Ever since Hygna Chalets opened their doors at the end of 2021 we wanted to come here for an alpine winter getaway. This new chalet village combines traditional Austrian wooden architecture with contemporary design elements. And the pool in a former hay stable is one of the highlights to add a special spark to the cozy hideaway!
Are you looking for a modern mountain retreat in Austria? This could be the perfect find!
About the region: Alpbachtal
Alpbach and the surrounding region is world-renown for it’s innovative forum event series, where world leaders come together to discuss pressing topics of our time and the future. This is only one example of the forward-thinking atmosphere that defines the region. And this is tangible in it’s touristic infrastructure as well.
About Hygna Chalets
The family-owned Hygna Chalets are a continuation of this innovative approach, that is still informed by local traditions and regional attributes. Tucked away in the Hygna part of the village Reith im Alpbachtal it sits at around 600 meters above sea level surrounded by forests and a small stream of water – embedded in nature and yet just minutes away from the skiing arena.
The collection of 11 chalets are built in traditional wooden architecture, yet with a very minimalist and modern updated interior design. The chalets are cozy, but not rustic – and each chalet comes with it’s own fireplace and ample space to relax.
Our chalet: Wood Chalet (“Wald Chalet”)
We stayed in the largest chalet type called “Wald Chalet”, with 3 bedrooms and a private sauna. The chalet has two floors. The ground is home to the common space for dining, cooking and relaxing at the fireplace plus one bedroom that sleeps two adults. On the first floor there’s the master suite with a freestanding bath tub as well as an en-suite bathroom and separate toilet and one additional small bedroom, that sleeps two kids.
For the summer months the chalet offers a balcony and a terrace as well as an outdoor shower, for the colder months there’s a private sauna, that can be accessed from the terrace on the ground floor. In the living room the chalet is equipped with a wine fridge as well for those of you looking for a glass at the fireplace in the evening.
If you travel among 4 people or with kids – or if you’re looking for extra privacy – the Wood Chalets are perfect, as they have ample space and are located at the very edge of the chalet village next to the forest. Next time we would opt for one of the smaller sized “Spa Chalets”, as those also feature a private jacuzzi on the terrace – and we didn’t need the additional bedrooms for the two of us anyhow.
The infinity pool & fitness area
One of the iconic features of Hygna Chalets is definitely the infinity pool, that was built in the old hay stable of the main farmhouse.
The farm belonged to the grandparents of the host Sarah, who is a woman in her twenties that is now taking over the family business in the next generation. The grandparents had already rented out rooms, the parents built apartments and she is now running the chalet village.
Her spirit is what makes Hygna appealing for a new generation of mountain travellers and also informed some of the decisions in the architecture.
There’s not just the unique heated pool, but also a fitness room with views of the valley and a yoga room. The guests of Hygna don’t necessarily come to the chalets for a pure skiing holiday, but many opt for a more relaxed mountain getaway with lots of time to read, sleep, refine their yoga practice and dwell in the pool or sauna.
Services at Hygna Chalets
Every morning the Hygna team brings breakfast directly to your chalet with their golf carts. The breakfast basket is filled to the brim with local specialities and can be adapted to your needs. The vegetarian options were creative and some items were changed every day and they also offered gluten-free bread. After breakfast you simply put the basket in front of the chalet door and they pick it up again.
Other than that there’s a chalet cleaning service every two days, where you can get fresh towels and they clean out and prepare the fireplace again. There’s no restaurant on location, so you either prepare your own lunch and dinner or opt to visit one of the countless restaurants in the region.
We had a rustic dinner at the local “Dorfwirt Reith” with loads of cheese as well as lunches at the skiing huts. If you’re looking for something a bit more refined there’s three highly decorated fine dining restaurants in the region. We reserved a table at the gourmet restaurant Fuggerstube (located at hotel Bƶglerhof in Alpbach) and enjoyed a 4-course vegetarian fine dining menu in a very historic and beautiful snuggery with just 4 tables.
What to do in winter in Alpbach
Personally we love skiing, so of course we had to hit the slopes! The Alpbach region has a few different skiing lifts, so we opted for the “Skijuwel Alpbach Wildschƶnau” with it’s newest addition, theĀ Hornalm 2000. This brand-new lift takes guests up to the highest point in the region at over 2000 meters above sea level. The skiing arena is not too big (which we really appreciate) and offers a great variety of blue, red and black slopes.
If you’re not skiing you can also simply take the gondola up and visit the brand-new lookout tower called “Top of Alpbachtal”, a contemporary wooden building with large glass fronts to marvel at the mountain scenery.
When it comes to food in the skiing arena we tested two different skiing huts:
- Hornalm: The highest skiing hut in the region with self-service and a standard fries and pasta menu. The location gets 10/10 points, but the food is simply canteen quality and not convincing.
- Dauerstoa Alm: Much more rustic and cozy and with Ć la carte food that gets served to the table. We had a traditional cheese dumpling soup (“Kaspressknƶdelsuppe”), which was fantastic.
Therefore we would recommend taking in the view of Hornalm only from the new Top of the Alpbachtal viewpoint, but having your lunch break (or afternoon cake) further down at Dauerstoa Alm.
For more activities you can ask the lovely team at Hygna Chalets and they will make recommendations. From traditional felt slipper manufacturer Giesswein to an ice rink, there’s plenty to do in the Alpbach region.
Who are Hygna Chalets perfect for?
If you’re looking for a cozy alpine getaway and are a bit of a design aficionado this is the perfect chalet option for you. We loved the serenity of the off-beat location and enjoyed the lovely individual service by Sarah and her team. The pool is of course an incredible asset and we used it every day – you just have to know that you have to walk outside for a bit to get back to your chalet afterwards.
The chalets are open for families with kids as well, so we think it’s suitable for families traveling together as well as couples or a group of 4 friends. Personally we didn’t really mind the other visitor’s kids, but we could of course hear them splashing around in the whirlpool of the neighbouring chalet sometimes.Ā You should also be up for either going out to restaurants or cooking each night (or eating the leftover cheese and bread from breakfast…).
Our takeaway: We believe Hygna is appealing for younger travellers, who don’t mind a bit of self-service, for active winter sports fans as well as for people looking for simple relaxation in a beautiful spot in the mountains in Tyrol.
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Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, but we stayed at the Hygna Chalets as part of a press trip. The views in this blogpost are our own.