Babyhotel, in the Austrian town of Trebesing in Carinthia, is one of a growing
chain of Austrian kiddy-friendly places to stay called Kinderhotels.
And it is exactly that – a hotel designed for babies.
You realise that from the moment you clap eyes on the place – the shocking
pink and yellow walls scream out at you from the lush green meadows and grey
mountain backdrop. As if that weren’t enough, the hotel lawns are packed
with every imaginable diversion for babies and young children. Bouncy castle
– check. Go-karts – check. Soft-play centre – check. Aerial runway – check.
Swings, slides, swimming pools – check, check, check. And that’s just
outside.
If you’re expecting something like Moonfleet Manor, or one of those other
British hotels that’s really targeted at adults who happen to have children
rather than other way around, then Babyhotel is unlikely to appeal. In the
words of one English mother, it was like “going to your child’s nursery and
being able to stay”. Whether you think that’s a good or a bad thing is down
to your temperament. Sharing lunch with a hundred hungry kids would test
anyone’s mettle.
But for our two-year-old Lola (pictured), Babyhotel was heaven on earth. “I
want to go on the bouncy castle and to see the pirate ship and stroke the
rabbits and and and…”
Like any good child-centric environment, Babyhotel has a mascot. Hubsi Hu, a
seven foot tall kangaroo (I thought this was Austria not Australia), appears
at breakfast and at various points throughout the day to cuddle hyperexcited
toddlers – Lola among them – and lead song and dance routines. The songs are
in German but at that age does it really matter?
Childcare is central to the Babyhotel experience. Nursery is available for
babies as young as a week old (yes really) in the optimistically titled Room
of Tranquility and is included in your holiday price; one-on-one care is
available at an extra fee. Childcare is grouped by age and kids can play in
the Kids Workshop craft room, the Lego Room, the Pirateland softplay area or
any of the outside area,
Baby and childcare includes one early morning a week so you can have a lie-in
and one night of evening care so you can have a night out at the pub.
There’s one within the grounds of the hotel with a relaxed atmosphere.
Which brings us to the baby monitors. Babyhotel has, quite possibly, the
world’s most advanced baby listening system – a cordless phone-based system
that has monitors in every room and handsets that work throughout the hotel
and its grounds.
The hotel’s adult restaurant (kids are allowed but not encouraged) was
probably the only one I have ever been in where if someone’s phone rings,
you’re very happy. The ringtones of the cordless handsets are all identical
so if one rings, there’s a reverse Mexican wave as everyone hunches over to
see if its there’s and the look of satisfaction spread over their faces when
they realise it someone else’s.
Dinner starts early and finishes early. We were the last in the restaurant one
night at 8.30. While this may worry some parents whose kids a lucky to be in
bed by then, Babyhotel has the answer. The Pirateland soft play centre is
open from 6.30 to 8.30pm with supervision so that the adults can enjoy their
food without constant whining about eating up all their greens. Kids eat
earlier.
Holidays here are not just about the hotel. Carinthia, in the south of
Austria, close to the border with Slovenia, is hot in summer and there are
lots of great walks in the meadows and mountains. The 3km fairytale walk
(Märchenwandermeile) is particularly good for families as it takes a
pram-friendly route through the forest and across Austria’s longest
pedestrian suspension bridge.
For me, the true test of any good family holiday is how you feel when you get
back. If you feel more relaxed than when you went, I consider it a success.
If you feel as though you need another holiday, preferably without the kids
this time, then you know you have failed. Unlike many parents at the
Babyhotel, we didn’t just throw our kids into childcare as soon as it opened
and picked them up the moment before it closed. I’m of the opinion that
holidays are for spending more time with your kids not less but I know that
not everyone’s the same. From that point of view, the holiday was a great
success.
But perhaps the biggest indicator of how good it was is Lola. It’s now been
almost a year since we went to Babyhotel and hardly a week goes by without
her talking about Hubsi Hu the Kangaroo. I suspect she may be planning our
next family holiday already.
NEED TO KNOW
Room rates at Babyhotel in
Carinthia start at £63 per adult per night, £23 per night for children
under 6, £27 per night for children between 6 and 12 and £55 per night for
children over 12 and au pairs. A booking fee of £45 per family and local
taxes of £1.40 per adult per day also apply.
The prices include all childcare, all meals, baby formula as well as fresh
fruit, biscuits and soft drinks all day long. Week long stays attract a
discount and you’ll pay around £1,100 all inclusive for a family of four
staying in low season. Even in the middle of summer, rates are not much
more.
Single parents can also get deals for staying a week with one child of around
£600, although these are not available over the summer. Flights to
Klagenfurt, around 50 minutes from the hotel, with Ryanair
from Stansted cost from £25 return including taxes.
mmmmm, this is not the first mistake I see lately in the Times, one can allow for "typos" but such an error in an English paper of supposedly high quality: "hunches over to see if its there’s ", perhaps it has something to do with an Aussie mascot singing in German. On the whole, however, one must agree with Mr. Frary in that Austria has a great parent/child holiday attitude, skiing with my two young sons this year in Austria was bliss.
Daniela, Vienna, Austria
How great to know about that! Thanks so much for this article!
Nikkie, Scotland,