Hotel Eder in Maria Alm, Hochkönig, Austria: Hotel Review (original) (raw)
Hotel Eder is a family-run, 4-star superior hotel in the heart of Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer in the Hochkönig holiday region (Ski Amadé – Hochkönig Ski Area) of Salzburg, Austria.
Situated on the village square adjacent to the Maria Alm Pilgrimage Church, Hotel Eder serves as the favorite meeting place for locals and visitors alike.
In a country which honors tradition above all else, Eder is a welcoming surprise. From the playful Majorcan-inspired decor to the relaxed dining concept, Eder manages to be refreshing, young, and innovative. That’s something you’ll rarely experience in the Austrian Alps.
We loved Hotel Eder’s laid back, friendly atmosphere, design concept, restaurant and bar, and herbal moor relaxation zone.
Hotel Eder was originally opened as a guesthouse in 1961. Over the years, the Eder/Schwaiger family has expanded and renovated the hotel, always evolving the concept to ensure it appeals to modern sensibilities.
- Wellness & Spa
- Hotel Eder Restaurant
- Hotel Bar
- The Rooms
- Service & Staff
- Things to Do Nearby
- Good to Know
- Contact & Booking
- Austria Trip Planning Essentials
- More Excellent Hotels in the Alps
- Rooms: 72 rooms and suites
- Hotel classification: 4 star superior
- Wellness & Spa: Pool, 5 saunas, relaxation rooms, fitness room
- Amenities: FREE Wi-Fi, HD TV, safe, spa bag with bathrobes (for wellness area).
- Dining: On-site restaurant and bar / vegetarian-friendly
- Half Board: Available / Optional
- Perks: Free Hochkönig Card (summer season only), welcome and goodbye gifts.
- Affiliation: Eder Collection (Hotel SEPP -Adults Only and Tante Frida Family Hotel)
- Where to Book: Booking.com
Wellness & Spa
The Eder Spa comprises several areas: the pool, herbal moor relaxation zone, sauna area, and fitness room.
The most captivating part of the Eder Spa is the attractive indoor-outdoor pool and the whimsical herbal moor zone.
Pool
The 26-meter-long hotel pool runs parallel to the fortified wall of the Maria Alm Pilgrimage Church and extends into one of the main hotel dining rooms.
Along the pool, there are bean bag loungers, a ping pong table, and foosball table.
Herbal Moor Relaxation Zone
The herbal moor relaxation room is a textile zone featuring a moss floor, hanging foliage, swing chairs, an herbal sauna (60°C), shower, relaxation beds, and a tea bar.
Outfitted with organic materials, dim lighting, and ethereal music, this creatively-designed space beckons visitors to rest, let go, and dream.
Visitors who shy away from textile-free spa zones will especially enjoy this space, as bathing suits are mandatory.
Sauna Area
The main sauna area is a textile-free zone (no bathing suits permitted), which encompasses:
- Finnish Sauna (90°C)
- Organic Sauna (60°C),
- Steam Sauna (45°C),
- Luis-Trenker Infrared Cabin by Physiotherm
- Relaxation Beds
- Relaxation Room
- Tea Bar
Overall, the sauna area is very nice. However, it lacks sufficient relaxation space. When the hotel is full, the spa can feel very cramped.
Additionally, the sauna area needs to be serviced more frequently. At times, there were no clean towels or clean mugs.
Hotel Eder Restaurant
The Hotel Eder Restaurant is a well-known establishment in the region, serving traditional Pinzgau cuisine alongside internationally-inspired dishes.
The food is delicious.
We highly recommend opting for half board (breakfast and dinner). Alternatively, you can book breakfast-only and make reservations in the hotel’s à la carte restaurant (open daily until 9 pm).
Breakfast
The breakfast buffet is rich and varied, leaving nothing to be desired. There’s a self-service juice bar, egg station, and trays and trays of breakfast goodies.
Dinner
Each evening, a unique 5 course menu is prepared, which includes an appetizer, soup, salad (from buffet), main dish (meat or vegetarian), dessert, and cheese selection (from buffet).
You can always switch out the main course for Wiener Schnitzel or grilled salmon (5 EUR extra).
Here’s what we ate during our stay:
Sample Half Board Dinner Menu 1:
- Confit salmon filet, orange mayonnaise, sugar snap pea salad
- Sweet potato soup, chili, young leek
- Seasonal Salad Buffet
- Main Dish Option 1: Corn chicken breast, mashed potatoes, carrots, leek
- Main Dish Option 2: Fregola risotto, mushrooms, parmesan
- Dessert: Baked banana, chocolate ganache, crumble, vanilla sauce
Sample Half Board Dinner Menu 2:
- Baked prawn, rocket pesto, truffle mayonnaise, baby spinach
- French onion soup
- Seasonal Salad Buffet
- Main Dish Option 1: Zwiebelrostbraten (traditional roast beef with onion), bacon beans, and Spätzle (egg noodles)
- Main Dish Option 2: Pinzgauer Kasnocken (local cheese gnocchi), fried onions, chives
- Dessert: Candied apple, lemon lime jelly, pineapple sorbet
We loved the pacing of dinner: it didn’t drag on.
The hotel dining area is divided into a number of spaces, each uniquely furnished. Some dining spaces are traditional (typical Austrian Stube) while others are contemporary.
The most eye-catching dining space borders the swimming pool and features a moss-wall and plush, leather chairs.
Hotel Bar
Like the Hotel Eder Restaurant, the hotel bar is open to the public. We rather liked that, because the hotel feels effortlessly integrated into village life, not set apart.
Hotel bars rarely tempt us, but the Eder bar is particularly welcoming and lively. It’s the perfect place to end your day.
The Rooms
Hotel Eder offers a number of single, double, triple rooms.
Room sizes vary depending on category, but overall, the rooms are on the smaller side.
Our room balcony overlooked the Maria Alm church and the outdoor pool. Other rooms overlook the mountains.
A nice bonus is the nespresso machine and loose leaf tea.
The only thing we didn’t like was that we could hear music from the pool area in our room in the evening.
Service & Staff
Excellent! The staff is extremely competent, attentive, and friendly.
The reception and dining staff were impeccable. Everyone working at Hotel Eder seemed to be in a genuinely good mood.
After check-in, we were given a tour of the hotel and a thorough overview of how everything works.
Things to Do Nearby
Hotel Eder in Winter
In winter, Maria Alm is a great base for skiing in the Ski Amadé – Hochkönig Ski Area. The hotel is a short walk to the Natrunbahn ski lift.
Hotel Eder in Summer and Early Fall
In summer and early Fall, Maria Alm is an ideal place to stay for hiking in the Hochkönig mountains and up to the Steinernes Meer high karst plateau.
During our stay we hiked up to the Riemannhaus mountain hut and Breithorn Peak.
We also hiked from the Erichhütte car park, located along the Hochkönigstrasse road, to Taghaube Peak.
Another great hike is the Mühlbach High Trail, which stretches between Erichhütte mountain hut and Arthurhaus.
Furthermore, the Hochkönig region is home to some of the loveliest and finest alpine pasture huts in Austria:
During the summer season, hotel guests are given a free Hochkönig Card.
This card gives you unlimited and free use of the summer cable cars, free use of the hiking bus, free use of public transport, and other perks.
On a moody day, we decided to take the Natrunbahn cableway up to Tom Almhütte and walk to the boho Die Jufenalm for lunch.
Learn More: Best Hikes in Salzburg
Good to Know
Hotel Eder doesn’t have its own parking lot. However, you can park in the free public parking lot Am Kirchplatz (“at the church square”), very close to the hotel.
The Maria Alm Pilgrimage Church (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Alm) chimes every hour. No matter where you stay in Maria Alm, you’ll likely hear it.
Hotel Eder is one of several Maria Alm hotels owned and managed by the Schwaiger family. The other notable hotels of the “Eder Collection” are the adults-only SEPP boutique hotel and the Tante Frida family hotel.
Contact & Booking
Address: Am Dorfplatz 5, 5761 Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer, Österreich
Find a place to stay in Maria Alm.
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Austria Trip Planning Essentials
Use our Austria Travel Guide and Austria blog archive to plan a unique and memorable trip to Austria.
When to Visit Austria
Summer and early Fall are our favorite seasons in Austria.
Getting around Austria
Austria has an excellent public transit system. We’ve used it extensively to travel throughout the country. We highly recommend using transit if you’re visiting cities (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, etc…), and/or doing hut-to-hut hikes.
Some areas like Mayrhofen, Schladming and Lech am Arlberg have wonderful seasonal transit systems in place (e.g. summer hiking buses). However, if you’re not visiting during the high season, bus frequencies are significantly reduced and it’s far easier to get around with your own vehicle.
If you’re planning on visiting multiple destinations across Austria, we recommend renting a car.
Use these road trip itineraries for trip planning inspiration:
- 2 Week Austria Road Trip – starting in Vienna
- 1 Week Austria Road Trip – starting in Salzburg or Munich
- 10-Day Bavarian Alps & Tyrolean Alps Road Trip – starting in Munich
Car Rental
We recommend using the Discovercars.com car rental reservation platform to search for and book car rentals. This easy-to-use booking platform compares car rental deals from 500+ trusted providers, so that you can choose the best option for your trip.
If you’re driving into Austria from a neighboring country, don’t forget to purchase a vignette at/near the border.
Hiking in Austria
Where to Hike in Austria
Read Austrian Alps Hiking Destinations for an overview of where to hike in Austria, with tips on specific trails and where to stay. Also check out Best Day Hikes in Austria and these region-specific hiking guides:
- Innsbruck Hiking Guide
- Salzburg Hiking Guide
- Filzmoos, Salzburg Hiking Guide
- Schladming, Styria Hiking Guide
- Lech am Arlberg, Vorarlberg Hiking Guide
- Vorarlberg Hiking Guide
- Vienna Mountains Hiking Guide
Hut to Hut Hiking in Austria
Austria is a premier hut-to-hut and long-distance hiking destination. The quality of the mountain huts are superb. We particularly love the high-alpine trails, which are called Höhenwege in German. We’ve summarized our favorite multi-day hikes in Trekking Austria. If you’re new to hut hiking, read this in-depth guide to Hut to Hut Hiking in Austria.
What to See & Do in Austria
- Visit a gorge like the Liechtenstein Gorge in Salzburg, or the Wolfsklamm Gorge in Tirol.
- Bathe in the thermal pools of an Austrian Therme like Aqua Dome in Tirol.
- Stay in a thermal spa hotel like Rogner Bad Blumau (designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser) in Styria, EurothermenResort Bad Ischl in Upper Austria, or the Aqua Dome Hotel in Tirol.
- Hike to a mountain lake like Lake Tappenkarsee in Salzburg or Lake Drachensee in Tirol.
- Go Wine Tasting in South Styria.
- Marvel at the culture, music, and architecture of Vienna.
- Eat heartwarming mountain food in an Almhütte at Grosser Ahornboden in Tirol or Ursprungalm in Styria.
- Drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Hohe Tauern National Park.
- Visit the castles, monasteries, and wine taverns of the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Austrian Hotels
- Best Hotels in the Austrian Alps
- Best Hotels in Lech am Arlberg, Vorarlberg
- Wellness Hotel Theresa, Zillertal, Tirol
- Aqua Dome Hotel, Tirol
- EurothermenResort Bad Ischl – Hotel Royal, Upper Austria
- Rogner Bad Blumau Thermal Spa Hotel, Styria
Unique Hideaways:HochLeger Tree House, Tirol
More Excellent Hotels in the Alps
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- Locanda degli Artisti Art Hotel, Val di Fassa, Italy
- Dorfhotel Beludei in Val Gardena, Italy
- Naturhotel Leitlhof in San Candido, Alta Pusteria, Italy
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