes

@waitrose, This may be a brain wave: the Bergeralm at Saalbach - a great apres-ski scene from 3.30pm onwards, some of the best food and views on the mountain, it can take up to 50 guests (half board 39 euros), and it's up the mountain so you get first tracks every morning. The downside is that, being up the mountain, you're isolated from the village, but it sounds as if that may not be a concern for you. (see http://www.bergeralm.cc/ )

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Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. There have been a few questions at to why I want to do it in a certain way. Let me firstly, say that I have been lucky enough to ski in more than 40 different ski resorts and have worked in several resorts for several seasons. Let's just say that over the years one's tastes and needs change and of course we all have our own personal choices, for example, many people like to stay in a chalet and have canapes and dinner at 8pm but we don't. Many people love places like the Mooserwirt or Krazy Kanguruh in St Anton but we don't. I am also just turning 60! So for various reasons, including me knowing the dynamics and tastes of my group of 10 males I am looking for a hotel that has a not too noisy or rowdy apres ski bar but still with a good atmosphere that serves food (not a full blown sit down formal dinner) because in short we want to go straight into the bar after skiing with ski gear on, get pissed, have a laugh, have something not to fancy to eat whilst doing it and fall into bed about 9 - 10pm after 5/6 hours of drinking in order to get a good 9 hours sleep and get up pretty refreshed the next day to get the first lift!

I have found a few places over the years that would be great but some are not in Austria and the two in Austria I was thinking of have changed the way their bar/hotel operates e.g. the Josl Keller in the Josl Hotel in Obergurgl, so knowing the breadth of experience on Snowheads I am sure that some of you guys can help. As I am being quite specific it is not quite the case that every resort has even one place that would fit the bill but I am hopeful that there are at least some.

In the meantime, I had not heard of the Dorfschmiede before and I have sent them an enquiry so thanks for that and again thanks to all those who have made suggestion so far. More suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

PS Tatman, have just seen your suggestion, I was not aware of that place so I will investigate, thanks a lot.

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@waitrose, From what you say, both of my suggestions: Hotel Central/Bobby's and the Bergeralm, will be right up your strasse!

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Tatman's Tours - Yes thanks, I had a look at the Bergeralm but it seems they only have sort of small dormitories with bunk beds which wouldn't suit.
With regards to the Hotel Central are you saying that Bobby's is open say around 4.30pm and stays open until late? Do you know if it is part of the Hotel Central?

@waitrose, Bobby's ( see http://www.bobbys-pub.at/de/ ) is open daily from 5pm till very late. It's directly opposite Hotel Central - only the width of the street away. In the basement of the Hotel Central is the Underbar, which is popular and recommended but doesn't do food.

You know it makes sense.

@waitrose, I should add, by way of clarification, that the Hotel Central doesn't do evening meals. It does however offer decent accommodation and good breakfasts - and it's, as the name suggests, central!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@waitrose, can I suggest you choose your ski area and then find a hotel to suit your après needs. In my experience all the resorts I've stayed meet your criteria, I'd suggest skiing area first, them fit après to it??

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A snowHead

@Einari78, yes I know the Tannbergerhof and that would be a pretty good choice except it is too expensive for some of our group unfortunately. Thanks for the suggestion, you have a good taste as Lech is my favourite resort but alas is one of the most expensive places in the Alps.

@Markymark29, Thanks for your input, much appreciated. Can you name one or two hotels that would fit the criteria please?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Have a look at Heiners in Soelden (http://www.heiners.at/). The food is very nice & the location is opposite the Giggijoch base station so you can't get much closer to the lift without moving into it Smile

However, there is also a very popular umbrella bar right next to it which might possibly be a noise issue(?), but maybe sb. else could comment on that as I've only eaten there, not stayed.

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@waitrose, Hotel Jagerwirt in Kitzbuhel, Solaria in Ischgl and Hotel Post, Hotel Anton or Sport Hotel in St Anton

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Markymark29, I appreciate your suggestions but I have discovered from others that the Hotel Solaria in Ischgl and the Sport Hotel in St Anton do not have an apres ski bar and I cannot find a hotel called Anton in St Anton. As yet I have not had a reply from the anyone regarding the Hotel Post in Ischgl.

It seems the Hotel Jägerwirt have an apres ski bar and I am waiting to hear further from them.

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@waitrose,
Here you go.
http://www.wolf-hotels.at/en/zur-dorfschmiede/winter/
Although actual dinner in the hotel is definitely a sit down in the restaurant if you are half board. The Road King Bar is just behind and below the group you see standing around the schnee bar at the front of the hotel.

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The Hotel Post in Ischgl certainly has a bar where you could have a drink after sking, but not sure it does 'apres ski' as such. Ischgl is a very compact town with a couple of quiet bars within about 50 steps of the Post (Kiwi and Golden Eagle).

Of course you could just to things Austrian style. I think there's only 1 home run/gondola you could actually take that doesn't mean walking past at least one happy apres bar so stop for a couple on the way back, then continue to the hotel to shower/change/eat/settle in to the hotel bar for the evening. In fact assuming you ski/take the Silvrettabahn down you'll pass about 7 of them on the 4min walk back to the Hotel Post, or 5min walk+travellator back from the Paradatschgratbahn.

After all it is free

@waitrose,

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@Einari78, +1, Angelika is great, but a desert! Plenty good bars around there though!

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@Markymark29, I wasn't trying to be ungrateful and I took your ideas seriously and posted a question on Tripadvisor and the following are 2 answers I got about the Hotel Solaria in Ischgl for example. The first is from the manager and the second is from a guest. I also got a similar response from the Sporthotel St Anton. But again, I thank you for your efforts.

Dear guest, we are a Hotel and not a après ski bar. With pleasure, we welcome you in our hotel bar or a la carte Restaurant at the evening. We would be very happy to welcome you soon.

No. This hotel has bar & restaurant but only for guests and for sure it is not an apres ski bar

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The Harakiri bar in Mayrhofen has accommodation above it. http://harakiri-bar.at/en/home/

You know it makes sense.

@Einari78, Anton Bar is the apres ski Bar which is open to eveybody, right next to bottom Galzigbahn. The hotel Anton will have a residents bar, and they don't want loads of folks wandering in with ski boots etc I guess.@waitrose, you'll not be short of a bar or 10 in St Anton wherever you stay I suggest......

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

@waitrose, We are of similar age with similar tastes. Last season at Lech we found this ski bar at the foot of the slopes: http://www.schneggarei.at/index_e.html . It wasn't too loud, but a good apres scene. It's close to the Krone. We stayed at the Hotel Arabell: http://www.arabell.at/ . The rates there are very fair and it's a nice place. It has a bar but not that lively. The food was quite good and they have regular returning clientele. If you're willing to partner a convenient ski bar that is age appropriate with the hotel this might work for you. We've been travelling to various Alps resorts for over 30 years now too, but our group is American. I guess we don't fit the bill as the early dinner crowd as one of the earlier posters alluded to regarding Americans. We've found wherever we go we're last at dinner, because we're having lots of apres ski fun first. After dinner we fall into bed, so we're not far off in our tastes from you.

A snowHead

I'm not sure this very specific unicorn is going to call out to you. There are plenty of healthy looking ponies that can however do everything that the unicorn can if only you're prepared to accept a bit of superglue on the forehead.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

http://www.mooserhotel.at/

Incredidbly (I am not joking) inside the Hotel you cannnot hear the Apres Ski going on in the rest of building Happy

http://www.mooserwirt.at/en/apres-ski.html

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@Markymark29, @Einari78, and the other guys. Thanks for the input but we must remember that the Hotel Anton and the Sporthotel St Anton are or course different places and that is where the confusion my be coming from.

The Sporthotel St Anton doesn't have its own apres ski bar; the Picadilly is opposite but that is not suitable for a number of reasons. The Hotel Anton does have a bar but again that is not suitable. I know that there are numerous bars in St Anton and Ischgl and many other resorts as I have been lucky enough to ski in over 50 resorts in Europe and have done several seasons. The reason I am asking here is because I am being very specific in my search and I cannot think of a place that will suit the bill. The Hotel Josl in Obergurgl was perfect for my needs but they have decided to only open their bar at 9pm now and so I have to look elsewhere.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Rosanna/Scotty's maybe?

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@Jack, thanks for the suggestion and I love Lech. But we want to eat at 6pm in the apres ski bar. We certainly don't want a 5 course meal at the end of dinner time after apres ski.

The Schneggarei looks interesting although their website says very little and I have sent them an email. If they have no bedrooms then it will not be suitable but I will bear it in mind for my next trip to Lech as I try to go there every year and I am not a great fan of the Krone. Thanks again.

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@stanton, thanks but most of my group couldn't afford over 200euros a night and I hate the Mooserwirt! But thanks for the thought.

After all it is free

The Cube in Nassfeld?

http://www.cube-hotels.com/en/hotels/cube-nassfeld/food-drinks

@waitrose, The Piz Buin and the Elizabeth both have après ski bars (Niki's stadl and the Schatzi respectively). Both bars are very busy and loud. You won't get dinner in either but Niki's sells burgers, pizza etc. that you take away to a table in the conservatory.

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Hotel Auhof in kappl has a nice wee après bar. Had a great few nights there. Beside gondola and on piste. Bus stop for ischgl opposite too

Help!!

Wanted - Austrian hotel with its own not too rowdy apres ski bar which also serves food

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