Dachstein West holiday ski apartment rental, Gosau with walking, beach/lake nearby, balcony/terrace, internet access, rural retreat, TV

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Apartment 13, Haus Bergblick 2 (apartment)

Home description

Our beautifully appointed apartment is south facing and overlooks the spectacular Dachstein mountain range. A short walk of one hundred metres will take you to the Hornspitz chair lift and fast access to the extensive Dachstein-West ski area (www.dachstein.at) which is a great place to learn to ski as well as being a haven for intermediates. In the summer you simply walk or take your mountain-bike and explore the mountains from your doorstep. There are also some flat walks and cycle paths along the valley floor next to a stream stretching for several miles.

The apartment is on the second floor of a three-storey block. It consists of a lounge-diner with windows on two sides and access to a large L-shaped balcony with sunshine most of the day and fantastic views across the mountains. Imagine sitting back with your favourite book and glass of wine, drinking in the beautiful scenery and the pure mountain air.

Inside the lounge, the floors are wooden throughout. There are two large comfortable sofas which convert easily into double beds (clean, fresh linen is provided for your stay as well as towels). There is a large wall-mounted 32 inch flat lcd screen TV and DVD player to keep the whole family entertained when you’re not outside enjoying yourselves. The TV is also satellite connected, so never miss an English premiership football match or other major sporting event while you’re on your holidays. You can watch it from the comfort of your cosy apartment in the mountains. The TV also has access to other English and German/Austrian channels including movies. There is a broadband internet connection so you can access all important emails whilst you are away!

There is a separate double bedroom with plenty of storage space as well as views of the mountains and the town of Gosau to the north. It has full thermostat controlled central heating throughout and there is a plentiful supply of hot water. There is a well appointed bathroom with a power shower over the bath and a washing machine (usual in Austria). Finally there is a well-appointed galley-style kitchen with cooker, fridge and dishwasher….so all you need to fight over is who is going to load and unload the dishwasher and who’s going to uncork the wine!

To see more look at my website www.austriaalpsapartment.co.uk

winter view from the balcony	on the piste above Gosau
lounge diner	springtime view from the balcony

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/32158

The Upper Austria/Salzkammergut region

Gosau is in the heart of Austria’s lake district, the Salzkammergut. You can visit so many beautiful villages and towns such as St Wolfgang and Strobl and take boat trips during the summer months and also swim in the clear blue waters of the many lakes - Hallstattersee is particularly nice. Some of the lakes also afford the opportunity for watersports for those interested, most notably on Mondsee and Wolfgangsee.

A short drive away is the Unesco world heritage village of Hallstatt with its saltmine. Slightly further around Hallstattersee is the village of Obertraun with its giant ice caves open for viewing in the summer.

Gosau is quite close to many other areas of interest. Salzburg itself is a beautiful historic city and is only an hour away. There is so much to see and do. A good way of getting oriented is to take one of the City sightseeing tours (www.panaromatours.at) For those into ‘high culture’, the City was of course the birthplace and home of Mozart and there are many classical music concerts all year round to celebrate this fact, particularly in the summer months (www.mozartdinnerconcert.com) . Salzburg was also where ‘The Sound of Music’ was filmed back in the 1960s and you can go on tours of the various locations and end up with a meal including ‘snitzel with noodles’ and a concert including many of the songs from the film if ‘this is one of your favourite things’ (www.soundofmusicshow.com). Also don’t miss the Christmas market from the end of November through December in the square just outside the cathedral.

For those into 20th century history, there is much to explore. At Ebensee is the location of a concentration camp established by the Nazis in 1943. There are some very touching memorials and informative displays reminding us of the atrocities perpetrated here during the War. Also worth a visit is the former Nazi concentration camp at Mathausen near Linz. This is a one and a half hours drive, but is very worthwhile and an extremely sobering and humbling experience. In a similar dark vein, Hitler’s former retreat in Southern Bavaria, the so-called ‘Eagle’s nest’ is worth a visit in nearby Berchtesgaden for those interested in this period of our history (see www.obersalzberg.de and www.eagles-nest.de for more information)

Closer to hand is the former imperial Austrian town of Bad Ischl. It’s a twenty minute drive and is full of beautifully grand buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries when the Austrian emperor used to decamp here in the summer months away from the heat of Vienna. It’s also a spa town and you can indulge yourself in the spa which is in the centre of the town if you wish. There are also plenty of shops and supermarkets in Bad Ischl if you are in need of retail therapy.

In short, there are so many possibilities in both the winter and summer months, the list is endless.

Dachstein West / Gosau area

Gosau village is actually a series of mini-villages strung along the valley ending at the beautiful Gosausee lake to the south underneath the brooding mountains of the Dachstein range. It really is how you imagine an Austrian alpine village to look and feel. There are a number of farms,‘chocolate box-cover’ churches, pubs, hotels, restaurants as well as a supermarket, banks with ATMs, ski shops, a newsagent and the tourist office where they speak English. In addition there is an indoor swimming pool in the village which is open afternoons and evenings. In the summer, you can use the Bummelzug, a tractor hauled tramcar that does regular trips into the hills to the accompaniment of zither music and provides opportunities for walks. You can also take the cable car up the Zweiselalm mountain in summer time just to the west of Gosau. This affords fantastic views of the Dachstein range including the Gosaukamm which sits above the Gosausee lake.

Skiing

One of the fantastic things about the apartment is its location…right on the doorstep of some great skiing.. for all ability levels. A short walk of 100 metres will take you to the Hornspitz chair lift which will whisk you into the heart of the Dachstein-west ski area. There are 140kms of piste here and most of it is suitable for intermediates. The ski season starts in late December and usually finishes in early April dependent upon the weather. There are some lovely traditional Austrian ski-huts on the mountain where you can drop in for a beer or a gluhwein or something stronger. There are also lots of eating possibilities. You can ski over to other villages such as Russbach and Annaberg and then back again. The scenery is breathtaking. The atmosphere is very child friendly. There is a dedicated beginners area at the bottom of the hill near the Hornpitz chairlift. There is also an area here called Sumsiland where children learning to ski will be well looked after morning and afternoon Monday to Friday. You can hire your skis and any other equipment you may need as well as book any ski lessons for yourselves here at the Hornspitz. There are other alternatives in the village if you prefer to shop around.

If your wish is to explore skiing opportunities elsewhere then there are so many possibilities. A 20 minute drive takes you to the Krippenstein ski area which is relatively small but offers breathtaking views across Hallstatt, Obertraun and the surrounding area (www.krippenstein.at ). You can also go husky-dog sledging here if you wish. This area is higher than at Gosau (2000m plus) so skiing tends to go on a bit later in the season (late April/early May) Other nearby ski areas include the Postalm (www.bergfex.com/postalm) which is great for kids, the Zwolferhorn above St Gilgen and Loser (www.loser.at) which is very underated and relatively quiet…somewhere where the locals tend to go and keep to themselves! In an hour you can be in the bustling heart of the Ski Amade resorts such as Wagrain and Altenmarkt which the locals were hoping would provide the location for the 2014 Winter Olympics until they lost out to the Russians. A bit further afield are the more well known resorts of Schladming to the east and Zell Am See, Kaprun, Maria Alm and Kitsbuhel to the west. In Kaprun you can even go glacier skiing in the summer. All these resorts are within easy reach. However, in our view you wouldn’t really want to go further afield once you arrived at Gosau. It really is a gem of a place and all the better for not being ‘discovered’ yet by the ski-package tourist hordes!

How to get there

From the UK:

There are many ways to get to our apartment in Gosau. The easiest we’ve found and the quickest is to fly to Salzburg and then hire a car. It takes about an hour and a half from Nottingham East Midlands to Salzburg on the plane and then it’s a one hour drive from the airport to the apartment. Please use this link (www.google.co.uk/maps) to download a map/directions from the airport to the flat. It’s quite simple to drive. You take the motorway south from the airport (A10 signposted Villach/Graz) and take the exit for Golling. You then head for Abtenau (on the 162) and once through there pick up signs for Russbach and Gosau. Once in Gosau, you come to a t-junction and you turn right. About a kilometre up the valley road you go past the Hotel Sommerhof. Immediately afterwards there is a right turn just after the skishop. The sign says ‘Bergblick apartments’. Ours is in the second block set back from the road. Please park anywhere in the car park at the back of the apartments. Our apartment is number 13 with the name Wilson in the name marker. Please ring the bell and you will be greeted by our housekeeper Monika or one of her colleagues.

You can also travel by train – not something we’ve tried yet! (For more information go to www.raileurope.co.uk). Or you can drive all the way. This is something we did, having caught a ferry to Dunkirk then driven at a leisurely pace through Belgium and Germany and finally across the border into Austria. Total drive time is approximately 12 hours from the channel ports.

Many low cost airlines fly to Salzburg from airports in the UK. Try www.skyscanner.net to find out which companies fly from your local airport to Salzburg. This website also compares prices so you can use it to look for the cheapest deal possible on the dates you wish to travel. Austria is not a big country and there is nothing to stop you flying into Innsbruck, Linz or Klagenfurt, Munich in Bavaria or even Bratislava in Slovakia, if you can get cheaper deals on flights. It just means your drive from the airport will be a bit longer (2-3 hours). For cheap car hire try www.travelsupermarket.com. This website will compare the best deals available across a range of different vehicles and car hire companies.

From mainland Europe

You can easily drive to Gosau on the extensive European motorway network. Tourists regularly travel by car from Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to holiday in the Austrian alps. Alternatively you can of course fly to Salzburg or take the train. Again, for routes try www.google.co.uk/maps .

Activities near Dachstein West

Facilities

Further details indoors:
Brand new furniture and funishings
32 inch LCD TV with satellite access to UK sport (incl English premiership soccer), English and German movies
DVD player
Power shower
Washing machine
Dish washer
Broadband internet connection

Further details outdoors:
Shared garden with children's swing/play equipment
Fantastic mountain views from balcony
South facing balcony - gets the sun most of the day

Further details

200 euros deposit on arrival against breakages
One of our colleagues, Irene or Monika, will meet you when you arrive to show you around the apartment, tell you how everything works and tell you about the village and the area
Tourist tax is payable at the rate of 1.5 Euros per person per night
Bed linen & towels are available at the rate of 10 Euros per person per stay

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Low season	30 Aug 08	20 Dec 08	295£  295	4343	4343	Flexible
Peak season	20 Dec 08	3 Jan 09	495£  495	7171	7171	Flexible
Mid season	3 Jan 09	31 Jan 09	395£  395	5757	5757	Flexible
Peak season	31 Jan 09	1 Mar 09	495£  495	7171	7171	Flexible
Mid season	1 Mar 09	29 Mar 09	395£  395	5757	5757	Flexible
Low season	29 Mar 09	31 May 09	295£  295	4343	4343	Flexible
Mid season	31 May 09	30 Aug 09	395£  395	5757	5757	Flexible

The owner's weekend rates apply to: Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the owner's discretion.

We offer complete flexibility on start/finish dates of holidays at all times of the year

Payment is taken in advance in pounds sterling to a UK bank account via cheque/internet transfer

Bed linen and towels can be prebooked at an additional charge of 10 euros per person per stay

The tourist tax is payable at the rate of 1.5 euro per person per night

Availability notes

To see availability please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/32158

Contact owner

To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/32158

Contact details for home 32158 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	Alistair Wilson
Mobile:	+44 (0)7749 757799
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Contact Notes: Mobile phone 9am-9pm or email
Advertiser joined: 29 Jun 2007 This property added: 29 Jun 2007

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