In short… Part high-tech Alpine spa, part lived-in family hotel, Naturhotel Forsthofgut is the kind of place where guests (dogs and children included) wind down after a day of skiing, hiking, or sauna-hopping in the 61,000sq ft spa by raising a glass in a bathrobe at the bar.
The history… Naturhotel Forsthofgut dates back over 400 years, when it was one of the first houses in the town of Leogang, providing lodging for forest workers. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that holiday guests really started staying in the then-humble pensione. Over the following few decades Forsthofgut grew slowly, adding a few rooms, eventually constructing a new main house and designing brochures to get the word out. Then in 2006, when Christoph Schmuck took the reins as General Manager, things really took off. Now the fifth generation in charge, Christoph has overseen the addition of dozens of guest rooms, the construction of a 5-hectare wildlife conservancy and riding stables, opened the region’s first waldSpa (a type of nature-inspired spa that’s increasingly popular in Germany & Austria), and so much more, all while finding time to personally feed Rocky, the hotel’s beloved deer, and host weekly cocktail hours to meet guests while his adorable daughters run around in dirndls, playing with other lederhosen-clad young guests.
The vibe… At check in, I spotted a mix of shiny new Rimowas and scuffed North Face duffels on the luggage carts, mirroring the crowd itself: sleek couples there for the epic spa alongside crunchy, multi-gen families who spent every waking second outdoors, no matter the weather. By happy hour each evening, at least a dozen guests had migrated to the bar in their bathrobes, sipping cocktails with someone’s dog at their feet, completely blissed out after an Aufguss session in one of the many saunas.
The food & drink… If the term “all-inclusive” is a turnoff for you (same), stick with me. Room rates at Forsthofgut include a daily, genuinely epic breakfast spread, a hearty midday snack, and five-course dinner—though none of it feels cruise-ship coded in the slightest. Each guestroom is assigned a standing table in one of the hotel’s dining rooms, so you return to the same spot for each meal, which makes it easy to get to know the waitstaff and other guests in your section.
I have never seen so many types of yogurt in a setting that is not the dairy aisle at Whole Foods: organic, sheep’s milk, cow’s milk, soy, lactose-free, Greek, plus several flavored options, all laid out alongside an equally abundant spread of butters, cheeses, milks, preserves, fresh juices, produce, breads, and pastries. The incredible variety made sense later, when we visited the farms and producers that supply the kitchen.
The dinner menu at Forsthofgut has a full page that explains where they procure food, with the full names and stories of the individual cheesemakers, butchers, farmers, bakers and distillers they have worked with for years. The hotel’s Feel Good Manager (hello, dream job!) arranges tours to many of those local producers, often by bike when the weather is good, giving guests a firsthand look at where their meals begin. One afternoon we visited Stechaubauer, a pioneering organic farm in the region, where one farmer told me she drove 40 minutes each way to work there—despite having farms much closer to home—solely because of the values and passion behind their operation. As she put it, their commitment to organic farming “isn’t on paper, it’s in their heart,” a philosophy they followed long before there were certifications and a legal framework for it. Afterwards we stopped by Sinnlehenhof, a local cheesemaker just up the hill from Stechaubauer, where a man named Hans runs an impressive operation out of a cheese lab next to his home. And then there’s Rupert, the hotel’s resident hiking guide, who can take guests mushroom foraging in the surrounding forests and have the kitchen incorporate their haul into dinner that evening.
Speaking of dinner, the menu changes every night, with five courses that you can mix and match from three different menus: Alpine-Mediterranean, R50 (sourced within 50km of the hotel), or Vegan. And there’s always an off-menu schnitzel for those who know to ask for it. The drinks are equally impressive—of course, there is an Infinite Jest-sized wine menu that focuses on local producers, and a book of NA beverages (may I suggest the Birch tree water) and cocktails crafted with bitters and syrups made in partnership with Saint Charles Apothecary in Vienna.
The wellness… The spa is where Forsthofgut truly shines. Its 60,000+ square-foot waldSPA—wald meaning forest in German—places nature, and especially the surrounding woods, at the center of the experience. Massages are named after trees, which one therapist explained is meant to encourage guests to “focus on their roots.” When weather permits, you can even hike to a small clearing in the forest for a massage in the fresh alpine air.
The scale of the waldSPA is impressive, nearly to the point of disorientation: a labyrinth of tunnels (so you don’t have to walk outside in the snow) connects saunas, steam rooms, pools, and an onsen, all arranged around a natural pond designed for cooling off between heat sessions. The spa strikes a nice balance between high-tech and analog—offering everything from NAD+ infusions, cryo chambers, and IHHT training to old wooden saunas where the unselfconscious bare it all, and plenty of quiet corners to sip tea by a fireplace and take in the mountain views.
Beyond the spa itself, wellness is woven into the daily rhythm of the hotel. Upon arrival, guests download an app with a full schedule of classes, hikes, and guided sauna Aufguss sessions to sign up for with the press of a button. I opted for yoga and fascia release classes, walks and runs along the wooded trails, and plenty of contrast therapy, moving from the frigid pond to the scorching Finish sauna that floats above it. I also appreciated the yoga mat and hiking backpack waiting in my room, plus fresh smoothies, trail maps, and a printed schedule of the week’s wellness offerings laid out on arrival.
The kid-friendly factor… I was so impressed by how they managed to be somewhere that’s great for a relaxing grown-up getaway while remaining incredibly family-friendly. Of course there are the activities like skiing, sledding, horseback riding, and an outdoor playground, but then there’s an entire “miniGUT” farm where kids can pet the dozens of animals that live there, or spend time in the art studio, supervised kids club, teen room, ball pit, and so, so much more.
What I found most impressive is that they created an entire portion of the spa designed especially for kids, where textiles are required (as opposed to the textile-free, adult-only areas) and the saunas are a bit cooler, with the hotel’s mascot Rocky painted on the walls. There’s also a 70-meter indoor waterslide, shallow kiddie pool, and large indoor lap pool that’s open 24 hours a day if you arrive late and your kids can’t sleep until they’ve done a cannonball.
Extra tip goes to… Sebastian, who made the best tableside steak tartare.
Parting words… It feels like everyone is really being taken care of here: parents, kids, employees, animals. There are actually more rooms for employees than guests, with 70% of them living in nearby housing managed by the hotel. In 2023 the hotel opened their Team Campus, a space for employees to hang out and have meals, relax, watch tv or read on breaks. And as someone who has worked back-of-house and is no stranger to a dimly lit linen closet turned staff room, this is not that, and feels more like the student center at an expensive liberal arts college. Everyone I encountered who worked there seemed genuinely happy and well, perhaps in-part attributable to the employee perk of getting access to the gym and spa.
Dates of stay… October 5-8, 2025
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