The mountain resort Hochkönigin in Maria Alm
In the middle of the idyllic alpine village of Maria Alm with an outrageously beautiful view of the Steinernes Meer mountain range is the hotel"Die Hochkönigin"“, das seinen Namen vom nahen Berg Hochkönig hat. Wir hatten zwei wirklich sehr entspannte Aufenthalte, einmal im Frühsommer und einmal im Winter.
Location/Arrival of the Hochkönigin in Maria Alm
The small town of Maria Alm is located in the Austrian state of Salzburg and is only separated from Germany by the Stone Sea. On the other side of the imposing mountain range lies the Königssee and Berchtesgaden.
Coming from eastern Bavaria you drive either via Salzburg on the Tauern motorway to the Bischofshofen exit and then on the B 164 to Maria Alm. If you want to save the Austrian motorway toll, drive at Bad Reichenhall via the Unken border crossing to Lofer on the B 178 and then on the B 311 and B164 to Maria Alm. From western Bavaria you drive on the A 93 / A 12 at Kufstein over the border and then continue on the B 178 and B 164 to Maria Alm. Coming from the south, you get there comfortably via the Tauern Autobahn to your destination.
For us, the journey past the Berchtesgaden Alps and through the Saalachtal was a relief for the soul after 15 months of corona and lockdown. To see the scenic beauty of the Alps in all their glory again is really great.
The Hochkönigin is very quietly located on the outskirts of Maria Alm and offers you a fantastic panorama of the Steinerne Meer and the late Gothic church of the village. A picturesque picture that is almost too good to be true. Despite the quiet location on the outskirts, the most important places such as supermarket and mountain railway can be reached on foot in less than five minutes.
Room and design of the Hochkönigin
Even the entrance area and the adjoining bar impress with their harmonious design and allow a first glimpse of the impressive mountain panorama.
In good weather, you can enjoy the full mountain panorama on the terrace.
We had a room on the upper floor with a great view of the stone sea and the impressive church of Maria Alm. The rooms are attractive due to their modern alpine design and a spacious layout. In addition to a comfortable queen size bed, we also had a very spacious sofa in the room. A large skylight ensures plenty of daylight. The bathroom is equipped with a shower and sink as well as nice-smelling shampoos and soaps. The toilet is separate from the bathroom. A large flat screen TV, a hairdryer and a refrigerator are also available to you.
The design of the rooms is reflected throughout the hotel. Natural materials dominate the modern, but pleasantly subtle style of the house. In our opinion, the design highlight of the Hochkönigin is the outstanding SPA area. It is really the most beautiful SPA that we have seen so far. Dark stone and warm wood paired with large window fronts - simply fantastic.
Culinary at the Hochkönigin in Maria Alm
In terms of culinary delights, we were on the safe side with the Hochkönigin luxury board. Every morning you can feast on an opulent breakfast buffet. A large selection of breads, baguettes and rolls and sweet pastries from the regional bakery invite you to feast as well as homemade jams, honey from the beekeeper and sausage, various cheeses from Pinzgau and smoked fish. Most of the products are sourced from their own organic farm. The selection of coffee and tea leaves nothing to be desired. The offer is rounded off by fruity juices, prosecco and the chef who prepares delicious egg dishes as well as pancakes and waffles.
From 2 pm you can really strike again at the late lunch buffet. Crisp, fresh salads, a small selection of warm dishes, delicious soups and sweet little things such as cake or rice pudding with cinnamon bring you strengthened through the day and make the time until the culinary highlight - the seven-course menu in the evening - pass faster.
The à la carte dinner awaits you from 6:30 p.m. Try to get hold of a table on the side facing the mountains in summer. The view is really magical and if you are lucky you can experience the mystical alpine glow over dinner. For dinner you can choose from three different menus - regional, international or Queen & Green. But you can also combine wildly if you want. At the beginning you can expect a little greeting from the kitchen - usually homemade bread with spreads, ham or mountain farmer's butter. Then you choose your second course from the rich salad buffet. The third course is the starter that you choose from the menu. Then you can choose one of the tasty soups before the friendly waiters serve the main course. On the first evening we could choose between plucked veal shank with gnocchi and tomatoes, sous vide pork belly with potatoes and shitake mushrooms, and vegetable towers with mascarpone and pesto. For dessert, we opted for crème brulée and chocolate cream. At the end you can - if you can manage it - serve the cheese specialties from the Schlemmermarkt. All dishes for all three meals were always of excellent quality and freshness, so that we can only praise the cuisine in the Hochkönigin in Maria Alm in the highest tones.
Wirklich märchenhaft ist der Blick aus den großen Glasfensterfronten des Restaurantbereichs im Winter, wenn draußen alles weiß ist und glitzert. Auch bei unserem zweiten Besuch war die Kulinarik in der Hochkönigin fabelhaft und mit das Beste, was wir je in einem Hotel hatten.
Activities in Maria Alm
You will definitely not get bored in the Hochkönigin and Maria Alm.
Activities in and around Maria Alm
Of course, you can just relax here, but after the long Corona break we couldn't wait to be back on the mountain and so we went free with the cable car after arriving with the Hochkönig Card included in our stay first uphill, where we enjoyed the view and walked a little lap around the Prinzensee. But that was enough for the first day and so we shifted the late afternoon to the alpine hut and enjoyed the warm early summer sun. But we didn't go downhill either by cable car or on foot, but rather on the bottom of our pants over several shorter and longer slides back into the valley and from there to the nearby hotel. The view of the stone sea and the Hochkönig is omnipresent in Maria Alm.
Of course, you can also go on many great hikes in Maria Alm or take a trip to the nearby Seisenbergklamm or Vorderkaserklamm.
But actually there is enough to discover in the hotel.
Activities in the Hotel Hochkönigin
In addition to a fantastic children's play area on the lowest floor with all the devices and toys you can imagine, there is also a daily changing program for adults with exciting activities such as yoga, Qi Gong, walking, hiking, cooking or mixing cocktails, just to name a few call.
If you want to get rid of the calories you consumed at dinner, then visit the in-house fitness studio, where the right cardio and strength equipment is available for all fitness levels.
The highlight for us is the SPA with several relaxation rooms, panorama and Finnish sauna, swimming pool and infinity pool with #sea view. For the warm summer days, there is a SPA roof terrace, which is equipped with spacious, comfortable loungers in a great design and of high quality. Teas, fresh spring water and delicious dried fruits are also available in the SPA for you.
Besonders schön ist es im SPA-Bereich im Winter, wenn draußen eine dicke Schneedecke auf der Landschaft liegt und Ihr die Ruhe und Erholung genießt. Auch bei unserem Besuch im Januar hatte der Jacuzzi eine angenehme Temperatur, sodass wir auch bei Minusgraden lange baden konnten.
Skifahren in Maria Alm
Wenn Ihr im Winter nach Maria Alm kommt, solltet Ihr unbedingt die Weltklasse-Pisten des Skigebiets Hochkönig ausnutzen. Auf den Pisten, die sowohl von Maria Alm als auch von Dienten und Mühlbach aus befahren werden können, finden Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene Spaß. 34 moderne Lifte, unzählige Hütten und über 100 Pistenkilometer sorgen für einen tollen Skitag. Die Hochkönigin ist die perfekte Ausgangsbasis zum Skifahren. Den Skipass könnt ihr im Hotel kaufen und somit jederzeit flexibel am kleinen Zubringer-Lift direkt hinter dem Hotel euren Skitag starten. Das birgt in Corona-Zeiten auch den Vorteil, dass ihr nicht euren Impfpass und Ausweis mit euch führen müsst, denn wenn Ihr euer Ticket an der Kasse der Bergbahnen kauft, ist das der Fall.
Dass das Hotel perfekt auf Skifahrer vorbereitet ist, merkt man an der Infrastruktur. Im Skikeller befinden sich abschließbare Spinde, die einem Hotelzimmer fest zugeordnet sind. Dort könnt ihr eure Ski verstauen, wenn ihr sie nicht braucht. Auch die Skischuhe können dort auf beheizbaren Ständern aufbewahrt werden. Der Spind ist mit dem Zimmerschlüssel zu öffnen.
Solltet ihr mal ein Problem mit dem Equipment haben, hilft euch das örtliche Sportgeschäft freundlich und kompetent weiter. Wir haben dort selbst unsere Bindung einstellen lassen sowie die Ski wachsen und schleifen lassen.
Conclusion on our stay at Hotel Hochkönigin
Overall, we were very impressed by the Hotel Die Hochkönigin in Maria Alm and it is right at the top of our list of the best SPA hotels. Perfect unobtrusive service, absolute attention to detail and cleanliness as well as outstanding cuisine and an unsurpassed SPA experience make us dream of our next visit.
