Aenea Designhotel

Think of it as an arbitrage opportunity. There’s no doubt that, at least in the Anglosphere, the destinations (and hotels) of the German-speaking world are undervalued. The Wörthersee, inland Austria’s great mountain lake, is home to many a Carintian castle or traditional inn; that it’s also home to places like the Aenea Designhotel, as sleek and modern a boutique hotel as any, is a fact that’s scarcely remarked upon.

We say “places,” but the Aenea, so far as we can tell, is sui generis. The fifteen suites take their cues not from mountain lodges or gingerbread houses but from the superstars of Italian design (with assistance, in the bathrooms, from the indefatigable Philippe Starck). The look is crisp, clean, a sort of high-tech luxe. And the other senses aren’t neglected either. This is a culture that takes its leisure extremely seriously. The wellness center incorporates sauna, massage, and a solarium, as well as an outdoor pool, and an elevator ferries guests down to the lake’s shores.

In the restaurant the situation is perhaps analogous to what’s currently happening in Britain: what once might have been a bit of a punchline (Austrian mountain cuisine) is now, thanks to global influences as well as a newfound respect for locality, something that’s worth boasting about. A bit of Mediterranean fare on the terrace and you could momentarily forget you’re looking at an inland lake and not the sea itself.

Please note: Aenea Designhotel is open seasonally from mid-May through late October.

How to get there:

Aenea Designhotel is twenty minutes’ drive from Klagenfurt airport (KLU). Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

• 15 Rooms
• Style: Modern Design
• Atmosphere: Quiet

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