Guest contribution by Anna and Ali Mahlodji
Ever since our first stay, our daughter has known Sendlhofer’s simply as “the hotel with the slide”. She was three at the time and seemed to spend half our holiday on the slide in the restaurant. She probably clocked up more vertical metres there each day than some guests did on the mountain.
Her little sister has been down that very same slide too, although she was still in Mum’s tummy at the time. These days, we have two enthusiastic fans of “the hotel with the slide”.
A winter holiday with children in the Gastein Valley
We love winter in the Gastein Valley: skiing in Angertal, a bowl of Kaspressknödel soup with its savoury cheese dumpling after a long day on the slopes, sunshine on the snow and a warm thermal bath afterwards. For us, that’s what a holiday is all about.
Yet it’s often the little things at the hotel that stay with us. Fresh fruit and the smell of waffles at breakfast. The rocking chair in our room for reading and daydreaming. The lovely SAINT CHARLES soap in the bathroom.
Sharing a meal at LUKE’S Wohnzimmer
The delicious tapas are part of it, too. They’re just the right size for children. Our daughter loves the schnitzel and the crispy skin on the pike-perch. None of us has quite worked up the courage to try the pig’s snout yet, though.
With every stay, these little favourites become part of our family’s holiday story. For the children, it’s the slide. For us, it’s also the details that make coming back feel so familiar.
Why it feels like visiting friends
There’s a personal story behind why staying at Sendlhofer’s feels a little like visiting friends. Anna’s and Eva’s mothers met in hospital shortly after their daughters were born. Anna and Eva grew up together, then lost touch for many years before their paths crossed again.
Perhaps that gives us a particular connection to the hotel. Or perhaps we simply feel what so many guests feel: the years of experience, the genuine warmth and the enjoyment of trying something new.
At Sendlhofer’s, you get the sense that passing the hotel from one generation to the next has brought fresh energy to the place. Its values remain, with plenty of room for new ideas, curiosity and the courage to give things a go.
A special place for our family
You can tell that the people here enjoy looking after their guests. Everyone lends a hand when help is needed. Tradition and fresh ideas come together to create something special.
Sendlhofer’s will always mean a lot to our family. For us, quality is in the little things, the people and the way a hotel is run. We’re already looking forward to our next holiday at “the hotel with the slide”.
Anna and Ali Mahlodji
