The Inn Valley from above in the Biohotel Grafenast

The Naturhotel Grafenast in Pill in Tirol

We are guests at the Naturhotel Grafenast in Tyrol. This is how an eagle has to be above the Inn Valley Austria feel! Below us, the Inn winds in silver loops through the valley, while the summer heat creates veils of mist that wander along the Karwendel mountain range. While it is hot and humid down in the valley, there is a mild breeze blowing up here on the Pillberg mountain peak that cools you down a bit. You can relax under the parasols on the viewing terrace. A cyclist does the rest and cools our throats from the inside.

 

 

 

 

We can not tear ourselves away from this magnificent view of the Inn Valley in Tyrol, which we enjoy from the Hotel Grafenast, and spend the whole afternoon sitting on the mountain terrace. As if spellbound, we observe the summer weather capers in the Inn Valley in Tyrol and watch as a dramatic thunderstorm breaks through the valley. Even that's nice from up here! Almost as if we are watching the world from outside.

 

 

The Inn valley from above

Already the journey reminded me of the flight of an eagle. Right on the outskirts of Schwaz down in the Inn Valley, the narrow road winds in countless hairpin bends up the mountain. I'm glad about our navigation system, because the Pillberg is covered by a network of narrow and steep mountain trails that all look the same. Which is the main street? No idea. Signs? Wrong! Except for a single sign at the fork up the mountain, we see no sign, which shows us the way to the nature hotel Grafenast.

 

 

And so we follow the instructions of our navigation device and wind us on steep roads and around tight curves up the mountain, through the mountain village of Pillberg through, up and up. Passing mountain meadows and pastures, through forest to the end of the road. Only here - on the summit of the Pillberg - we find our destination, the Bio and Naturhotel Grafenast.

 

 

A very special hotel - the nature hotel Grafenast

More than 100 years old is the building. It's breathing. It lives. Once it served as a mountain hut. On the second floor of the house, I discover an old newspaper report on the wall, in which an old lady reports on her memories of ski tours during her youth, which she undertook from Grafenast. As evidence, old skis hang on the walls.

“My grandfather loved life on the mountain. He moved to the Pillberg and spent his whole life up here, ”tells Peter Unterlechner, the current owner of the hotel. "My brother and I grew up on the mountain," he says when I asked what it was like with him. You can tell that he enjoys life in nature and on the mountain. Today he no longer manages a mountain hut, but a very special hotel that is the highlight of our trip through Austria. However, you shouldn't expect an elegant mountain hotel.

 

 

 

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You can book a room in the Naturhotel Grafenast here:

Bio and Naturhotel Grafenast

Pillbergstrasse 205
6136 pill
Austria
further information, current availability query and easy online booking *

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Here you come as a friend, not as a guest

Anyone who comes here is treated as a friend, not a guest. You notice that everywhere. It doesn't matter whether it's the ten-year-old who plays the film theme from "Pirates of the Caribbean" like a professional on the piano in the hotel lobby. The elegant couple cooking their own eggs at breakfast. The group of women who apparently only got together in the hotel and are talking about their experiences with yoga exercises that they do on the mountain. Or the family next to us on the mountain terrace enjoying the view of the Inn Valley with coffee and cake.

Everyone feels comfortable. The personal “you” is self-evident. The waiter, who quotes Shakespeare by the way, puts our beer on the table with a friendly "Let yourself taste it". Our mistress serves us our dinner. She takes the time to do it. Nothing is rushing at the Naturhotel Grafenast and the guest adapts. By the way, she gives our table neighbors tips for the next day and asks what they did today.

 

 

You do not know boredom at the Grafenast Nature Hotel

You do not know boredom at the Grafenast Nature Hotel. If you do not have the grandiose view of the Inn Valley for hours, you can hike up here on the mountain. The pool in the garden beckons when the sun is shining from the sky. You walk through the longing garden at the hotel or enjoy the coolness of the forest and the fresh mountain air on the path of the senses. Even mountain bikers will find a great area here.

 

If engaging with yourself isn't enough for you, the Naturhotel Grafenast offers guided hikes, mushroom hunting with the hotel manager, painting courses with artists, sculpture courses with local sculptors and much more. The entire hotel is a gallery of works that have been created here over the years, including the large portrait of Peter Unterlechner and his wife that hangs in the hotel's entrance hall.

 

 

Great - the forest sauna

A very special experience is the forest sauna, which is located on the steep mountainside next to the hotel. It is connected to the main house via a wooden walkway. I feel a little like I'm in the Ewoks' fantasy forest from "Star Wars" as we walk over. Inside, the sauna is reminiscent of a yurt. Wellness enthusiasts can relax here on several wooden levels in the wonderful nature above the Inn Valley. Deceleration is very important at the Naturhotel Grafenast, and the guests who come here are obviously looking for exactly this, because we don't see any hecticness or stress anywhere. The perfect place to relax in the mountains of Tyrol!

 

 

Our suite on the top floor

We stay in a suite on the top floor of the hotel. In front of our balcony, the Inn Valley stretches to the horizon. At night we can even see the lights of the city of Innsbruck from our bed. We watch the illuminated cars winding through the valley on the Inntal motorway. However, up here we don't notice any of the noise from the motorway or the hustle and bustle in the towns along the Inn. Instead, we watch eagles circling overhead. In the morning we are woken up by the cowbells that the cows wear around their necks on the mountain pasture.

I find it particularly nice that we can look out from the bathtub in our bathroom to the mountains and the valley. It is a special refuge to enjoy the Karwendel and the view of Tyrol.

Our conclusion:

If you want to escape from everyday life for a few days and are looking for peace and quiet, the organic and natural hotel Grafenast in Tyrol is the right place for you and is welcome to stay with friends. Our only regret is that we no longer have time for this experience.

An excursion destination from the BioVital Hotel Grafenast that is worthwhile, for example, is the Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens in Tyrol.

Have you already been to the BioVital Hotel Grafenast?

Tell us about your impressions and experiences in a comment. For example, have you discovered a particularly beautiful hike? Or have you found sights that are worth visiting? We look forward to your tips. And our readers will definitely appreciate your recommendations.

 

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Source: own research on site. We would definitely like to thank Kreativ Reisen for the invitation and support on this trip. However, our opinions remain our own.

 

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline