St Gilgen

It's fair to say that the reason you spend years going to uni, getting a job, working long hours and trying to get some money together is so that you can spend it at a place like St Gilgen. It's not cheap to get here or stay here, but sipping cognac at the bar feels a lot like money very well spent!

St Gilgen is in the north western part of the northern part of Austria, a description that makes sense when you see a map. It's right on a lake (Wolfgansee) less than 100km East South East of Salzburg, and in the shadow of the 1522m peak of the Wolferhorn. It is an idyllic village, pretty much the embodiment of what you expect of an Austrian alpine village with traditional architecture, chaotic street layouts and amazing backdrops. The photo here is the view from our suite, which is a beautiful 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom plus lounge affair in itself.

The hotel has an amazing wellness centre featuring gym equipment, saunas (no bathing suits allowed), masseuse and a superb pool room with glass roof and wooden frame. Aside from my having to jump in fully clothed to rescue Aidan who leaped in not realising how deep the water was, the pool visit was a highlight of the first day (especially for the kids, who don't get as much out of the architecture as we do – though Aidan's highlight so far was the natural history museum in Vienna).

The hotel includes breakfast (gives continental breakfasts a good name) and dinner (4 courses), and our strategy is to feed the kids early and then put them to bed in the suite while we eat (and check them between courses). Assuming they are asleep, and they did a great job yesterday, then we will continue to retire to the bar, which is a spectacular set up with a variety of stylishly comfortable seating arrangements, log fire and extensive drinks list.

The next couple of days are holidays, so we should be having a couple of easy days checking out the local scenery and enjoying the hospitality, which is outstanding.