Here comes a perfect day for Gertrud Schneider, Hotelier and Visionary owner of HOTEL KRISTIANIA
A perfect day starts in the hotel room. Hotel rooms are spaces that become home for a day or a week, but they need to embrace us in some way. Room Number 45 ‘Puccini’ does embrace me. A little duplex suite with a magical view of Lech and a peaceful bedroom on the second floor. I sleep excellently in this room. All suites at Kristiania Lech are inspired by the ‘Grand Tour’ of the 18th and 19th centuries, influenced by our love of travel. My recommendation is to choose your room depending on your mood and individual preferences. Travel the world, while staying in the Alps.For breakfast, I choose my everyday favourite: Darjeeling Tea, Curcuma shot, Greenlife juice, soft boiled egg from the hens of our former gardener, Sladjana’s famous muesli and a slice of Lech bread with homemade butter. For lunch, I love our chef’s ceviche of our locally sourced char from Zug, a paillard of veal with some homemade noodles is my all-time favourite… or a risotto. Of course – a glass of Gruener Veltliner from Gobelsburg Vinery and an espresso is part of my lunch.
If I am not at the hotel, my favourite lunch spot is “Murmeli” in Oberlech. I actually see Annemarie and Jürgen Strauss almost every Sunday for a delicious classic late lunch.
My personal recommendation are the “Calf’s Kidneys in Cognac” and the “Berry Schmarrn”. In the evening I just adore “Klösterle” in Zug, where Ethel and Jacob return to the essential elements that make for a memorable meal – the sharing of time, company and of food.
I would never miss a fondue party for dinner, and I love our chef’s Asian-inspired options. But my new recommendation is our Separée private dining – new for winter 2021/22, we are offer private dining in our travel inspired suites. I can’t wait to experience a dinner for two in our Turkish Suite with a private butler – tout privé. An aperitivo in the living room of the suite, followed by dinner including ‘Salzburger Nockerl’, one of our Austrian dessert specialties, in the newly set-up dining rooms of the suites and a little ‘powdering the nose’ in the privacy of the bedroom. To drink, I would opt for an Alpine Negroni while listening to the fine sound created by our DJ in Residence.
My go-to spa treatment is a facial with Susanne Kaufmann’s organic products to help my skin to adjust to the dry mountain air. It is all about ‘me time’ and über- relaxation. Do not miss out on the cross-country skiing along the river Lech, it is a pure winter wonderland experience and time for meditation. Pristine nature at its best – forget about a gym, this is far better for the body and soul. I normally start my cross-country adventures in February as the sun kisses finally the Zug valley.
In terms of art, my must-see is the Skyspace Lech by the world-famous American artist James Turrell. I love to combine it with snowshoeing. The best time of the day is either during sunrise or sunset. James Turrell has designed a ‘lightroom of the mountain’ where the sky and earth seem to encounter one another from a new point of view in the high alpine landscape of Lech.
LECH ADRESS BOOK
SLEEP
– Hotel Kristiania (https://www.kristiania.at )
– Severin’s Mountain Lodge (www.severins-lech.at)
– Gasthaus Post (https://postlech.com)
EAT
– Alter Goldener Berg, Oberlech (https://www.goldenerberg.at )
– Kriegeralpe (https://www.kriegeralpe.com/de/)
– Rote Wand Chef’s Table, Zug (www.rotewand.com )
– Drinks at “The Yurt” by Zayad Shah (https://theyurt.at)
SHOP
– Strolz Sporthaus (https://strolz.at)
– Lenai & Linai (https://www.lenai-linai.at)
– Sagmeister (www.sagmeister.at)
SKI
– Strolz skibootique (https://hannes-strolz.com)
– Weisser Ring (https://www.derweissering.ski/de)
– Madloch, Zürs