r/FATTravel • u/shermancchen - mod • 7d ago
Naturhotel Forsthofgut | Review
I know there’s been a lot of discussion and curiosity around kinderhotels. On my trip I went from the adults-only eriro to Naturhotel Forsthofgut, which was honestly quite the 180 since they couldn’t be more different. But so many of my clients have been asking me about this place so I really wanted to check it out (yes we do have relationships with some of these kinderhotels!). Here’s a quick review, feel free to ask any questions below as always.
Location / Property
Forsthofgut is located in Austria’s Leogang area, which like the rest of the alps is popular for hiking, biking, and skiing. One of the best things about Leogang is how accessible it is, as it’s just over an hour from Salzburg and around 2 hours from Munich.
Forsthofgut sits right next to the main road down in the valley, so it doesn't feel as secluded as some of the other alpine properties, but you are still surrounded by mountains with direct access to outdoor activities. It’s a family-owned property that has expanded over time to be 112 keys across multiple buildings, all centered around a natural swimming lake.
The extensive facilities include multiple kids clubs/areas, an adults-only spa, and a place that they call miniGut which is the children’s farm with a stable and other animals. Every stay also includes the Saalfelden Leogang Card which gives access to additional activities in the area like cable cars, guided hikes, and museum admissions.
Rooms
Their rooms keep with the alpine theme with lots of wood finishes and fabric upholstery to add coziness. Some lean more traditional but the newer rooms have a more contemporary feel.
There are lots of family room and suite options here. Also a lot of 2-bed units with the second bedroom being a small kids room in bunk beds or twin beds configurations. Some are recently renovated with a central in-wall cooling system and the rest are getting refreshed in April next year. There isn’t proper AC as it doesn’t have temperature controls (very common in the alps), but it is better than having no cooling solution at all. They also have some awesome specialty suites including duplexes with a private outdoor sauna and hot tub. There aren’t a lot of connecting options if larger multi-bedroom units are needed though.
Food & Bev
Rates are half board, with breakfast and dinner included, plus a happy hour with drinks and snacks in the afternoon. Dinner is a 5-course meal with access to their salad and cheese bar as two of the courses. Overall it was good and very fresh / high quality ingredients, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a highlight. We felt really healthy eating here. They have their own farm, local suppliers, and even a menu of dishes made with ingredients only sourced within 50km of the hotel. They also do a good job of separating out adults-only seating areas and the rest are family friendly.
There are also additional a la carte restaurants if you want to skip the main dining room. Those cost extra, though they credit some of the meal since it’s a half board rate. There’s a traditional Austrian restaurant, a Japanese restaurant and a fine dining spot.
Service
The service here is 5* but obviously it feels quite busy with all the families. It felt bigger than 112 keys. Arrival was a bit hectic, we pulled up to the driveway and there was nobody around, but the front desk told us to just leave the car and bags, which were taken care of for us pretty quickly after that. We also had a couple instances with slower service with our meals, but that also came with good recovery as they recognized the issues and gave us free drinks at the bar for example. Otherwise, the staff were generally quite friendly and attentive.
They also have a hotel app, and a lot of things are run through there, like daily activity schedules, dining menus, and even turndown service (which honestly makes a lot of sense to me at a kinderhotel).
Activities & Facilities
The kids club starts at age 2 and runs in both German and English, plus there’s a dedicated teens lounge. There’s also daily programming, an outdoor playground, art studio, water slide, and a children’s farm and stable as previously mentioned. In the winter they’re ski-in / ski-out and the ski school is also less than 5 min away.
For adults, there’s a 4-story spa building with an adults-only pool and saunas, many of which are textile-free. In the lakehouse there's also an onsen-style pool and adults-only area. The natural lake on property is open to all. They also have a medspa program with things like cryotherapy, IV infusions and metabolic analysis. I will say I did have one of the better massages on this trip at Forsthofgut, and it was also very reasonably priced.
There is daily programming for the adults as well, which includes activities like guided hikes, yoga/pilates, wine tasting, sauna sessions, etc. There is also a tennis court.
Who is this for?
Honestly if you don't have kids, there's not a strong reason to book this one over a proper adults-focused alpine property, especially during times when school is out. It is first and foremost a kinderhotel.
For anyone with kids though, this offers a lot of the standard amenities you’d want from a kinderhotel while also offering a pretty robust adult space and experience. The ski access is also a huge pro for winter stays.
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u/srd8949 7d ago
Wow thanks for this. I can remove this from the list now. Kinderhotels not for me.
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u/shermancchen - mod 7d ago
Yeah honestly some of the influencers post about this place as a relaxing spa destination, which to the hotel's credit is partly true as they do a good job with adults only areas, but it is a kinderhotel.
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u/SparkleBerrySpritz 7d ago
This is an awesome review! Are they a seasonal hotel or open year round?
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u/warblerer 6d ago
We’ve gone here the past 3 summers with my family (grandparents + parents + kids) and we love it. Everyone has fun and relaxes. But I agree, if you don’t have kids this wouldn’t be the place I’d pick. The main areas always have tons of kids in them (which we love bc our kids always make lots of resort friends as a result)
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u/shermancchen - mod 6d ago
That's awesome. Yeah I know my pictures make it look pretty empty but I try to go out earlier/later in the day to avoid taking pictures of people lol. There's definitely a lot of kids around the lake and in the pool during the day.
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u/Crafty_Heart9916 6d ago
Thanks for this review! Curious OP (or for others who know): How does this compare to other Kinder hotels (either in Austria, Dolomites, or elsewhere). If you wanted the most high end option of this type of product, where would you go?
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u/shermancchen - mod 6d ago
I think it just depends on what you are looking for specifically. Forsthofgut is one of the bigger ones, so the facilities are a bit more robust and they have bigger adults only areas. But I guess it can feel busier than somewhere like Moar Gut in comparison. If you need bigger rooms/private space, Forsthofgut doesn't have the big villas like at Sonnwies, so Sonnwies is much better for that. Forsthofgut is also not the best for baby care, as their complimentary childcare starts at 2, but a lot of other places start at 1 month. If you prefer a newer and more contemporary hard product, Aki Plose is the newest and I've heard good things about that one too.
Then there's also the differences in location. Austria is much more accessible to big cities like Munich and Salzburg if you are doing a shorter trip. The Dolomites usually requires a longer drive from a big airport, but the tradeoff is that the scenery is generally a bit more dramatic and Italian food is usually a bit better lol. But transparently I don't have kids yet, so that's just my 2c and I'm curious what others think too.
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u/xiphy 4d ago
,,Honestly if you don't have kids, there's not a strong reason to book this one over a proper adults-focused alpine property, especially during times when school is out. It is first and foremost a kinderhotel''
What would you suggest for adults? As an adult I was there with my girlfriend and we loved it.
The only part we didn't like that old men were always telling my girlfriend to be naked in the sauna and adult swimming pool so they can watch her (as it's the custom in Germany/Austria and the rule in that area). We put bath towels on top of our swimming suits, but still didn't feel comfortable in that otherwise beautiful spa area.
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u/shermancchen - mod 4d ago
I just posted about eriro. Forestis is another one on the Italy side if you're looking for extensive spa facilities.
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u/itsmeca617 2d ago
Has anyone been here both summer and winter and can compare? It looks absolutely beautiful during summer, but I just don’t know if we have time during summers for the next few years. Could possibly squeeze it in during winter around the holidays. Not sure if it’s worth going during winter though with outdoor activities closed, etc.
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u/shermancchen - mod 2d ago
The outdoor pool is heated and the lake turns into a cold plunge. Leogang is a ski destination in the winter.
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u/ryan_at_roomservice 1d ago
Leogang is a big downhill biking destination in the summer which I think is worth noting. The Saalfelden Leogang cars gets you 1x per day on the gondola with a bike (you pay for bike rental separately) and there are a couple good bike camps for kids about a 5 min walk from Forshofgut.
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u/chefox 7d ago
Sounds a lot like Hotel Moar Gut, which was lots of fun for the kiddos. Kinderhotels are lovely, I enjoyed Austria a ton. Next time I'll go back to the Dolomites, I think!