Diana famously skied here with the Princes, the Dutch royal family religiously jet here for their annual winter break, and there’s generally more Fusalp than Fendi dotting the wide, cruisey slopes. Even as the most upmarket of the Arlberg ski area villages, the ski resort of Lech remains gloriously understated or, as loyalists whisper, old money. The Austrian-Alpine village has successfully kept the bling at bay with low-key cafés, quietly sophisticated restaurants, and gnarled timber chalets – their windows decorated with those Heidi-country pastels swirls.
The boozier, less sophisticated St Anton is linked to Lech’s generously snowy ski area, as is nearby Zurs. However, adrenaline-seekers must take the gondola to Warth-Schröcken’s black runs. It’s wise to embark on off-piste adventures with a guide (avalanches aren’t uncommon here), and beginners may struggle on the mogul-carpeted, slushy lower slopes after a gluhwein-fueled lunch.
The resort is geared towards those who can ski but who’d rather whoosh down pistes via hot chocolates and cold beers than seek out that thigh-busting high. And while you won’t find the same mountain madcappery here as St Moritz or Verbier, you can expect plenty of Schnitzel lunches on sunny terraces and warm apfelstrudel back at base. Lunches are taken seriously – Rud-Alpe’s Schnitzel and warm apple strudels lure in punters as soon as the mid-morning hot chocolates wear off while comforting meats and cheese fondues await back in town at the cosy tavern, Hus Nr 8 and The Stube, the Alberg Hotel’s classic, much-loved restaurant.
The best hotels and ski chalets in Lech
Pepper Collection, Hotel Aurelio
Pepper Collection, Hotel Aurelio
Considered one of Lech’s finest stays, the Pepper Collection perches over Lech Am Alburg like a bird roosting and is unique in its set-up. Comprising a large hotel (Aurelio), a chalet connected by a futuristic underground tunnel (where rooms are individually booked, hotel style), and separate chalets that are booked out in their entirety, the layout is such that most tribes of traveller can be catered to. The heart of the contemporary-classic ski hotel is its roaring fireplace, topped by enormous antlers and an impressive restaurant, where chefs show off the region’s bounty with culinary gusto. Look forward to knockout dishes such as local Wagyu beef with pepper ravioli, Black Cod with fennel and rösti pralines, and Wiener Schnitzel of local veal with lingonberries. Evenings here can begin with Veuve Clicquot before working through various European wines, from the French classics such as Bourgogne Chardonnay to Austrian reds (via some niche Greek wines). Thick merlot and greyhound-hued curtains divide the room and frame the sparkling views of the town while low-hanging, dim lighting sets a sophisticated yet unpretentious tone. Rooms differ from chalet to chalet – ours riffed on the traditional chalet with rustic woods tamed into an overall classic, cosy picture and impossibly deep baths filling that drowsy stretch between the slopes and supper. But it’s the spa, a subterranean marvel, that is Aurelio’s winning card. A vast, brutalist-styled pool that toys with the natural light in a blocky fashion is lined with cushioned loungers and backed by a sauna, steam room, cold water plunge pool and jacuzzi. It’s the shoulder-lowering assault course skiers dream of whooshing home from a thigh-busting day on the slopes. Round it off with a full body massage or a facial to knead out that unwanted gluhwein and cheese-induced puff (the therapists here are masters of their craft).
Arula Chalets
