We have just returned from a 4 week Xmas and New Year stay at this lovely little Alpine hotel
It is perfectly situated on a slight rise, virtually in the village centre , yet it has beautiful unrestricted views to the wonderful scenery around
This is a family run hotel and thus , everything runs to perfection and nothing but nothing , is too much trouble for the hosts
Breakfasts are plentiful in a typical Austrian buffet fashion ; there is a huge choice of cereals, nuts ,fresh fruits , yoghourts, honeys, jams, cheeses, cold meats to die for, breads of every type and a hot plate of delicious scrambled eggs and extremely tasty local bacon
Dinners are something special at this hotel !!!
The chef , who is one of the Owners, takes great pride in his daily gastronomical offerings with a never ending change of mouth watering menus
During our 4 weeks of residence, we did not have one single repeat meal !
Each day , there is a 4 course dinner with a selection of 3 dishes for the main course ; at the end of our second week we were obliged to ask for slightly smaller portions as these main dishes were simply so large !!
Rooms in this hotel are of a good size and spotlessly maintained with fresh towels and bed linen as often as one wished
We had chosen our room , in advance , on a previous visit to Kirchberg ( to a different hotel )
Our room was very warm and quite ample for the two of us and had a small sitting area with armchairs and a small table ( with an attractive tablecloth )
The whole of the room was timber ( walls and the ceiling ) and had quaint traditional latticed wooden windows and a latticed door to the large ( timber ) balcony
The view from our room was spectacular as we could gaze out at an uninterrupted view of a snowy field ( with a cow barn ) and the snowy covered pine forest with the snowy peaks beyond
Quite simply, we could have been staying in a private chalet ; it was so peaceful and we kept our curtains open 24 hours as the view outside was total nature
Views from the rooms on our side of the hotel were all similar and the rooms on the other side had equally stunning views of the village and the ski slopes beyond
Each afternoon, we relaxed in the hotel`s Wellness area
This was one of the best we have encountered in Austria
It is modern , sparkling clean and is filled with dreamy therapeutic aromas ; there is a Sauna, Steam Room, Jacuzzi ,Infra Red cabin ( a boon after a day on the slopes ) and various relaxing areas
This hotel also offers a traditional Log Fire in the dining room ; however , as in most village hotels, it can only be lit when the outside temperature is less than minus 4 , as otherwise it does not draw properly and the room would fill up with choking wood smoke
Fortunately , the weather was kind to us and we had several nights of temperatures around minus 6 so we were able to enjoy the beauty of the Log Fire
Despite its stunning , uninterrupted country views , this hotel is only a short 5 minute stroll to the ski bus stops , which go in both directions to the relevant ski lifts
One could actually walk briskly for 20 minutes to the Maerli lift , which is one of the main lifts
Skiing here in Kirchberg , is brilliant for Intermediates ( as we are proud to be ) or for Black Run `adrenaline junkies `
The slopes behind Kirchberg are shared with those of Kitzbuehel and all the pistes and lifts are inter connecting ; thus , if you are fit enough , you could probably ski from the first lift up ( 8.30 am ) to the last run down ( around 5 pm ) and literally ski across the mountains without going twice down the same piste !!
Many of the Austrian resorts suffered badly from the lack of snow , during our Xmas New Year stay and their guests were obliged to travel huge distances , each day, in order to ski
Fortunately , the higher slopes at Kirchberg are in a weather condition , which provides adequate snowfalls whilst others around receive very little
Thus we were able to enjoy our daily skiing ( generally until midday ) throughout the whole of our vacation
This hotel is also a perfect spot for Ski beginners as the main Ski slope ( very gentle ) for the Kirchberg Ski School is directly outside the hotel`s front door
Why do we choose Kirchberg ?
We have stayed in many other ski resorts but there is a real charm about Kirchberg ; this was our 7 th visit to Kirchberg but our first to the Willms
Everybody knows everybody in this village ; this person is married to someone`s brother who went to school with the Postmaster`s wife who is the sister of the baker whose son`s Gasthof is where you could be having an afternoon Hot Chocolate and Strudel ........and so on and son
Another endearing quality of Kirchberg is that there is no crime !!
Yes , no crime !
The 2 local village police officers ( with their shiny uniforms and sparkly clean police car ) do a daily village tour to collect the Arrivals documents from the hotels and Gasthofs ; en route they check that everything is `Tikkety Boo ` in their village and that all the local customs are being adhered to
Then they retire to their little police station which has extremely healthy looking potted plants in the windows
The whole immaculate village with its perfect bus timetables and Public Servants in their crispy clean suits and hats and villagers going about their routines in traditional costumes, reminds me strongly of Enid Blyton`s charming books about Noddy In Toyland
I often wondered what would happen if someone left a bag of rubbish in the main square !!!
Now that would be a crime !
I could well see a complete turnout of the Mayor , The Fire Brigade , the Police Chief and every single village official !!!
So, to sum up on the Willms hotel : it is an excellent small hotel , where the owners pride themselves in keeping to the highest standards in every way
I should add that the majority of guests are either German or Dutch and are the most polite , quiet and well mannered one could hope for
My only one niggle with this hotel is that they still have not adopted a No Smoking policy
Smoking is still permitted in the public areas and the bar area which is in the Dining room ; this can be annoying and unpleasant at times ( although there is a hotel rule that smoking is not permitted in the Dining room from 6 until 9 pm )
However , as the majority of the guests are professional persons , there are very few who still want " to light up "
I can thoroughly recommend this hotel to persons and families of all ages
Beachmanlondon