Gastro hotel with genuine Austrian hospitality in beautiful Alpine setting

Mesnerhaus / Mauterndorf / Salzburgerland / Austria

I love to go off the beaten track. Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those brave (borderline crazy) thrill-seekers who goes hitch-hiking across South America or rides a horse across the Mongolian plains. I sometimes I wish I was. But no! My version of “off the beaten track” extends to finding places where most people wouldn’t think to look and to discover gems in the shape of unique boutique hotels hidden in plain sight. Mesnerhaus in Mauterndorf is one of those hotels.

Maria and Josef, who owns and runs this place, were actually first in the restaurant business. In 2007 they opened their own fine-dining establishment in their village, their Heimat, after having worked in many different places across Europe. The only issue was that more and more people from further and further away started to discover this amazing restaurant and the need to offer a place to stay overnight, with the same level of quality, was born. If for nothing else, it started to become dangerous driving home after having had the wine pairing with the dinner menu.

The hotel, Mesnerhaus, was created in the building next to the restaurant making it possible for guests to crawl home after having finished their lavish meal. It is situated in a building dating back to 1420. There are only 7 rooms (one is a suite) and the immediate feeling is one of warmth and friendliness. A lot of this warmth comes from the genuine, Austrian hospitality that Maria and Josef offers to us guests. It starts directly by check-in where you are offered some coffee and cake as a welcome treat.

The design I would describe as contemporary and functional with local touches. One of these touches is solid wood that in our room had been used to frame the space where the bed stands. It added a feeling of cozy, and made the room feel tactile. And since this is Austria, you can count on sleeping under the fluffiest duvets ever. Like sleeping on a cloud with the stomach filled by all the tasty food that Josef has created in his kitchen dreaming of what would be served for breakfast.

Welcome to Mesnerhaus! The light blue building in the front is the restaurant and the cream colored one behind is the hotel

The first thing you see upon entering is Josef’s vintage Vespa. It is parked there when he is not zooming around the Alps with it.

Our room. I love how the bed is framed by solid wood. Felt like being in a tree house from childhood.

The view from our room of the tranquil village of Mauterndorf.

M is almost disappearing between the fluffy duvets. No one does down duvets quite like the Austrians.

This was my favorite spot at the hotel. A cozy nook out on the terrace, shielded from sun and rain. A perfect place for an afternoon read. Or snooze. Or both.

A lot of what is used in Josef’s cooking is grown on site.

It is so difficult to take photos of food, but I felt I had to try to catch the beauty of Josef’s creations. This is one of the many different starters.

This was my favorite dish out of the ones we had. And we got to go to the kitchen to watch Josef create the dish. Such a treat!

Morning has broken. A bed well slept in.

The breakfast at Mesnerhaus is just as amazing as the dinner. I love all the different little dishes. They both look and taste excellent.

Out hiking to build up an appetite for the next delicious meal at Mesnerhaus.

We have made it to the top of the mountain.

The hotel collaborates with nearby Hackenschimede so we got to use their brand new spa facilities. It is located right next to the main sight of the village, the Castle Mauterndorf.

M is relaxing in the pool. Perfect after a day on the mountain.

But what is even better was that Maria and Josef brought us to their favorite spot where they take cold baths all throughout the Winter.

Trust me when I say that it was fresh (ok, cold) also in Summer.

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…are a foodie to the core. If you like to find and stay at boutique hotels off the beaten track in the middle of the stunning Austrian Alps, I know you will like Mesnerhaus

My favorite thing about this place…

…are actually two. The first is the food, obviously. Both the breakfast and the dinner is outstanding. The second thing is the warm, affable service provided by owners Maria and Josef. They go above and beyond to make sure you have a marvelous time at their hotel. They even went with us and showed us their secret swimming spot, hidden in a nearby valley.

What not to miss when staying here is…

…to eat at the hotel. And to make sure to plan for a lot of exercise in advance to build up a huge appetite so you can make it through the extensive and incredibly tasty dinner. We got to come into the kitchen to watch when Josef created one of the dishes. So great to see a professional in action.

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