Hotel Spa Der Steirerhof, Bad Waltersdorf
Hotel And Spa Der Steirerhof is perhaps the most welcoming hotel I’ve had the pleasure to stay at during my many years of traveling.
Located an easy 75 mile drive south from Vienna in the Austrian state of Styria, this lovely region is filled with historic towns, beautiful landscapes, numerous castles, orchards and vineyards. All in all, this picturesque hilly landscape has a rather Mediterranean feel that is far different from the Tirol region that my husband and I often visit.
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Der Steirerhof is located on a hilltop just outside the village of Bad Waltersdorf. The village is known for its healing thermal waters and has been voted one of the most beautiful flower villages in Europe. As you drive through the gates of the resort you see that it is surrounded by acres of gardens. Walk inside the stylish, traditional hotel and you see that Frau Gunda Unterweter, the gracious owner of Der Steirerhof, carries her love of plants and flowers indoors as well.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Frau Unterweter and her lovely daughter Anna with a glass of sparkling wine and shown to the hotel’s restaurant for a light lunch while our luggage was placed in our room and our car parked in the hotel’s garage.
All meals are included in the room rate and you can’t help but be impressed with the restaurant’s food. In the morning, you can enjoy is fresh coffee and pastries by the pool. Freshly prepared eggs as well as meats, fish, cheese, cereals, and freshly baked breads can be had from the breakfast buffet. There is even a specially cooled fresh fruit room where you can select fruits to juice yourself or take a piece as a snack anytime during the day.
At lunchtime, there are a variety of salads, soups and a hot dish available from the buffet. In the afternoon, you can enjoy strudel and cake in the dining area or at the poolside bistro. Dinner features salads from the buffet and then you have a choice from four different five course dinners. The ingredients are natural, organic and come from the region which has led to the restaurant being awarded the Grünen Haube (Green Toque) designation.
After lunch and getting settled in our room, we headed down to check out the pool and spa area and it is lovely. Der Steirerhof is ranked as one of the best 5 star hotels in Austria and has been awarded the best possible rating of 4 lilies and 20 points in the Relax Guide, the most respected wellness (spa) guide for Austria and Germany. The hotel’s spa area is the perfect place to relax in one of the seven indoor and outdoor pools or ten saunas. There is even a separate lady’s spa.
Each day after breakfast, we went out for a drive to explore different areas of Styria which is called the “green heart of Austria”. Fields were filled with pumpkins and sunflowers, orchards had trees loaded with apples and many of the vineyards had grapes just waiting to be harvested. Absolutely beautiful scenery was around every curve in the road as we explored the region.
One day we drove a portion of the “castle route” and visited Castle Riegersburg, an impressive medieval castle perched on a steep volcanic rock hill. It was interesting and had magnificent views in all directions. If you visit the town of Riegersburg, you might also want to stop by the Zotter chocolate factory which is considered one of Austria’s best chocolates. In the same region there are also wine and apple routes to explore and if you are more adventurous then we were, there are hot air balloon rides to see this region from a bird’s eye view.
Another scenic drive took us to the pretty market town of Pollau. The town’s main attraction is Schloss Pollau, a former Augustinian monastery. The huge St. Veit’s church, which was built in the early 1700’s, is part of the complex and is decorated with wonderful trompe l’oeil frescoes.
At the end of a day’s explorations, it was always nice to return to the hotel. You could enjoy a drink or snack on the beautiful terrace or by the fire, play a game or read a book in the lounge or change into your bathrobe and relax out in the spa garden or at the pool and watch a hot air balloon drift on the horizon just as the sun set. It doesn’t get much better than that as far as I’m concerned.
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Der Steirerhof, with its tradition of warm hospitality and high level service, is a hotel that creates an environment that makes you want to return to year after year. I do hope that my husband and I will be fortunate enough to return, perhaps next year.
Just amazing Karen. Thanks for the break from my ordinary…;-)
Light snow falling all day here, yet temps have been warm, so no accumulation. 37F now.
Sorry to have taken so long to reply Diane, I’m glad the post provided you with a nice little break. Hope the weather isn’t too bad over the holidays for you…wshing you all the best.
Karen, you should know while I’m reading this beautiful post that it is 28 degrees and snow is falling. 🙂
Hi Judy, I know that the weather hasn’t improved any since you wrote your comment. At least there is no question of you having a white Christmas. I’m glad that this post could warm you up…at least in spirit.
Oh, wow. Welcoming and gorgeous.
It really was Cynthia, I’m happy you enjoyed the post.
Really pretty! Love your travel posts — always so interesting. And your pictures are great! Thanks so much.
Thank you John, I’m happy to know that you enjoy my travel posts as I know food is what so many of my readers expect from my writings. I appreciate your nice compliment.
Wonderful post Karen. The scenery is beautiful and the food presentation is so tempting. Oh, and I hope you get back soon. 🙂
Hi Madonna, We are back from our trip and it was a good one. I’m glad you enjoyed the post, thank you.
This place looks ideal and the surrounding countryside is gorgeous. What an amazing trip you have had.
Hi Darlene, Der Steirerhof hotel and this area of Austria was new to us and we loved everything about this stay. This was a fantastic trip, thank you.
You always select the most beautiful hotels when you travel, and this one is no exception, it is gorgeous. What a phenomenal holiday you must have had. We spent the month of November in Arizona so I’ve been neglecting my favourite blogs, I do apologize if I’ve missed a post or two to comment on, we were much busier than I thought we would be!
Hi Eva, Don’t you just love the Der Steirerhof hotel, we had never been in this area of Austria before but it won’t be our last. I put a lot of research into the hotels we stay at when traveling and this is one of Austria’s best.As you can see, I’ve been late in blogging as well…so much going on this time of the year.
Fabulous! Your post arrived just when I was in need of a break and the lush photos transported me another time and place. What a scrumptious vacation!
Thank you so much for your kind words Deb, I’m happy to know that you enjoyed the post and photos. 🙂
I really like the look of Castle Riegersburg – apparently it sits on a dormant volcano!
Hi Mad Dog, Castle Riegersburg does indeed sit atop a dormant volcano. They have vineyards all around the castle so I guess it is good soil.
What a fabulous place. It looks and sounds as if you had a wonderful time.
Hi Kay, Der Steirerhof was fabulous in every way. Wonderful facilities and spa, delicious food and delightful people that couldn’t do enough for us during our visit.
Ok Karen , I should have just stayed in Germany and met my husband to spend the holidays in this hotel. Maybe next year. By the way I did not get eat at Heimlich Treu in Berlin’s because my niece and my little friend chose a hip Vietnamese restaurant.
Hi Gerlinde, I do hope you get a chance to visit Der Steirerhof, you certainly won’t be disappointed. A hip Vietnamese restaurant in Berlin…that doesn’t surprise me at all and I bet it was good.
Lovely. Thank you for the tour.
I’m happy you liked the tour Jovina, thank you.
I’ve only been to Austria twice but I swear they really know how to live. GREG
I totally agree with you about Austria Greg, it is why we keep going back each year…we love everything about it.
What a beautiful place to stay while traveling!
Hi Angie, This was the first time we visited this area and Der Steirerhof hotel and we had a great time. We would definitely go back.
What an amazing, beautiful place to stay!
Hi Vicki, Isn’t Der Steirerhof the loveliest place. We really enjoyed our stay there.
It looks and sounds wonderful Karen. Glad you had more luck with the weather there too. 🙂
Hi Cathy, We had a lot of rain on this year’s trip and we were so happy that it was nice during our stay in Bad Waltersdorf. The area is beautiful and we enjoyed riding around in the countryside each day.
Looks like great area and beautiful place to stay. As always when folks post about places, I go to my map and Google Earth to check it out.
Hi Larry, It is interesting that you look up all on places on Google Earth…I’ll have to start doing that. We really enjoyed this area of Austria and will definitely return to explore more.
What a wonderful place to stay!
Hi Pam, We loved our first visit to Bad Waltersdorf and the Der Steirerhof hotel. You are right, it was wonderful.
So beautiful there, Karen. Looks like a real paradise on earth. 🙂
Hi Sylvia, I think I would agree with you, we had never been to the Austrian state of Styria and thought the area would really beautiful.
This is my dream Karen! Your photos are magnificent and I’m sharing this post with my husband – maybe one day he’ll get tired of me begging to go to Austria!
Hi Tricia, I do hope you and your husband get a chance to visit Austria, we absolutely love it. Keep begging. 😀
What a beautiful place to enjoy your vacation, Karen. 🙂
Hi Amy, Der Steirerhof was such a lovely place to stay and the area around Bad Waltersdorf was beautiful.
The flowers are so beautiful, and I would love to sit on the outdoor terrace. I would be so comfortable there I would forget to go sightseeing. 🙂
Hi Gallivanta, There was beautiful flowers everywhere you looked and yes, the terrace was a lovely place to sit and enjoy the view.
My goodness … what a beautiful place! If you can’t relaxes there, where can you relax?
So true MJ, Der Steirerhof was the perfect place to relax for a couple of days…we loved it.
Looks like a wonderful visit, Karen!
It was Ksenia, thank you.
i can’t believe how gorgeous these pictures are! it’s like an animator’s recreation of the ideal landscape. stunning!
Thank you Grace, I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. 🙂
Oh my I so wish I could have gone on this trip 😉 The scenery is out of this world. The food looks great too. It seems like a perfect time.
Karen, I don’t think I’ve ever given a thought to visiting Austria. But, wow! Your amazing introduction to it has my wheels turning! I would be very happy at this hotel. Your photos are gorgeous.
I love Austria, the landscape is breathtaking and this hotel is so elegant. I would love a holiday there as well.
So beautiful and green. I wish I could stay there too!!!!
Such a beautiful and special place! 🙂
This a wow! A jewel in a small Austrian village, with modern amenities, upscale food, beautiful scenery, tranquility… paradise on Earth! It made me want to visit it. Please keeping sharing your trips with us. xx