Alpenland Sporthotel Maria-Alm?

[ValHam]

What day trips would be possible by train from this resort? Do they have restaurants walking distance from resort - The 1 bedroom does not have a kitchen - what is the 1 bedroom like? What is it like in mid Nov in this area? Thanks

 

[Marathoner]

Since nobody has replied, I'll give it a go.

We've stayed at the Alpenland Sporthotel at St Johann - in March 3 years ago - which is a 45 minute drive from the Alpenland Sporthotel Maria-Alm. We had a two bedroom at St Johann and it was huge in terms of square footage. We had a car and would recommend it if you can.

The Austrian Alps area is very pretty and the people are quite friendly, although a reasonable percentage do not speak English. We went skiing at a number of regional slopes in the area. The local restaurants were all fine and interesting to eat at.

The two large areas to visit are Salzburg and Munich. Salzburg is about an hour and a half away while Munich is about two and a half hours.

The Salzburg Fortress is interesting, large, and historic and in the center of the city. There are actually many castles in the countryside as well but would require a car. The main street of Salzburg has interesting shops and some good restaurants that you can stop into.

Munich is major city and many things are recommended: walk around the city center (Marienplatz) and drink at their huge beer halls such as Hofbrauhaus. There are many markets and many shops in the area so you could spend days touring the city and still not do the city justice.

Each area has their own regional cuisine and local culture so the two cities are quite distinct.

Hope this helps.

 

[AlohaKauai]

Alpenland Sporthotel Maria-Alm

My wife and I stayed in a studio unit at this resort in December 2012 and loved it. The staff there was really friendly and the rooms had just been refurbished prior to our visit. The studio unit did not have a kitchen.

The village of Maria Alm itself is really small but very pretty. The people were very friendly. As Marathoner noted, not everyone in the area speaks English, but most people do. I speak some German from having lived in Germany a long time ago, but I think you will be able to pretty easily get by with only speaking English.

We had a good bit of snow while we were there (the week before Christmas) and relied on the trains on days where heavier snow was expected. You can catch the train from Saalfelden (about 10 minutes drive away). The train station had ample parking and I believe it was free. Saalfelden also had a number of restaurants and shops in a central area of the town (you'll pass this section on the way in).

We did day trips to Innsbruck and Salzburg. Both were very nice. I believe it took about 1 1/2 hours by train to reach of these cities. We visited the fortress in Salzburg which was definitely worth seeing. We also liked the Old Town area of Innsbruck. The Christmas Markets were also on then, so we visited those in both cities.

We also did two of the huge sledding hills (rodelbahn) in the Maria Alm area. I can't remember which we ones did, but the hotel gave us directions to them. Each of the trails was over a mile long and ran through pine forest. Very beautiful. I recommend going early in the day. The roads up to the sledding hills were quite steep. We drove down one of them in the evening and it was a bit treacherous as everything froze up.

We also did a day trip to Hallein Salt Mine and Altausee Salt Mine. We did this a couple of days before Christmas and both places were empty except for a few locals. The tour guides were really friendly and encouraged everyone to go down the huge wooden slides down into the mines as much as they wanted because the place wasn't busy. Both were interesting. But, I would probably do Hallein if you only do one or the other because you ride a small train into the mine and ride a boat across a lake within the mine.

There were also a number of ski resorts in the area, one of which we could see from our room. We didn't ski this trip, but if you are interested in skiing there are a number of options close by.

We also drove to Hallstadt and to Lake Wolfgang area after staying in Maria Alm. We highly recommend visiting both places if you have the time.

Have a great time in Austria! We plan on going back again next year.

 

[Paul E Morgan]

Is there a train station near Maria Alm and/or St. Johann? If so, is it within walking distance of the resort? Is there a shuttle to return to the resort from town? Where are the nearest grocery stores in proximity to the two resorts?

 

[happymum]

We stayed at Maria Alm a few years ago. My memory is a bit spotty, but will share what I can. There is a grocery store within easy walking distance from the resort. We were there off-season and the majority of restaurants were closed. (Early May, I believe). Did not take the train , but did do some bus trips. There is a cathedral nearby with a very persistent bell. Every 15 minutes, if I remember correctly. I think it's the 5:45AM one that ends up being close to 60 tolls . We did get used to it , but found it bothersome at first. Loved the area and would definitely return to the resort. Spent a lot of time just wandering around the area, such beautiful scenery .

 

[sheweeble]

We spent a week at Marco Polo Club (which is in Hinterthal close to Alpenland) in September of 2015. There were a number of restaurants open, Urslauerhof, Landhotel Schafhuber, Almhof and Theresia are some we enjoyed.

We had a car, but as AlohaKauai said you can pick up the train at Saalfelden. Maria Alm is a pretty town to wander. Our resort had activities that you could book through the resort which might be something to look at if you won't have a car. ( Is there a reason you don't want a car?) We did do a couple of hikes through the resort.

From the resort we did the Werfen Ice Caves, which are the world largest. We drove the High Alpine Road. Hiked Krimml Falls. Drove to the Parish Church of St. Sebastian. Other sights you can see from this area, which we have done on other trips are the city of Salzburg, Hitler's Eagles Nest, Hallstatt, although we did that area when we stayed at Grundlsee.

We have traveled to Austria a number of times but this is the first time in this area and we throughly enjoyed it. I know you are booked into another timeshare, Marco Polo Club does have a partial kitchen in all units, even the studios, I think. We had a 1 bedroom with a living room and it was very nice.