If any of my friends had told me this place existed I wouldn’t have believed it. “Yeah right,” I’d think flipping through their insane vacation pics straight out of The Sound of Music, “there’s no way it looks like that in person.” Then again, I’m not sure this conversation would’ve ever come up: the idyllic Grand Hotel Lienz isn’t exactly a vacation spot most Americans are familiar with. Rather this 72-room spa hideaway in Austria’s little town of Lienz is where Europeans holiday—with summers rafting the river, winters on the slopes, or whenever they’re craving an escape of utter serenity and luxury. And frankly, they sure know how to pick an incredible setting.
Here’s why you need to visit now:
1. It’s about the journey not the…well, you know.
Sure, it’s a 6-hour jaunt from Vienna to Lienz…on the high-speed rail, no less. But the window smudges from your face smashed against the glass are proof that the journey alone is worth the visit: we’re talking a non-stop panorama of emerald-green hillsides freckled with A-frame cottages, sprawling vineyards, rolling farmlands, glistening lakes with lazy sailboats, flower-filled fields, and colorful, quaint Austrian villages—and that’s just the summertime vistas!
2. Once upon a time…at Grand Hotel Lienz.
If you ever wanted to step into a storybook, make a mental bookmark of this stately mansion set on the banks of the Isel—Austria’s only natural Glacier River—flanked by the majestic Dolomites and the region’s lush landscape. You can revel in the scenery poolside on chaises dotting the impeccably manicured grounds bespeckled with pink flowers, or from the glass-walled solarium with white contoured lounges fringing the indoor plunge pool. Need more visuals? The staff are dressed in traditional Austrian garb and greet you “guten morgen” everyday and “auf wiedersehen” at night. Yep, it’s a full-on fairytale.
3. Hello, relaxation.
No need to hang a do-not-disturb on your forehead here. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find another place as peaceful as Grand Hotel Lienz—besides maybe a monastery—but then the décor wouldn’t be half as romantic and elegant. The staff simply let’s you be (note: if you’re hankering for pool-crew to pop by with bar drinks every 10 seconds this isn’t your scene). Instead they’ll leave you to relish quiet spots all your own, like the circular meditation room with dimmed lights, white lilacs, wood accents and blissful tunes; or in the gorgeous and ridiculously spacious glass-tiled saunas and steam rooms—complete with Romanesque statues. Seriously, it doesn’t get more serene than this.
4. A breakfast buffet, only bigger. No, bigger than that.
From the platter of straight-from-the-hive honeycomb to the most delicious banana bread pudding you’ve ever tasted, yogurts in five different flavors to a professional-grade meat slicer, it takes more than a lengthy walk-through to see (and gobble) every possibility of morning indulgence. The only bummer: you’ll have to step away from your stunning river-meets-mountain table views to keep filling up your plate.
As a side note, if you’re a big water drinker, this is the place to be. The H20 comes straight from the mountains and it’s phenomenal: Refreshing, cool…I don’t know, it’s hard to describe the taste of water. But trust, it’s good.
5. A view with a room.
Ask for a suite and you’ll be rewarded with a plush, light-flooded room with views of snow-patched peaks and birds diving for river-life below. Take it all in from an overstuffed, comfy chair in front of your floor-to-ceiling picture windows—or even better your balcony—while you enjoy gourmet picnic eats and local vino from town.
6. Lienz – it’s adorable.
Just a stone’s throw from the resort, across a quaint lime-colored bridge, is the town of Lienz with charming boutiques, romantic fountains, cafes spilling into the cobbled streets, and bakeries overflowing with devour-me-now regional treats like Apple Strudel.
But like I said, this is the kind of place you just have to see to believe.
