Generosity is at home in the Leogang chalets of Puradies and Senhoog

All year round, Leogang impresses above all with its truly excellent hotel industry. A hotel industry that doesn’t want to be “everybody’s darling”, but rather concentrates very much on what it can do and thus makes a target group very happy: sports-loving families.

My first check-in takes me to the Senhoog Luxury Holiday Retreats, which are two extremely spacious chalets. The current development in Austria shows that hut holidays are popular again. In Leogang it is also really luxurious. The two Senhoog chalets have 180 and 220 square meters.

A little fun fact on the side: The name Senhoog comes from Frisian – the two sister chalets are on Sylt – and means: sunny hill. The mountain on which the Leoganger Senhoog Chalets are located is, of course, called Sonnberg.

Back to the chalets: The larger cabin offers three bedrooms, all with separate bathrooms, as well as a large living area, a sauna, pool, garden, terraces and of course a wonderful view of the mountains. The luxury here is also reflected in the materials. Local stone, wood, marble, everything is sustainable and finely crafted.

However, the true quality lies not only in the materials, the location and the generosity, but in the hosts. Edeltraut and Lutzsperr are hosts with heart and soul. By the way, you also run a hotel in Swabia, the Rössle inrechnerberg. Although the Sperrs are very successful hoteliers, they do not miss the opportunity to personally prepare breakfast for their guests.

And that’s really what it’s all about. It could also be served at Le Bristol in Paris or Aman in New York, the products are so fine and the presentation is so elegant. In the evening you can have a barbecue on your own terrace. Or you can visit one of the truly Michelin star-worthy restaurants in Leogang.

But my highlight is the walk-in wine cellar. I found the finest wines from Austria, South Tyrol and Germany here. And all with a surcharge of only around ten euros on top of the purchase price. I think that’s extremely fair. So a bottle of Dom Pérignon suddenly makes sense – and is fun.

The walk-in refrigerator is equally well stocked and contains numerous soft drinks and beers – all included in the chalet price. In general, the price-performance ratio at Senhoog is absolutely reasonable. For 1200 euros per night you can get a chalet that can accommodate six people. Everything is so big that you can stay out of each other’s way and still celebrate well together.

There is the right balance of service and freedom, wellness treatments are offered directly in the chalet and e-bikes are available in the basement for sports enthusiasts. Anyone who enjoys a holiday in a chalet will definitely be in good hands at Senhoog.

Raths travel rating (current rating bolded)

1. Explicit travel warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Really big cinema

Sensible investments by the Madreiter brothers in Puradies

If you prefer a little more infrastructure and, above all, a lot more wellness offers on vacation, I recommend the Puradies nature resort. In addition to the small alpine village and the beautiful suites, the Puradies now also has a world-class spa.

In 2015, the two brothers Michael and Philipp Madreiter took over the house from their parents and have since invested intensively and sensibly. The ex-management consultant Michael Madreiter brought business knowledge with him, while his brother Philipp, a former professional ski jumper, brought exceptional host qualities and IT knowledge.

A combination that works more than well. Together with the South Tyrolean architectural firm NOA, they recently built a new spa for almost ten million euros. A small architectural marvel. Although it’s actually not small at all, it’s still hard to see from above and from below it looks more like a slight bump in the ground.

The building fits perfectly into the landscape and offers an outdoor pond, an indoor and outdoor pool, a separate “adults only” area, lots of sunbathing area and therefore always enough space to really relax. By the way, NOA is a sustainable architecture firm and won the “Sustainability Award for German-speaking Hospitality” from “Die 101 Besten” two years ago.

The chalets in the Puradies are originally kept, not equipped with pomp and luxury, but still offer all the necessary comforts such as a sauna and terrace. The gastronomy is excellent. The Essenz restaurant, for example, has a small, fine menu and, in my opinion, deserves a Michelin star. But the main restaurant also offers very good cuisine. Breakfast is served here, a snack in the afternoon – as is usual in Austrian hotels – and the half-board menu in the evening.

Like the Senhoog, the Puradies lives from its hosts. What strikes me is the familiar way in which the guests are treated, but no one loses their professionalism here. Essentially, every employee is a host. Gisela, for example, the breakfast manager. Every morning she shouts her strong “Good morning” to you. You can feel that she is warmth personified.

If you look around Leogang a little, you will quickly notice that there are many other wonderful hotels here. The Forsthofgut, for example, which has become one of the best family hotels ever. Or the Krallerhof with its 50 meter long pool in the 500 meter natural lake, where some people even go ice skating in winter, while others watch from the water in the 30 degree warm pool area.

For those who love peace and quiet, there is Priestegg further up the mountain: luxury chalets of a special level. Anyone who has the choice is spoiled for choice. But you can travel to Leogang more often, after all it is only a good two hours’ drive from Munich. For me, the Puradies is one of the most beautiful places to retreat, which is also available at a very good price-performance ratio.

I hope that prices here will continue to be as moderate as is still the case in Austria. This way you make friends – and you also get good occupancy, which the guest doesn’t notice thanks to the generosity. All in all, Puradies is a resort that lives up to its name.

Raths travel rating (current rating bolded)

1. Explicit travel warning
2. Better than under the bridge
3. So-so, not oh, là, là
4. Complaining at a high level
5. If only it were always like this
6. Really big cinema

Insider tips

Restaurants: Michelin is now quite rightly thinking about returning to the Alps and awarding stars not just in Vienna and Salzburg, but across the board. In Leogang alone, I have three potential candidates on my radar: the Kirchenwirt in Leogang, which has been serving food since 1326, the restaurant in the Hotel mama thresl and the restaurant in the Alpendorf Pfarregg.

Biking: The Epic Bikepark Leogang is a challenge for young and old. On the trails, pump tracks, jumps or dirt lines you can only learn – and have a lot of fun.

About the author: As a former grand hotelier and operator of the travel platform Travelgrand.ch, Carsten K. Rath is a professional globetrotter. He travels to all of the hotels he writes about for the Handelsblatt on his own account.

Rath is the originator of the ranking “The 101 Best Hotels in Germany”, whose partners include the Handelsblatt. Rath is also the author of the book on the ranking, co-author is Michael Raschke (Handelsblatt).