Skiing the Austrian Alps

This post is in partnership with Post Lech.

Tucked high in the Austrian Alps, just 2 hours from Zurich is a little piece of heaven. The small town of Lech has 1,600 residents, but welcomes visitors from around the world seeking an elegant spot to enjoy some snowy fun each winter. This area is largely considered the birthplace of downhill skiing as we know it today (first started in the neighboring town of St. Anton, specifically) and many who visit will say it's habit forming, returning year after year - including the Dutch Royal Family. (!)

Staying at Post Lech has been on my bucket list ever since we spent Christmas in Austria in 2017. Not only is the hotel beautiful, but it is family owned and run in the deepest sense of the term. The Moosbrugger family has run the Post since 1937, and today Florian, the owner, is often the first person to greet you at the door, while his wife Sandra, clad in a beautiful dirndl, will seat you at your favorite table for dinner. On Monday nights, Sandra and Florian host a small cocktail party to welcome the guests for the week which creates the most convivial atmosphere. We met another young couple with a little boy and several other families who have been coming to the hotel for the same week each year for close to a decade.

We stayed in a two bedroom suite in the new wing of the hotel, and while I usually prefer to stay in the historic part of a hotel, the new wing was so beautifully and seamlessly integrated I actually preferred the "modern" side. Paneled in a gorgeous local knotty pine with large scale murals hung over each bed, our suite took the best elements of alpine interior design and created something chic and new, while still feeling familiar, cozy and comfortable. Each bedroom had it's own balcony and opened up to the living room that included a small breakfast nook - perfect for enjoying our morning coffees and planning the day's runs. The suite also had ample closet space - perfect for really unpacking and settling in - a must since most guests stay a full week.

You can find everything I packed for a week skiing in the Alps here, and if you forget to pack something, Strolz has a beautiful department store in Lech offering everything from children's toys to ski apparel.

Since having a baby we've grown to really appreciate having several dining options at our hotel, to make dinner and bedtime routines smoother in a new place. Fortunately, when the hotel is a part of Relais & Chateaux, it's not a compromise to eat at the hotel as the food is gorgeous and a central part of the experience. We ate most of our meals at Post Lech, except when we were out skiing, and they have so many different restaurants it keeps things interesting. We enjoyed every breakfast in their Panorama Restaurant, which overlooks the slopes and center of town. We also ate dinner here on our first night and it was just so much fun. Their sommelier, Miroslav, was especially cute with our baby boy and had lots of little "magic tricks" to keep him entertained. We also enjoyed meeting a sweet Weimaraner named Lucy, at a neighboring table. We loved our other dinners as well, in the Kutscherstube which serves classic Austrian dishes for lunch and dinner, and the Jägerstube, which is the gastronomic restaurant with a very special menu. (Highly recommend the wine paring!) You can see more about the dining experiences in my Instagram highlight here!

We worked with a local nanny agency called Googie's, who coordinated childcare while we skied, and had the best experience with our nanny Lisa. (Full details here!) Lisa has spent several seasons in Lech and had a bunch of recommendations for the area, even though we weren't able to try all of her favorites I wanted to pass along her list!

Hus No.8 is just beside your hotel and is (I think) the oldest restaurant in Lech. They are famous for their Käse spätzle, due to the size of the “house”, I wouldn’t say it’s particularly child friendly and will definitely need to be booked in advance.

Rudalpe - Just a pretty location as they have a big hearth outside it - it’s on the mountain, just on the last section of the last run down to Lech.

The Hospiz Alm is a quintessential alpine spot in St. Christoph and nice for lunch.

Mooserwirt on the slopes of St. Anton is very well known and wild après ski party vibes.

Alte Goldenerberg - famous for their wiener schnitzel and duck, would need booked in advance. "It’s been there for like 500 years."

The sun terrace at Sonnenburg in Oberlech for champagne!

Not on Lisa's list, but while skiing in St. Anton I popped into a restaurant called Verwallstube in the hopes of getting a coffee. Well, it was a stunning gastronomic restaurant and not even open for the day when I entered, but the owner allowed me to snap a few pictures. (The green room below!) I definitely want to try it for lunch next time we're in the area. Just beautiful!

Lunch at Balmalp is a must if you're skiing Lech - perched high over the town the views are incredible and it feels like something out of a Slim Aarons photograph. A happy crowd gathers in their multicolored ski gear to down beers and delicious brats while soaking up the sunshine. The food is inexpensive and the service was so fast - I honestly wanted them to take longer to linger in this beautiful place! I generally try to bring a hat with me on ski days - it's nice to be warm when you're eating alfresco in 30 degree weather, and my while balaclava made me feel like Audrey Hepburn in Charade. (It's also on sale right now!) Balaclavas are fabulous since they go around your neck and rest on your back like a hood when not in use - an ideal way to carry a hat since my ski suit did not have pockets for bulky extras, and it helps keep your neck a bit warmer!

Post Lech's owner, Florian shared his favorite way to spend a day skiing the Arlberg. Take a taxi from Lech to St. Christoph, and spend the morning skiing in and around St. Anton, then head up the Mount Trittkopf gondola for lunch at Trittkopf BBQ Station - a casual spot serving barbecue in a former gondola station with incredible views over Zürs. Its worth getting there early to snag one of the tables by the windows as the peaks that surround the restaurant (seen above) are incredible. Also the run from BBQ station down to Zürs was one of my favorites in the area. Just spectacular.

I'm not normally a huge spa person, except on ski trips, and especially when the spa is as beautiful as Post Lech's. Their outdoor pool is not to be missed, as it looks out onto a small cabin and has views of the Mount Omeshorn - bliss! Even though I hopped in outside in this reel, you can enter the pool in a warm indoor space first before swimming into the outdoor part. (I just like getting some cold exposure!) I also booked a 60 minute massage after our last day of skiing as a mid-trip reset after long days on the slopes!

Every afternoon Post Lech hosts a traditional afternoon tea in their living room for hotel guests from 4-5:30pm. They light the fire and put out a beautiful assortment of tea sandwiches and little cakes to accompany a hot pot of tea as guests wander in to warm up after a day on the slopes. It's such a simple yet refined moment in the day and makes me want to institute tea time back at home.