Living & Spa Vitalhotel Edelweiss

Vitalhotel Edelweiss is our favorite hotel in Austria. This was our fifth week-long winter stay at the hotel and each visit is like returning to our Austrian home away from home. This award-winning, family-owned four-star superior hotel is located in a quiet hamlet in one of the most beautiful valleys in Tyrol, the Stubaital. Owners Roland and Manuela Pfurtscheller and their daughters Tamara and Vanessa have created something very special here, with the help of their exceptional team who truly understand the Austrian tradition of Gemütlichkeit (cozy friendliness). Roland's modern expansion of the hotel in 2014 brought in state-of-the-art improvements while retaining the traditional spirit of Tyrol. Vitalhotel Edelweiss is surrounded by the stunning beauty of the Stubaital valley, on the edge of a forest and alpine meadows at about 3832 feet (1168 m). The hotel is a short fifteen-minute drive to the world-class Stubai Glacier cable cars at Mutterberg, as well as three other impressive cable car systems: the Schlick 2000 at Fulpmes, the Gondelbahn Serles in Mieders, and the Elferbahnen in Neustift im Stubaital. For non-skiers in winter, there are beautiful, well-maintained Winterwanderweg hiking trails as well as cross-country skiing trails. On one snowy day, we drove 30 minutes north to Innsbruck and explored the beautiful Altstadt with its fascinating Hapsburg history and traditions. We also visited the impressive Swarovski Kristallwelten art museum and park in Wattens. At Vitalhotel Edelweiss, our modern country suite was spotless and tastefully decorated with Tyrolean accents and natural wood high ceilings. The balcony offered an impressive view of the valley looking south toward the glacier. The spacious allergy-free room contained a super-comfortable bed with quality linen and pillows, and a cozy sitting area with a couch and television. Our room also had a drinking fountain with fresh mountain spring water, a minibar with a thoughtful welcome gift, wooden floors, and a bathtub and walk-in rain shower. We loved our country suite—thank you, Georgina! The spa facilities at Vitalhotel Edelweiss are amazing, with three unique saunas—a Finnish hut sauna, a brine steam bath, and a herbal sauna—relaxation rooms with water beds and heated loungers, and breathtaking mountain views. The spa also offers a variety of wellness treatments, including several different massages and body treatment packages—my wife loved the Alpienne Package. My favorite spa features are the indoor pool for doing laps, the workout area, and the outdoor heated pool to take in the transcendent beauty of this valley. The wellness spa facilities are all spotless and meticulously maintained. Perhaps our favorite part of staying at Vitalhotel Edelweiss is enjoying the creative regional and international cuisine and wine. Our days started with an impressive breakfast buffet offering cereal, yogurts, fruits, freshly prepared egg dishes (the lovely Ivana makes the best omelets an