Seehotel Grüner Baum

The hotel is hard to miss. It is a big golden yellow building sitting right on Lake Hallstatt. You'll see it in almost every picture of Hallstatt. The hotel is decorated very nicely and the rooms are elegant and incredibly spacious. Some of the rooms have balconies facing the lake. Ours looked directly out onto the beautiful stained glass windows of the Prostestant church next door with a view of the lake to the side. The hotel entrance is right on the town square and within a 10-15 min walk of the funicular for the salt mines on the outskirts of the town. Everything else in Hallstatt is even closer. We arrived too late to tour the salt mines, but did go on a nice hike that started at the funicular for the salt mines, went a little ways up the mountain, and came back into town around the area of the Catholic church. The hotel has a very nice restaurant with views of the lake and an outdoor deck for use in good weather. We had both dinner and breakfast in the restaurant. We had dinner fairly late so we almost had the restaurant to ourselves. This gave the waiter time to socialize a little and provide some interesting history about the area and himself. There was an extensive spread for the complimentary breakfast including fresh fish from Lake Hallstatt. We will definitely come back sometime since one night was not enough to take in all the beauty of Hallstatt and when we do, we will stay here. Maybe in one of the balcony rooms overlooking the lake.

Friendly staff, good food, fantastic location right in the center of Hallstatt, comfortable and spacious room with pleasant view of the city square, easy to reach by train, we loved everything about the hotel. Our 6-year old particularly enjoyed feeding the ducks on the lakefront directly at the hotel, and the friendly and mellow resident cat, Rocky. It was a little challenge carrying our heavy suitcases up three flights of stairs: be warned that there is no lift. It can also be difficult to get hot water to the top floor for an evening shower (I ran the tap for 10 minutes without success) but I had no such problem in the morning. Other than these two (very) minor issues, we had a perfect stay and would visit again.

The large dining deck at this hotel offers one of the most beautiful mountain lake views you will find anywhere in the world. It is truly spectacular. The food and service here are excellent. The rooms are very nice, though some of the furnishings are dated. The rooms that open to the lake and have decks are worth the extra cost. You will not be able to get enough of the views. The hotel is located in an ideal location in town. And the village is a storybook Austrian lake-side village, with heaps of authentic charm and steeped in history and tradition. Unless you are a died-in-the-wool cityslicker, this mountain-lake paradise will be one of the highlights of a lifetime of travel. The hiking is great, though one of the trails had very steep drop-offs on one side which were intimidating to all but the most hardy alpinists. Do not miss Halstatt or this hotel.