Almhotel Hochhäderich

The Almhotel Hochhäderich is in the Kojental, the basin between the municipalities of Hittisau and Riefensberg in the Bregenzerwald, at 1,300 metres of altitude, with the slopes of the Alpenarena Hochhäderich starting beside the house. It is avowedly a family hotel, with a children's world, a play farm, equipment for babies and a whole wellness department designed for the little ones. But the sauna world follows the opposite rule, and the house writes it plainly: it is a swimwear-free area and children under 16 have no access. For them the family sauna in the FamSpa is reserved. It is exactly the case that confuses people when they book, because the hotel is family-friendly in everything except there.

The sauna world looks out over the alpine pastures, the woods and the peaks around. It includes a hay-flower sauna, a bio sauna, a herbal steam bath and a panorama sauna. Inside the area there is also a swimwear-free bathtub, kept at a pleasant temperature, which serves as a refreshment between one round and the next. For resting there are a room of absolute silence with loungers lined in sheepskin, a second relaxation room with a window onto the Kojenmoor nature reserve and a bright atrium, as well as hanging loungers that swing gently.

The rule on swimwear is therefore declared without ambiguity, and it is the fact no portal reports: in the sauna world you go without swimwear, and the threshold of 16 admits no exceptions. Anyone not at ease with this still has the rest of the wellness area available.

Outside the sauna world, the AlmSpa provides a panoramic indoor pool open to all guests, further oases of quiet, yoga on the alp, massages, baths and beauty treatments. The day spa is open also to those not staying the night.

For children the FamSpa is reserved, with a water world that includes the new indoor pool and a pool for the smallest ones enlivened by a colourful snake that sprays water, as well as the children's wellness department, with massages in which the little ones are pampered like the grown-ups, always accompanied by a parent. There is then the family sauna, which is the house's answer to the threshold of 16: anyone who cannot go into the sauna world still finds a first taste of heat suited to their age.

The house is a four-star mountain hotel, with generous board, regional cooking, a wine room and a bar under the parasols for after skiing. The rooms are available from 16.00 and must be left by 10.00, and for arrivals after 18.00 the house asks for notice. Payment is made in cash, by debit card or by Mastercard and Visa.

It suits the couple looking for high altitude, silence and a swimwear-free sauna, with no problem about staying in a hotel where children are present and visible. It suits less anyone who wants a hotel that is adults only throughout, or anyone who prefers to stay dressed in the sauna.