As I was travelling with Crystal Ski on half board I knew there would be a set menu for dinner and as such there would be a lot of buffet type courses for both breakfast and dinner,

The main meals came quickly and were delicious.

We enjoy the food which is plentiful and often includes traditional Austrian specialities.

Breakfast and evening meals with a large choice of plentiful dishes.

Good choices for all meals, great cooked breakfast.

We were made very welcome , staff are all amazing can't do enough to help, room was clean and comfortable, meals delicious, hotel is very well placed in centre of village, and close to multiple cable cars ,

Plenty of choice of plentiful food at breakfast and dinner.

You will find something you like I'm sure. Dinner was a mixture of buffet starter options (salads, hams, cheeses, breads etc.)

The buffet is extensive and perfectly adequate.

The new Spanish Chef offered a varied choice at evening meals which was plentiful and first class.

The buffet table at breakfast and the evening was first class, as were the meals delivered to your table.

Breakfasts were buffet style, and evening meal was buffet for soup, salad, and desert.

The food was great you wont go hungry, breakfast hot/cold buffet, dinner starter buffet & main is table service, you order your dinner the night before choice veg/meat/fish.

The food was excellent and plentiful, the breakfast buffets were huge and we didn't feel the need to buy lunch the entire week.

but stopped short as the staff and breakfast half made up for this dire experience !

The food was all good - nice buffet with plenty of options and three course evening meal that was good fare - typically Austrian, in that it is not always what you are familiar with -

The food at breakfast and in the evening was fantastic and plentiful.

although I would have loved more traditional Austrian desserts like apple strudel.

Can’t fault the food especially breakfast.. such a great choice to get you off to a good days skiing.

but this is not the hotel's fault, is the loud church bells that start waking everyone up at 6am.

Saalbach is a lively party going resort which means it can be noisy in the evenings for rooms facing the high street which is true for any hotel in this location.

The street can be noisy at night when the clubs close and also early in the morning when the church bells ring and delivery vehicles  unload, so often a disruptive night’s sleep.

though with noisy passers by, vehicles and church bells.

Or maybe some thicker double glazing in the future to block out the noise!!

but be aware, as is common in Austria, there is a lively apres ski culture and music and group noise can go on into the small hours, however  closing the bedroom windows and curtains screened out most sounds.

There are no measures employed here to stop food contamination by handling, coughing or sneezing.

The hotel is in need of some investment and not laid out very well, particularly the buffet areas so expect little traffic jams at breakfast!

OMG it was appalling, so much so I refused to sleep in it, it was just horrendous .. dirty carpet, dirty walls, broken beds and a basin under the radiator to catch the dripping water .. to cut a very long saga short after a heated argument with our Tour Operator we were given a slightly better triple room in this Hotel which four of us shared for just one night until they managed to find alternative accommodation for us all.

The one advantage of this was that we weren’t constantly hassled by the noise.

The wall to the next room was also very thin and we could hear the conversations between the girls next door.

Saalbach itself is very pretty, fairly noisy,

but this didn't do anything for the street noise, light streaming through the curtains, trudging through the icy streets to breakfast, lack of secure ski equipment storage, waiting for hot water to finally come out of the shower or the generally depressing ambience of the place.

but if you are at the back expect to be woken every morning by the church bell which goes crazy at 6am!

Requested a quiet room which we got, albeit rather small,

Some people have made comments about late night noise

I can imagine in full season this room would be quite noisy at night - so if this is an issue I'd recommend requesting a room at the back.

but dont go there if you can not stand noise.

Don't expect peace and quiet, it's a lively apres ski resort and music, singing, shouting etc goes on into the small hours!

My point being we spent a lot of money on a hotel which is in dier need of a refit, poor food, tiny rooms, weird staff etc, also never had any communication off of any Crystal reps the entire stay, will never use them again and stay clear of that dreadful dump, the Sport Hotel Berger!

but most of the rooms are a bit on the small side.

Although we had booked a superior double room it was actually quite small and we had no balcony and as our room was at the back of the hotel we looked out onto a brick wall.

The ski/ board room is small, the doors in and out go the wrong way, the lobby is tiny and a mess, the Prosecco bar is an eyesore and only takes cash (no charging of drinks there to your room) and the restaurant is decorated like a French bordello.

Hotel is quirky and some of the rooms are a little on the small side so worth booking the larger twin/double.

My room was a little bit small and dark (and also too warm) which is the reason why I didnt give the highest grade.

My husband and son said the hotel was fabulous, the rooms was small however he was told the hotel was the 1st hotel in the resort

I booked a small room, and had a small room.

The hotel is spotlessly clean and well looked after, our room was small and didn't give us much space.

I had a room which was on the small side,

although the rooms are a bit small and gloomy, I only needed a room for sleeping and showering in
So no complaints from me and my party .

Finally the boot room was far too small for the number of guests (not surprising since it was half term so the hotel was full).

but average quality 
Breakfast – excellent 
 

Cons 
Very small rooms 
Small bathrooms
Uncomfortable bench style seating in the restaurant
Boot room too small for the number of guests
Tepid water temperature in the pool

What was not bearable was the stench of stale cigarette smoke permeating the reception and adjoining areas.

but the smell of cigarettes out of this hotel is bad.

Very little fresh food was introduced on the later sitting with old stale food left out from the first.

And incidentally what is it with that stale stench every morning as you enter the dining room for breakfast?

Also there are communal shared balconies and so this meant that the smell from people smoking drifted into the bedrooms.

The owners were responsive to our concerns and did supply a no smoking sign which did help.

As some reviews have mentioned the room did smell of cigarette smoke

The only downside is the smoke you experience

but there were several people smoking e cigarettes on the odd night which was a bit disappointing.

but it is an odd quirky mix of old and new, strange oil paintings on the walls and a modern lounge bar only spoilt by the smoke that permeates around the entire hotel, why on earth its not banned, it ruins the experience of what is an otherwise pleasant lounge/bar.

Especially our bathroom was very humid and contained mold because the ventilation didn’t work.

and there was always a bit of a smell . .

My only problem is that it is advertised as non smoking throughout

Would not stay there again mainly due to food and smoking

My one issue with Skiing in Saalbach, Austria is that smoking is allowed in most bars which isn't great when you don't smoke! !

The packed lunch which was available for 1 day of week contained an old orange covered with mold.

A very red theme to the decor, and our daughters room was smallish and did smell of cigarette smoke, which took some of the shine off.

Berger's Sporthotel

quietness

smell

small room

Free parking

Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)

Pool

The food both breakfast and dinner was a highlight.

Pros: location, cleanliness, friendly staff, spacious room, good breakfast, nice spa. Cons: the dinners were not quite as good as we expected (ok,

Great choice at breakfast and 5 course dinners Central to everything and situated in the village.

The only suggestion I would make, is that maybe you could go back to offering the delicious vegetarian choice that you used to do rather than vegn.

The Evening meals and breakfast was of a superior standard and something to look forward to.

Attention to detail is very high and this translates into the whole experience from a delicious breakfast with lots of homecooked meals and local artisan bread on offer through to a very pleasant sauna with 2 sauna rooms, relaxation room and even thermal bath inhalation water (and an ice bath!).

High quality evening courses and a plentiful supply of everything for breakfast.

but we’re so nice it was a joy to be served by them   Restaurant manager was OK. 
Food at breakfast was good with eggs cooked to order.

Food was excellent - both breakfast and the 5 course evening meal.

We ate breakfast and our evening meals in the main restaurant each day and the standard and varied options were also excellent.

I really enjoyed the meals, the breakfast buffet  selection was extensive and of good quality.

Breakfast and dinner was varied and filling and a nice way to wind down ready for bed.

Cheaf server very good omlet, scramble eggs and American pan cakes.

Breakfast offered a great buffet with a green smoothie as our favourite item.

Great and lovely staff, nice and cosy rooms, amazing wellness, great location in the middle of everything and close to all necessary facilities (lift, restaurants), every evening I was looking forward to absolutely great breakfast, the best I ever had in hotels.

When someone complained (me actually) about young children running riot in the spa area someone went and sorted them out immediately.

We complained after two nights and the owners were not interested, so we choose to eat out instead and every meal was ten times better.

The meal in the bar was not up to the standard we recieved for the remainder of the week .An apology and free drink was offered after people complained.

As I first stated, we had a discounted late deal from Thomsons, for this reason I would not complain about any part of our holiday, We would return,

No disturbance during the night, I cannot complain
6.

It was only a matter of time before he bumped into one of those and would have probably had an injury, to which the parents would have complained I'm sure!

Our wives immediately complained and at dinner that night we were given a different and much better table in a much better part of the hotel dining room.

The only thing we could complain about is very hard beds.

In the year 2019, smokers should not be given preference over non-smokers.

The only criticism is that in Austria they still smoke in the bars.

Only grumble from the group was smoking allowed in one of the bars( smoking in bars appears to be the norm in Austria) so we just stayed in the other bar that was non-smoking.

a damp, fusty smell in our room and for those of us from countries with non smoking bars, just note that smoking is allowed in the cafe bar (as in many places in Austria) and for us that was really unpleasant.

Another comment I would like to make is that perhaps the hotel could group smoking and non-smoking rooms together as the smell of smoke coming from our neighbouring room - at all hours of the day and night - was not pleasant at all.

Although the hotel has two bars, one s reminiscent of a train station waiting room circa 1975 and is horribly smokey most of the time, and the other is not really a bar at all as it seems to be reserved for diners and you need to stand at the bar.

As non smokers we were concerned that most of the bars would be very smoky,

Where I am from smoking is not allowed indoors.

The one downside was the Smokey bar area which also allowed smoke to filter through to reception area where there was a nice sitting area this stopped us from using both when bar was busy.

but is seems in general in Saalbach, was the fact that they still allow public smoking.

This seems to be the norm in Saalbach though, we are just used to non smoking in the UK.

To the left is the smokey bar which you would only sit in if you wanted to inhale others smoke and come out smelling like a cigarette, the smell wafted into the reception itself and was really off putting.

Only small gripe is smoking is allowed in the bar/cafe -

The only small problem is the allowing of smoking in the cafe - bar, something we're not used to nowadays.

The only drawback was that all of the bar areas still allowed smoking as far as I could tell.

but don't let that put you off as its allowed all over Austria to smoke.

but nothing spectacular (our bathroom was really dated though and stank of smoke, which we realised the next day was due to the used hotel robe they had just left there from the previous guest).

The cafe adjacent the reception is a smoking facility and when we arrived the reception was quite disgustingly full of cigarette smoke.

Saalbacher Hof

complain

Food was delicious and varied, the room was very comfortable and clean.

The food was delicious and there was a great choice of drinks for everyone.

As the hotel is all-inclusive breakfast runs into lunch with is simpler

Food, throughout the day, was always delicious and well presented.

The standouts are the salad bar, breakfast range, cheese choices and the staff. The location is perfect the spa is way above normal standard (you’d pay £100 a day on the UK just for access)  and the rooms are generous in size (stayed in a junior suite)

Fantastic food breakfast lunches dinner all superb .

Food was excellent, and plentiful, particularly liked the fact that lunch was available until 5pm giving a chance to eat when coming off the slopes.

My only criticism would be that breakfast started at 7.30 which seems standard in the area

The menu for dinner is on your table at breakfast; choice of 3 mains including a vegetarian option, a starter, 2 soups, a pudding, plus  a salad and cheese  buffet and 3 flavours of ice cream each evening.

Breakfast and lunch buffet food was excellent, as was the quality of the a la carte food in the evening.

The food is Plentiful & tasty at every meal.

Restuarant
The staff in the restaurant for breakfast , lunch and evening are very friendly.

Everything was cooked with perfection, we had lovely buffet lunches and 6 courses dinner, excellent chef, Maximum note to food, presentation and taste, it was absolutely so delicious.

we often took our breakfast outside to eat on the terrace.

Rooms are big and modern and great beds. Breakfast was great and overall the food was good (and ofcourse the vine that was included was good:)

The barman was amazing, kept us topped up with yummy drinks.

Meals are fantastic the whole day; breakfast is gorgeous and exquisite dinner
Staff very good 
Rooms very clean and spacious

Food is plentiful and really high quality.

The food was delicious, both from the breakfast buffet to the afternoon snacks and evening meal.

but is very weak and you need to keep your thumb on the switch to supply power, very poor for a hotel of this calibre. .

Negatives:

- Toilets only available downstairs on the boot room floor, no toilets on the reception and restaurant floor which can be really inconvenient;
- Massage at the spa was poor;
- Only one small lift servicing all of the floors in the main hotel which sometimes meant long waits and visiting several floors above before finally getting down to where you wanted to go.

Add to that that the Hotel serve Lunch between 13-17, where you just go in an choose from 2-3 nice dishes as well as Soup, poor yourself beer from the tap or wine from the bottle to have those opening hours shows that you KNOW and understand your guests needs.

The bathroom also was not overly great with big cracks in the tiles etc and a poor slow running shower over the bath.

Which always makes you feel embarrassed that Brits are so poor at languages.

Even in the poor snow conditions this year we could ski back nearly to the hotel.

quibbles - the only lift seems slow as it is in constant demand by guests), the wifi was poor (didn't work at all in our room) and one of the receptionists seems unable to raise a smile.

No problems at all except for poor Wi-Fi , not a big deal on holiday as every thing else was top marks.

I had one treatment and found the treatment room freezing cold and the treatment itself poor.

We were a party of 3, our teenage son slept on the sofa bed, and our room was a bit small and smelt a bit musty

The only downside of this trip is that the rooms are rather small.

As others have mentioned, the one drawback is the boot room which is a bit too small, with only 2 allocated slots for skis and 2 for boots for each room, so the children's ones have to be stored on the spare racks at risk of being taken by someone else by mistake.

As to niggles:

*Boot room was small, chaotic, and the cause of some nastiness for my family.

- The side of the hotel we were located on seemed to get very noisy very early in the morning, with what sounded like workers delivering to the kitchen / bars

- The ski and boot room is a little small, and tired, and could do with ski lockers to store jackets, helmets etc rather than having to lug them back up stairs

Overall though, we absolutely loved our stay and are already discussing returning next year at the same time to celebrate new year 2016.

The boot/ski room is a bit small and carnage when the hotel is full,

Boot room far too small with not enough room for all skis and snowboards or enough seating.

These rooms are small, not renovated and the ceiling is very low (so not recommendable when you are tall like me).

Alpinresort ValSaa - Sport & Spa

poor

If you are happy to pay €4.50 for tap water in a jug or pay for your coffee at breakfast, €5.20, then this is the hotel for you.

Both breakfast and dinner meets our high expectations.

Hotel offer a great service from reception, food, breakfast and SPA.

The food is very good quality, very extensive breakfast selections.

Excellent hotel,service and food perfect,location very good,friendly staff,we were on the bike,hotel has nice place to keep bike inside,also bike shower outside,on the breakfast you can make fresh juice,it was fantastic

The food is amazing, buffet style breakfast and choice of eggs, omelette etc.

The receptionist was so well organised arranging a packed breakfast for our early morning departure and this is one hotel we will return to.

Breakfast is especially good with a huge variety of fresh food every morning.

Both breakfast and dinner were always very good and more than enough choice.

Not to forget the food, the breakfast buffet was amazing - always fresh fruits, cheeses and bread.

Hotel is in a good location, our suite was beautiful and the food was good and plentiful.

The meals (breakfast and dinner) were exellent.

Food was ok, maybe potatoes were not cooked ,therefore inedible,

The buffet night wasn’t great for eg as the hot food, inc paella and prawns etc were only luke warm.

The breakfast and dinner was really perfect.

Main courses varied between buffets and à la carte.

The restaurant serve splendid food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There is no self serve coffee available so you must order it (and hence pay for it!).

I kept asking for lactose free meals only to be ignored, forgotten or just be given the wrong order.

Omelettes could be ordered made-to-order.

If you order anything at breakfast set aside 45 mins (even when they’re not busy it takes this long) for your omelette or poached eggs to arrive

We ordered fried eggs with ham 3 times for breakfast and always got it in the wrong way.

We found some of the prices of extras in the hotel rather off putting.While the afternoon tea was gorgeous,we were absolutely staggered, to order coffee to be charged over 4 Euro for a cup.

We pay special tribute to Zoltan from Hungary for his attentiveness to our table and to Serkan from Turkey behind the bar having never missed an order and of course Maria Moritsch behind the counter.

With regards to the restaurant we did not like the fact that you had to order your meal in advance for that evening whilst eating a very disappointing breakfast and from a menu which I am sure they considered fine dining

Finally his colleague (a large woman dressed in a fur coat) wobbled over and took our order.

It's poor form by the hotel - money grabbing to be honest.

The service in the restaurant was extremely poor, our server shouted at us “you want appetiser” rather than asking or explaining what they were.

The housekeeping staff that serviced our room (and presumably any quality checking on the housekeepers) were poor as they didn't replace used items like conditioner and used facecloths, the latter removed as soon as they were used

On two days a buffet was the main course and this was a bit of a nightmare on one occasion as there were so many people queuing to select food in a very small area, and I felt the food was poor compared to buffets in other hotels I had stayed.

Their introduction was exactly the same as what we had received and after patiently waiting for 10-15 minutes one of the group had the nerve to call over the same mature waiter who reacted even more vehemently, standing infront of the poor man and lecturing him for two minutes in a raised voice.

but I would not rate the food at all and the service at dinner was very poor apart from one waitress who was the only one who seemed to know what she was doing.

If you have kids/teens, water suddenly becomes an expensive addition over a week.

Only downsides were the neighbouring bar being quite loud at night and all drinks in the hotel being incredibly expensive.

This year we were charged for drinking tap water "because we have to cover our costs".

The room is another story, for the price we paid you would expect excellence

To be frank we were glad to move as despite the more expensive room being lovely it was adjacent to the bar next door which had incredibly loud live music on until 11pm and the associated noise after that.

Only thing I found odd was that they had a couple of extra “luxury” items on a special á la carte brekkie menu, which could be ordered and paid for separately.

but unfortunately also too high priced (the GT prices do not include the T !!!

And the wine over dinner was a little pricey (€34 starting price).

but you had to pay for the tea and coffee which was a disappointment, not happened in other Austrian hotels we have stayed at, The breakfast was excellent, plenty on offer, however the evening meal choice was limited, in our 7 day stay we had Veal 3 times and Venison once.

However, we were constantly disappointed as this hotel fell well below the standard of MANY other Austrian 4* hotels we have stayed at across many comparable Austrian ski resorts, yet amazingly this was the most expensive!

Would come back for sure if it wasn't for the long list of really annoying let downs, that spoiled it in the end, given the price we paid for 2 suites.

Given 5 people in our group a round of drinks would cost in excess of £20 a time 
When we arrived one of the rooms was not the room that had been promised on booking.

but we probably wouldn't return due to the annoying prices of any extras.

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