We spent a wonderful week at this family mountain resort and we were baffled at the great features and the overall fantastic service offered. I think at around 200€ per night this was also a great deal, then again, summer season is different from winter. We have vacationed in Kärnten in summer before, this spot does not seem to be a summer / hiking hot spot (chairlifts open only on certain days.)

The Good

- Fantastic room. I had booked the Cristallo family room which is the best in terms of layout I have encountered so far. When traveling with family, it is sometimes hard to get some 'alone time', thanks to many sliding doors, this place can be configured any way you want. Some neat design tricks, like an LDC TV the can be flipped through the wall to be available in either the bedroom or the living room, or tiny details like a power outlet IN the safe (you can charge your laptop while it is secure) are strokes of genius.

On the downside, only one window in the living room can be opened, which means at night, with all doors closed, there is no air circulation.

- Great and plentiful food. Most of which is buffet style, but there are also some selections of main courses over the week and the dessert almost always is served at the table. There is always some fish, and there is no way you go to bed hungry. Wine is expensive (when coming from Italy), so, stay with beer.

- The staff was overall great and helpful. Our waitress Jennifer stood out in service and friendliness.

- My wife was very impressed by the massage she got ... And 10% off from 10- 12 is nice too.

- Riding a cross country Segway ... At 16€ per hour a great deal, and lots of fun.

The Bad (or not so good)

- The reception ... Actually, all the staff is great and we got a very friendly welcome, but at times it can be hard to catch someone there, there always seems to be a line and some discussion going on (we also saw the police and the red cross visiting)

- Fellow travelers ... This week the place was swamped with families from south of Austria, and it seems they do not read any signs or willfully ignore them (i.e. The big pool is a kid free zone after 6PM) ... They were very noisy indeed and their kids kept filling the public areas with screams and yells until 11PM.

- Compared to a kids' club in a similar resort in Austria we visited 2 years ago, the kids' club staff could have been a bit more enthusiastic.


The Ugly

- They try to get some more money from you as much as possible .. Most ridiculous example: Water with the meals ... The bottled water is at 4.90€ for .75 litres (less than a quart) totally overprized (go to the small supermarket 5 minutes down the road, 1.5 l for 45c), but you can op for tap water, which is 1€ per table, per meal ... Really? C'mon!!!

- There is a coffee maker in the room, one of those fancy new things that needs special coffee pads. First one is free, next are 70cents each.

- You get a robe (nice) if you want to have it exchanged / cleaned during your stay, cha-ching, 5€ charged to your room.

- There is a sign at the breakfast buffet (see picture) that says that if your are caught bringing food up to your room, they will charge you 9.50€. Ok, I get it, it is very tempting to make sandwiches for your hike. But what do they have to lose? It is not like they are missing out on lunch business (which is also included). Interestingly, when looking at the sign, only the Italian version says 'for 9.50€ we are happy to prepare packed lunch for you' ...

- Quite a few of the freely offered activities seem to be cross selling opportunities .. I.e. Visiting the residence (wanna buy a place here?). The kid's pony excursion (each kid got a 2 minute round for free, pay more for the next one) or a visit (just look, don't play) at the adjacent Adventure Park.

- Don't get me started on the internet, but 4€ per hour in 2010 in a developed country is a total rip off. 4 years ago in a similar resort in Jamaica, it was free, 2 years ago in a similar place in Austria it was 15€ for 24h ... Here, 24h would amount to 96€ ...

In summery, would I go back? While most everything was great, I think I would rather try a different location next time (still with the Falkensteiner group). Overall they are doing a fantastic job, but there are some sour grapes that don't have to be there.

One word of warning, this is a FAMILY resort. If you are a couple without kids, you might end up hating this place, kids are everywhere and one can only tolerate this if you have gone through the whole kids experience yourself.