Moar Gut, Austria, hotel review

Checking into Familien Natur Resort Moar Gut, Jessica Salter finds that this Austrian family-owned farm has unlocked the secret to a stress-free family retreat in the mountains

This family-friendly resort centres around a swimming lake with decking to lounge on (Matthias Warter)

This luxury hotel with its own organic farm in the middle of the beautiful Salzburg mountains has everything a family could need on a getaway.

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Location

Set in the picturesque valley of the Tauern Nature Reserve framed by the Salzburg mountains, with nearly 25 acres of land of its own, the hotel feels totally secluded. It’s less than 50 miles from Salzburg airport, and the hotel provides a pick-up service (€235) if you don’t want to rent a car. Grossarl town is a five-minute drive with an all-day shuttle service that takes you to the lifts in winter.

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The vibe

The owners have worked hard to make sure you leave your worries at the door. The hotel is spread out across several buildings; the main hub is the historic building, with a charming wood-panelled restaurant, heavy wooden doors and sheepskin rugs on pale wooden furniture. The more modern buildings – one of which is dedicated to activities with a full-size climbing wall, a basketball court and gaming room; another houses the considerable spa, two indoor pools, and water slide – are sensitively designed to blend in and not detract from the star of the show: the huge mountain range cosseting the property. The focal point is the swimming lake surrounded by individual decking areas.

The resort is spread across modestly designed buildings so as not to distract you from the magnificent mountains (Matthias Warter)

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Service

Staff are the perfect blend of friendly and helpful – but not overbearing. On arrival guests are given cake pops and a welcome drink, dinner places are set in advance with children’s cutlery and colouring, and meals come swiftly. For the first few days the staff also act as willing travel guides around the sprawling campus.

Bed and bath

The 46 well-designed suites are clean and minimalist, with pine furniture, white walls and crisp linen. All have balconies or terraces. Each makes the most of natural lighting with big windows to appreciate the mountain views. The suites have two or three bedrooms, with bunks or single beds for children. The bathrooms have tubs and showers, and the kitchenettes are well kitted out. The lift goes straight to your own front door, which is a fun feature. As well as the suites, Moar Gut also has two double rooms with the same natural design.

Rooms are well equipped for guests of all ages (Nina Wro)

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Food and drink

There are two dining rooms, each with dark wood, panelled doors and cosy vibes. Guests are allocated a table for their stay, which is set up when you arrive (no need to book a time). There’s an excellent children’s buffet, featuring home cooked, crowd-pleasing mains like pizza or chicken goujons, while the thoughtful and seasonal adults’ menu ranges from a six-course gourmet menu to a more realistic three courses prepared by chef Markus. On Tuesday nights guests are invited to drink fizz and party in the kitchen, accompanied by the house band dressed in traditional Austrian dress (as the chefs try to work). Breakfast is a sprawling, delicious buffet with highlights including fresh waffles. Lunch features buffet salads and a choice of two main courses. There’s cake daily at 3pm and an ice cream station.

Guests are allocated a table for their entire stay (Moar Gut)

Facilities

There’s an extensive, lavishly decked out spa with steam rooms, Infrared and Finnish saunas, ice fountain, an indoor pool with separate toddler pool (both have slides), a separate large water slide zone and both an outdoor heated pool and swimming lake. Then there’s the horse riding stables, the indoor basketball/football court, the eight metre-high climbing wall, animal petting area where little guests can climb in to feed rabbits and chickens, trampolines, arcade games room, tennis courts and a glass-fronted gym with mountain views. That’s not getting onto the enormous split level (free) kids club, with a climbing net and slide, trapeze silks, scooter track, woodworking studio, art station and full baby area complete with wooden cribs. In the car park there’s also a Bugaboo garage stocked with state-of-the-art prams to borrow. In the winter there’s a children’s sledding and ski slope.

There’s a wide range of kids activities at Moar Gut (Matthias Warter)

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Accessibility

There are lifts throughout the property, but the rooms are not fully wheelchair accessible.

Pet policy

One dog is allowed per suite at a rate of €50 per day.

Check-in/check-out

Check-in is at 4pm, check-out is at 11am.

Family-friendly?

Extremely. The kids club is free and available for babies from a month old up. There are also activities for teens and baby equipment is available on request.

At a glance

Best thing: The imaginative breadth of activities and facilities for children.

Perfect for: Families who want a mix of activities together, chilling out and separate time.

Not right for: Couples who are hoping for an adults-only experience.

Instagram from: Anywhere facing the mountains

Address: Moar Gut, Moargasse 22 | AT-5611 Großarl

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Phone: +43 (0)6414/318

Website: moargut.com

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