It was time for another gourmet weekend, and my colleague and I were looking for something unique. Having seen the most remarkable restaurants south of Salzburg, we were in for a special surprise and chose the Schloss Prielau as a home for the night on our way to Carinthia. This place has been on my bucket list for years, and I was eager to stay at this entirely renovated castle hotel on lake Zell. The Porsche Family has hugely invested in the property and also acquired one of the best host couples we have seen so far. Hosts Anette and Andreas Mayer run Schloss Prielau since 2004, and I have to say, they are doing an incredible job. But let’s start slowly, the road itself was worth the trip. Exiting the highway in front of the Kaiser mountain range, the drive brought us along the posh ski town of Kitzbühel and a stunning alpine pass called Paß Thurn. An hour later, we reached the very well developed Zell am See – a city that couldn’t be any more Austrian cliché.

The town lies perfectly on a small peninsula on the shores of Lake Zell which is a natural water reserve from the surrounding glaciers. At the time we were arriving, it was around 4 pm, and the sun rays were putting the location under an unforgettable sight. A perfect blue was painting the lake in the green mountain scenery. Somewhere in the middle at the northern end lies one of the prettiest and most romantic spots of whole Austria. A light turn left away from the lakeside, somewhat hidden in a small forest, we spotted what looked like a private weekend mansion of the King of Austria (if there still would be monarchy). Don’t expect Schloss Prielau to look like a small version of Versailles, instead think of alpine castle architecture with a twist of alpine style. Once we pulled up at the entrance, we were already awaited by Ms Mayer, the wife of the highly decorated chef Andreas Mayer – head of Mayer’s restaurant.

Later it turned out people come here for the opposite reason as we did initially. While I was so excited about the hotel and the fabulous suites, guests usually just stay for the two-Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant – what a shame to just think of Schloss Prielau as a place to sleep. After a super-fast check-in without any paperwork, we were on our way to the second floor. Obviously, this is an actual medieval castle - everything is vintage and pieces are one-of-a-kinds. So if you look for elevators, you may need to remember that the castle is a protected building and you are here for the authentic feeling. This doesn’t mean that there is no internet or they don’t have televisions – in fact, the WIFI worked fast and efficient and there is a vast selection of TV channels to improve your German skills. Lucky us, we were allocated the sumptuous two-bedroom suite on the second floor facing the lake.

I am always happy to see if expectations are exceeded, and even though the pictures on the website already look promising, the suite, in the end, was more luxurious than I imagined. All textiles were of the highest quality, the furniture was unique and fitted perfectly in the old wooden parlours. The highlight of the rooms are the heavenly beds, they easily compete with upscale hotel brands - the mattress is perfectly adjusting to your body, and the blankets are so cosy. Normally you would expect the bathrooms to be a bit dated in these kinds of castles, however here you could really see the driving force of the renovation under the Porsche family ownership. The bathrooms were stunning: covered in what looked like brown marble with a perfect walk-in shower (already a win for me), excellent water pressure from the rain shower head, a vast vanity desk with all amenities needed as well as a modern toilet. Another huge issue in castle hotels is the cleanliness. With a considerable amount of antiques, lots of space and hidden corners, this is a problematic touchpoint. However, Anette Mayer knows how to manage her hotel perfectly and what we found was a flawlessly clean hotel. Again all the additional amenities such as towels and linen, were in perfect state. Toiletries were supplied by Pure Herbs which is the standard go-to amenity kit line in Austrian hotels.

As a very unique service of the hotel, Schloss Prialau is the only property in Zell am See with direct lake access. There is a lovely boat house with a sauna and sun loungers as well as a swimming platform. Of course, we went golfing on one of Zell’s two 18-hole golf course which is one of the prettiest golf courses I have played so far, thanks to incredible vistas. So a jump into the refreshing lake was all I needed to get awake and ready for the exquisite dinner we had later on in Mayer’s restaurant. More on the dinner in our restaurant review. On the next morning, we were ready to explore the breakfast which is served in their casual restaurant “Schlosswirtschaft”. A small buffet with high-quality products offered everything we could dream of. Obviously, there was an a la carte menu with hot dishes to order as well as hot drinks. Overall it was the perfect ending of our unforgettable one night stay at this stunning castle hotel.

If you fancy knowing how it feels to own a real chateau, there is the possibility to rent the entire hotel for weddings or private receptions. In case you want to keep your Bentley at home, arrive by helicopter – the heliport lies closer to the entrance than the parking spot! In general, Schloss Prielau is a historic property and does feel like a real castle. I am happy to see, this hotel is in perfect condition, and they take utmost care to manage and keep it on a five-star-level. Again, this is a sign that once you have such excellent management, a hotel doesn’t need much to be perfect. I would say that Schloss Prielau is truly worth 9/10 points and for me it is the best and most perfect castle hotel all over Central Europe!

www.schloss-prielau.at