The famous one
SACHER
The five-star Sacher offers not only top-hatted doorman and concierges with
glasses at the end of their noses, but Hapsburg heritage. In the bed
business since 1876, still family-owned and bang opposite the opera house,
it’s time-warp imperial, and as much a part of Vienna’s sightseeing agenda
as St Stephen’s Cathedral. It’s also home to the world’s most famous
chocolate cake, invented in 1832, its trademark assured by a sweet victory
after a seven-year court battle. Everyone who is anyone has stayed here, and
their autographed photos obliterate the lobby walls. The sumptuous decor,
heavy on the deep reds and golds, is a tad indigestible, but the Sacher is a
unique Viennese experience. Two entirely new top floors will open soon,
offering 40 rooms and a proper spa with, of course, hot-chocolate
treatments.
Doubles from £201, B&B; 00 43 1 514560, www.sacher.com
The designer one
DAS TRIEST
Built in the 17th century as stables for the stagecoach linking Vienna with
Trieste (hence the name), Das Triest has been superbly fast-tracked into the
21st century by Terence Conran. It’s an exciting building, partly because
the original courtyard shape has thrown up all sorts of interesting rooms,
some with access to one of three tiny, peaceful gardens, others with pocket
patios and balconies. There are 72 in all, with big beechwood bedheads and
furniture, white-tiled bathrooms and flowers everywhere (annual bill
£34,000).
Public spaces include the dark and sexy Silverbar, and a restaurant serving
northern Italian cuisine. Das Triest, which pulls all the hip celebs, from
Kylie to Robbie, is not bull’s-eye central, but trams and the subway are
both nearby.
Doubles from £169, B&B; 00 43 1 589180, www.dastriest.at
The romantic one
ALTSTADT
The first entry I spotted in the guestbook reported that “the first night of
our honeymoon was perfect”. Delightfully located, in the arty, leafy, foodie
Spittelberg district (also the stage for one of one of Europe’s best
Christmas markets), the Altstadt occupies most parts of a 19th-century
patrician’s house. Its 37 rooms are grouped in clusters of three and four
behind heavy apartment doors that lead off a magnificent stairway.
The rooms, with high ceilings and parquet floors, have been furnished with
flair by the owner, Otto Wiesenthal, and are hung with contemporary art from
his private collection. One has a roof garden, one a grand piano and open
fireplace. The hub of the house is the lounge, with an open fire, a big
breakfast spread and free tea and cakes in the afternoon.
Doubles from £87, B&B; 00 43 1 522 6666, www.altstadt.at
The eccentric one
RATHAUS WEIN & DESIGN
If the name Rathaus doesn’t lure you, the Wein and Design should swing it. It
was opened 18 months ago by one of Austria’s top chefs, Klaus Fleischhaker,
who owns the Pfefferschiff, in Salzburg; he inherited the building from an
aunt. It’s really a wine bar with rooms: more than 200 Austrian premium
vintages are available, lots by the glass, while each of the 33 rooms is
dedicated to one of the country’s top vineyards, with samples of their wines
in the minibar. All rooms share the simple, contemporary look: dark-wood
furniture and bare-board floors, primrose sheets and duvets, with
black-and-white prints of the relevant winery. The late-19th-century
building is in a fashionable residential neighbourhood, although downtown
Vienna is a stiff walk away.
Doubles from £100, breakfast £9; 00 43 1 400 1122, www.hotel-rathaus-wien.at
The budget one
PENSION CITY
The most central of the selection is also the cheapest. No, you don’t get
wireless internet, flatscreen TVs, antiques or classy works of art, but you
do get a warm welcome from the family (Mr, Mrs and Miss Grünberger), who
opened their first-floor, late-18th-century apartment in the early 1980s. A
sign at the entrance, which is festooned with EU flags, reads “Pension
Grillparzer”, which refers not to food but to heritage, the house being the
birthplace of the poet Franz Grillparzer, described by Herr Grünberger as
“Austria’s Shakespeare”. His marble bust stands in the hall.
St Stephen’s is seconds away, but the City is quiet for somewhere so central.
There’s a breakfast buffet and the family-owned Gutenberg restaurant is just
a five-minute walk away.
Doubles from £53, B&B; 00 43 1 533 9521, www.citypension.at
Travel brief
Getting there: based on December and January fares, Austrian Airlines
(0870 124 2625, www.aua.com) has flights from Heathrow, from £99; British
Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) has flights from Heathrow and
Manchester, from £99; and Niki (0870 738 8880, www.flyniki.com) has flights
from Stansted, from £66. Aer Lingus (0818 365000, www.aerlingus.com) flies
from Dublin; from €105.
- David Wickers was a guest of Travel Renaissance River Cruises (0870 850
1690, www.travelrenaissance.com)
