The Mavida Balance Hotel in Zell am See exceeded all our expectations and I can highly recommend this exceptional hotel. Whilst the hotel is not right in Zell am See this was not an issue for us. The hotel is a short drive or scenic bike ride (offered free by hotel). We stayed in the Deluxe Panorama Suite on the top floor. This suite was exceptional offering a spacious, modern and contemporary place to chill out and enjoy the stunning mountain scenery. The restaurant is of a very high standard and we chose the full board option which worked well for us. After being out all day exploring this stunning region it was nice to come back to the delicious food served at the restaurant. I imagine you would be hard pressed to find a better restaurant in Zell am See. The spa is also exceptional. Indoor pool, two saunas, steam room, Kneipp foot baths and relaxations rooms.They also have a flotation tank and the Blue Box which offer a unique and special experience.The only downside was the massage I had was quite average. This region offer some fantastic day trips. We visited Krimml Falls, Bad Gastein and drove the Grossglockner Alpine Highway which was an incredible and not to be missed experience. For us the Mavida offered us a modern, contemporary hotel which is often rare to find in Europe. We would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it.

Once you get used to the lack of traditional Austrian alpine charm, you begin to wish that there were more hotels of this calibre throughout the alps. From the moment you step into the designer lobby, you know that you will leave wishing that you could stay longer. There is a high ratio of staff to guests, and everyone from the cleaner to the owner is polite, friendly and keen to go out of their way to make your stay as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Our room, was big by Austrian standards and was furnished to a high standard, comfy bed, large wardrobes, high-spec bathroom, flatscreen TV, CD player, balcony, proper pillows (rare for Austria), but strangely, no blinds. Not sure whether these were missing from all the rooms (there were fixings where presumably they had once been), but it did allow for a beautiful view of the sunrise over the snowcapped mountains while still in bed in the morning. The ski-cellar was of good size, with plenty of heated boot racks, and literally a 5 minute stroll from the gondolas. A short walk back in the afternoon, followed by a slice of cake in the bar, and you were ready to hit the spa area, for a relaxing doze on the water-beds beside a decent sized pool. After a swim, transfer yourself to the sauna and steam room area, the best massages, or relax in the "silence" room. After all that relaxing, time to enjoy dinner in the Mavida's restaurant. Would strongly recommend booking the half-board option, since the food was definitely the high point of this hotel. Service was friendly and efficient while a window through to the kitchen provided some interest to see the chef's doing what they do best. The menu presented a daily special 4-course or choice to go a la carte. In addition there was an extensive wine cellar. If you still had the energy for more, you could head to the comfy bar, with live music at the weekends. Again, the bar had been given the designer treatment and was nothing like your traditional Austrian bar - well, apart from the smoke. While much of Europe seems to like nothing more than imposing a bit of passive smoke on those who don't, it does seem very strange that a hotel like the Mavida that prides itself on "wellbeing" and "balance" has not kept the bar area smoke-free (but then I suppose indulging in a drink probably isn't strictly that healthy either - trouble is the smoke tends to drift into other areas too! After a great night's sleep, time to eat again, with a great choice from the breakfast buffet, which included pancakes or eggs cooked to order from the kitchen. Overall, the Mavida was different from any other hotel I've stayed in in Austria, but well worth the extra cost of staying at "any other hotel" in Austria too. Great for couples who want to "escape" for a few days.

We have stayed in the hotel for 4 days at the end of January. We were there only for spa and relaxation, because we are not skiing. The hotel is situated in a suburb of Zell am See, it takes about 7 minutes by car to get to the centre. We were a bit anxious because some reviews mentioned railway etc. But that was not problem at all. Actually ALL hotels in Zell am See are situated on railway or on the main road. We had our room to the railway side, but it wasn't really disturbing, since there was only one small train a couple of times per day. The other point, which I imagine can be very disturbing, is that you can hear every single spoken in the corridor outside your room. That didn't disturb us much, because our room was the last one on the floor, so nobody really have passed by. But I imagine that could be very unpleasant, if we were located differently. The rooms are very modern and nice, though not very large. I liked the bathtube and a shower corner. The dissappointing thing was the room service. During the 4 days we have stayed there, we never experienced our rooms to be cleaned before 3 pm. I don't know if they have only one cleaning lady for all 30 rooms. but that was really annoying. As we used to have a walk after breakfast, 3 pm was exactly the time we usually returned to our room before or after going to spa. Each day the cleaning lady came 5 minutes later after we have entered our room, so we were to negotiate with her, which time she should come and clean. We have booked half board, and I should say, the restaurant was great. The breakfast was pretty good, though I was surprised to discover, that there was no whole-meal bread. But that was the only thing I have missed. The dinner was fantastic. You could choose between daily 4-course menu, and a la carte dishes, and the quality was very good. We have celebrated our wedding anniversary there, so we asked the restaurant for something special on that evening, which they did, and that was really nice. We have used a spa every day. The spa was great. All the treatments were fantastic, though not cheap. There are 3 saunas, small swimming pool and gym. Everything very well maintained, very professional staff. We had saunas and spa almost for our own, since almost all the guests were for skiing there, so they usually have returned to the hotel at about 4-5 pm. Another pleasant thing was the bar. The bar lady was the most professional bar keeper I have ever met, so it was pleasure to come for a drink and to have a short conversation. In the afternoon they surve on house kaffee and cake in the bar. The small children are not allowed at Mavida, however they have a partner hotel, which is the next building, where the couples with kids can stay. The parents can use the spa and restaurant at Mavida, and the kids have their own programm just next door.

Spent a week at this hotel during August, great location, just a couple of minutes by bike (which the hotel provides free) to the lake. The hotel is very comfortable with great views and, a first for me, a chlorine free pool (my eyes, what have you not done to my eyes). As it was off season the place was pretty quiet, the bar's typical of any hotel but it has possibly the best barman that's ever got me boozed up, very friendly and informative. Went for the deal that included dinner which turned out to be enjoyable once but became slightly more intense as the week went on. Very polite waiting staff but there was one lad who was particularly SERIOUS about serving up dinner. He was very effecient but radiated discomfort, jerking his way around the restaurant floor, glowering at the other staff and looked like the type of fellow who may well snap in half if the wine is a half a degree too warm or too cold.

We had a wonderful Xmas at Mavida in December 2007. Of course it helped that the weather was perfect for skiing: the sun shining, gluhwein flowing etc. The food was very enjoyable. We got on very well with the staff who was professional, seamlessly attentive. Maybe fiddling with the menu weekly would give the guests a refreshing change but other than that no reason for mouthing at all! The spa is carefully designed and very balanced. We'll be back.