Refugium Lunz

Style

Berg sanctuary

Setting

Dibs on Ybbs

The ebb of the seasons sets the agenda at Refugium Lunz, a hygge-infused basecamp amid Lower Austria’s wild alpine landscape. Winter days spent skiing are thawed with stints in the mountain-gazing sauna, while warmer months bring crystalline lake swims and hikes through wildflower meadows. And then there are the perennial pleasures: exquisite regional cuisine, fresh-baked cakes to help yourself to, and a crisp riesling on the terrace as the river lazes past below.

Facilities

Rooms

23, including two suites.

Checkout

11am. Check-in is at 3pm, but both are flexible, subject to availability.

More Details

Rates include an à la carte breakfast.

Also

Unfortunately, Refugium Lunz is not suitable for guests with limited mobility.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Hiking kit and bikes to borrow, paid laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, swimming bag, tea-making kit, minibar, free bottled water and Saint Charles bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Plenty of the rooms have their own outdoor spaces and picture-perfect, pastoral views, but we’ve been seduced by the Sauna Room, with its private sauna out on the river-gazing terrace.

Poolside

The heated outdoor pool looks out over the pretty village and forest-swathed mountainside. There’s a counter-current system if you feel like exerting yourself, and sunloungers and day-beds for those who don’t. The pool is open year-round from 7am to 9pm daily.

Spa

Get yourself to the Garden House after a hard day’s adventuring — the sauna will soothe mountain-weary limbs, and the relaxation room was made for holing up in with a herbal tea. Two guided yoga sessions are held daily, but you’re free to find your own flow in the airy, timber-clad yoga studio whenever you want — you’ll find mats, blocks, meditation kit and basic fitness equipment in there. There’s also a treatment room tucked into the top of the oldest part of the hotel, with woodsy views from the bed; check the board at reception for the treatments available that day.

Packing Tips

Each room has a curated stash of classic and bestselling books, so ditch the stack of holiday reads and save the suitcase space for sweet homewares and Saint Charles bath salts from the hotel’s shop.

Also

Owners Joachim Mayr and Heinz Glatzl gave Refugium the happy ending every abandoned building dreams of: discovery by an architect-carpenter duo with a Viennese design studio, historic features restored and interiors co-crafted by their artisan pals.

Children

All ages are welcome. There are family and connecting room options, and babysitting can be arranged on request for €20 an hour.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows means you’ll have the mountain-flanked village as your evening backdrop.

Dress Code

Natural fibres in rustic hues, and rosy cheeks fresh off the mountain.

Hotel Restaurant

At the hotel’s restaurant, head chef Christian Metzger puts a contemporary spin on classic Austrian cuisine. Menus are pared-back and produce-forward, shifting with the seasons — and whatever he’s foraged or sourced from his network of sustainable, local suppliers that day. On Wednesday evenings, Metzger serves a tasting menu at a communal table, offering a chance to peek behind the curtain at his creative process.

The salon kitchen is open round the clock, operates on an honesty basis, and is rather like rocking up, plate in hand, to an epicurean friend’s pantry. You’ll find seasonal quiches, cheese boards, a prosciutto-slicing machine and fresh-baked cakes, and — natürlich — outstanding coffee to wash it down with. The kitchen opens onto the church square, so you can think of it as your personal pavement café.

Hotel Bar

The hotel doesn’t have a separate bar, but there’s a well-stocked wine fridge in the salon kitchen that’s yours to raid whenever the need arises.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 8am to 11am daily. The restaurant is open for dinner from 5pm to 9pm, Thursday to Saturday. On Wednesdays, it’s only open for the communal tasting menu from 6pm. On Sundays, it’s open for lunch and dinner, from noon to 9pm.

Room Service

There’s no separate room service menu, but drinks and light bites can be brought to your room on request.

Planes

The hotel is a two-hour drive from Vienna International Airport. Staff can arrange transfers on request for €350 each way.

Trains

Direct trains from Vienna Central Station and Vienna Airport (among other national and international hubs) run to Lower Austria’s capital, St Pölten. From there, you can hop on a connecting service to Scheibbs Station, a half-hour drive from Refugium Lunz. Transfers from the station can be arranged on request for €80 each way.

Automobiles

Step outside and you’re in prime hiking and biking country, but for skiing or scouting out the rest of the region, a car will come in handy. There’s free parking at the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Hiking and cycling trails loop around Lunzer See, the alpine lake that’s a short walk from Refugium Lunz. On warm days, it makes an idyllic wild swimming and boating spot, too, equipped with all the essentials: a dock, cafés and an ice cream parlour. More hiking routes weave off through wildflower meadows and up mountainsides — ask hotel staff for their go-to trails, which include one that summits Scheiblingstein, and a three-lake tour taking in Mittersee and Obersee, too. The Rothwald, the region’s closely protected primeval forest, can only be explored on pre-booked guided hikes. Happily, the House of Wilderness, a museum where you can learn about the ancient ecosystem and its conservation, is just opposite the hotel.

During ski season, Maiszinken’s gentle slopes make it a great spot for families, and old hands should head to Hochkar for a challenge. The Seeau Trail is a scenic cross-country skiing route suited to most skill levels. And for full fairytale immersion, try snowshoeing through hushed winter landscapes and across the frozen lake.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .