Haven Alpendorf

On Level 5 of Haven Alpendorf, guests can slide from the warm indoor area straight through to an infinity pool that is heated all year, then swim out toward the Alps. The hotel sits at 765 metres in Alpendorf, a district of St. Johann im Pongau in the Salzburger Land. In summer the mountain and alpine pasture trails start from the front door. In winter the chairlift and gondola of Snow Space Salzburg are reached directly from the rooftop.

The hosts, Hansi and Sara, run the house with a team of 19 and keep it open all year. It has 34 suites of 51 to 87 square metres, each with one or two bedrooms, a separate living room, a kitchenette and a bathroom per bedroom. Guests can cook for themselves or eat at deck7, the rooftop restaurant on the top floor. Fresh rolls can be hung on the door handle in the morning, and take-away pizza is ordered by phone or WhatsApp and collected.

Movement and stillness are part of the daily rhythm. Yoga is offered every day, with three Pilates sessions a week alongside it. Reformer Pilates has been added to the weekly programme as group sessions or personal training, booked in advance. The 160-square-metre sauna area, for guests over 16, has an organic herbal sauna, a Finnish sauna, a brine steam bath and brine infrared loungers. The 76-square-metre TechnoGym studio is open around the clock. Guests also have access to the FORA Spa at the neighbouring Hotel Oberforsthof, with its onsen pool and cold plunge.

From 1 September to 26 October the house runs its Soulful Season: a mindfulness hike through the Finsterwald forest, an herbal-lore workshop, a sunrise hike followed by brunch, and guided e-bike tours three times a week. Hansi's house customs for the spa are short. Children share the pool but leave the toys and the jumping at home, and guests bring their own bath shoes.