Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol ★★★★★

Every Austrian knows the secrets of Kitzbühel and its ski slopes, as do winter sports enthusiasts. But should you not be among these groups, you may never have dreamed a place like this existed.  Kitzbühel is a serene and stunning medieval town, a mixture of narrow winding streets and grand open boulevards. Warm ochres, yellows and gaily coloured houses, cobblestones, grand wooden edifices and white church spires conspire with the backdrop of the Alps to whisk you into fairyland. This Tyrolean town found its wealth through 16th Century silver mining and continues to hold a prestigious rank due to a different precious white commodity – swathes of snowy slopes. Skiing heroes are made on these pistes. Our ambitions were much more modest, but we wanted a special holiday, so went for the trusted luxury of the Kempinski brand. The Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol ***** catered gracefully for the sports mad, spa seeking and children among us!

We arrived at the Kempinski hotel just in time to see the sun's swan song cover the Alps in a golden hue. Taking deep breaths of that crisp mountain air was so good– I could feel it stirring a call to adventure in me. The five-star hotel is an example of elegant modern architecture. The lobby's high ceilings and open-plan design give you a sense of the grandeur of both the Alps and the establishment itself. Though it is luxurious and modern, there is a definite nod to its environs through a leitmotif of all that's rural and wild. Beautiful honeyed wood is abundant throughout, in the furniture and artistic features, and Alpine animals are present in striking art works and faux-fur fabrics. We were greeted by a friendly member of staff and shown to our rooms.

Who needs the summer when the snow can be this good? Stepping into our room was like being transported into a winter wonderland. The view of the mountains and the vast landscape stretched serenely outside the floor to ceiling windows. The décor was in warm reds, yellows and that golden pine. Our daughter, son-in-law and their little one took a room nearby. After enjoying a treat from room service and a quick spruce up in the gorgeous and spacious bathroom, we met again in the lounge bar for a pre-dinner appetiser.

As the Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol is designed with the skier in mind, in the midst of the mountains rather than the town of Kitzbühel, we had chosen to go half-board and make the most of their reputable restaurants. We also know from experience that, after a full day either on the slopes or in the shops, you often want to stay within the comfort of your hotel. So that first night we were crossing our fingers that the food would be to a standard and variety that wouldn't bore us within a week. Our hopes were more than satisfied – the food, locally sourced, proudly presented, and with an Asian fusion, was totally delicious. The ambience of the restaurant was fabulous too, and we never did tire of it, though we did succumb to the allure of Kitzbühel one evening.

The men-folk hurtled themselves down the mountains during the day, as my daughter and I sampled the spa, which we couldn’t praise too highly. The Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol ***** was a perfect taste of the adventure and glitz of the Kitzbühel ski scene.