We had heard about Kinderhotels and, after a bit of research, we found Kinderhotel Buchau, which had great reviews, so we decided to book for a week in September after the schools had returned and the weather had cooled slightly.
We had a busy morning finishing our packing and getting the girls ready for the long journey. Somehow we managed to get all of our luggage and a buggy in to our car along with the four of us – I’m still not sure how we did it but, somehow, we were on our way on time and the drive out to Heathrow was really quick and the traffic was forgiving. I had heard about GoodToGo parking at Heathrow which sells official Heathrow parking but at discounted prices, so long as you park over a Saturday night. This was our first experience of driving to the airport so I wasn’t sure what to expect but their Meet & Greet service was excellent and we were soon on our way on the very short walk to the check in desks. I had really wanted to book the driverless pods at Heathrow but they were unfortunately fully booked – with the girls I think that is something I will try for next time.
I had managed to snag some Avios reward seats and so we were able to make use of the quicker check in desks and fast track security. We were all through security and up to the lounge very quickly. Now, airport lounges are usually an oasis of calm (and champagne) but with two small children I was introduced to the “Kids Room” concept. It was a room with brightly coloured soft furnishings, a few games consoles, a large screen TV, some high chairs and a small selection of drinks and snacks. Not great but not bad either and at least we had the place to ourselves. we settled the girls down and I went to find food and drinks for us all.
Isla was enjoying all the options of food and drink (asking for various things and turning her nose up at others) while Ella was being very good and sitting quietly. Matt & I had agreed to look after a child each and, since my child (Ella) was being good, I decided not to break the habit of lifetime and enjoy a small glass of champagne pre-flight.
When our flight was called we gathered up our gang and made our way to the aeroplane. This was the first time Isla was old enough to understand that we would be flying and I was excited to see how she coped with it all. As always, she seemed to take it all in her stride and laughed and looked out of the window as we accelerated down the runway and took to the air.
Once we were airborne, and the meals were served, she settled down to watch Paddington and generally seemed unfazed by the whole experience.
Ella was sadly not so good and fidgeted and struggled for a lot of the flight, thankfully she fell asleep for about 30mins as the meals and drinks were served but then she awoke and continued her fidgeting and loud babbling.
The cabin crew were amazing and went out of their way to look after us and make us feel at ease. The flight passed quickly and we were soon landing at Innsbruck. We were through security quickly as it was a small airport and not very busy. However, Isla became a nightmare as we had to queue for passport control and then for baggage reclaim. I was glad to eventually get her in to the Taxi and in to the child seat restraints. The hotel had organised the transfer for us and they had provided child and baby seats. Both girls fell fast asleep as we made the 40mins transfer to the hotel.
When we arrived we were given a warm welcome and a tour of the hotel and the facilities. The hotel is set up to cater for children throughout and it was fabulous.
At reception there was a set of little steps for the children to talk to the receptionists.
Throughout the rest of the hotel there are many child and family friendly additions. For example there is a Laundry room with washing machines and dryers (powder is available from the reception); buggies and trailers are available for your use throughout your stay; a 24hr baby room is situated just off the min restaurant and is full of milk, fridges and microwaves; a baby food buffet is part of the main restaurant and includes all types of baby food from milk up to 12m+ jars along with fresh fruit & vegetables for use alone or via the adjacent juicing machine; a baby change room just off the main restaurant complete with wipes and nappy bins; an adventure playground outside with balance bikes, go-karts and huge pirate ship in a sandpit; soft play; heated outdoor swimming pool; outdoor swimming lake; heated indoor swimming pool; jacuzzi; separate baby pool room (with slides and toys); a waterslide; fridges of bottled still and sparkling water throughout the hotel; table tennis; rock climbing wall; play areas off the main bar; gym; spa and multiple steam & sauna rooms (plus many more I have not mentioned)
After the tour we went up to our room to unpack. The room was also set up well for children with a change table already in the room (complete with wipes, baby wash and baby moisturiser) bunk beds and a cot in a separate room for the girls, steps and toilet seat attachments in the bathroom, a kettle, bottle warmer, and a beach bag containing robes and slippers for the whole family.
We had an early dinner while we reviewed the activity programme for the following week and decided what we would like to try – we settled on a few exercise classes, a few relaxation classes, a ‘tryout climbing’ class, Nordic walking and a tree top zip-line experience (like GoApe). The hotel runs on an all inclusive basis, and alcohol was included, so we enjoyed a lovely drink with dinner as we looked out over the mountains and lake. Isla had her own children’s buffet to choose from (everything at child height, including the drinks dispensers, along with plastic cup and plates, children’s cutlery and stacks of bibs everywhere there was food) and the adults dined from a specially prepared menu, which was delivered to your table by the waiting staff, along with salad bar, dessert buffet and huge selection of breads, cheese and chutneys – the food was absolutely amazing and, more importantly, healthy. There was an open kitchen where you could see the chefs preparing meals and cakes throughout the day.
After dinner we took the girls up for bath and bedtime. They were both very tired and quickly fell asleep. I sent Matt down the bar to get us one final drink to enjoy quietly in our room. It turned out that the cocktail list was in German and so he sent back a picture to me to choose from.
I could work out most of it but recognised the Hugo cocktail from a friend’s wedding in Italy a few years ago so I had my first one (of many) before bed.
We all slept very well and the hotel was very quiet at night. In the morning we went out on to our balcony and had a great view out over the lake and mountains. We all had a fantastic breakfast (every option you could imagine) before using the best facility offered by the hotel – the Nursery! You book the children in for the hours you require and so we dropped the girls off at 10am after our breakfast. Matt and I went and found some swinging chairs on the terrace and enjoyed some tea, coffee and freshly made cake as we overlooked the lake – there was absolute silence and no one requesting entertainment or food. Bliss. The nursery have outdoor time each day and we watched as the girls were taken out in the group and then we watched as they returned 1.5hrs later. They both seemed to be enjoyed themselves.
We decided to have our lunch on the terrace before heading back to the room for a nap – it was lovely to have some time together to just relax and chat about everything and anything. In the afternoon we picked the girls up and then took them to the swimming pool. The hotel has a separate water slide and an abundance of water rings to sit on and use on the slide – we had the slide completely to ourselves and we took it in turns to sit Isla on our lap and take her down. She absolutely loved it – every time we landed in the water at the bottom she would jump up and shout “again”! Ella enjoyed the baby pool which was about a foot deep and heated with a slide and lots of toys for grabbing and chewing.
Each day the hotel sets out freshly made cakes and snacks between 2 and 4pm (although there are other snacks and all drinks available throughout the day) and so we headed there after swimming for some drinks and food before baths/changing and going down to dinner. Again, the girls were very tired and we all returned to the room for an early night.
The next day we booked the girls in to nursery again after breakfast and Matt and I attended one of the classes run by the hotel – a Stretch & Relax class. The instructor’s english was not great but the class was good and we really felt a difference afterwards. We then went to the gym for some exercise – the gym was very good and it had an amazing view out on to the lake and mountains.
After lunch we had a walk down by the lake – it was quiet and the weather was being very good to us. The scenery was breathtaking and Matt couldn’t resist a paddle.
After we collected the girls we went for more cake before heading down to the excellent soft play area in the hotel basement. We had the place to ourselves and Matt got particularly excited when he discovered the airguns and soft balls (and realised the I was within range).
We then went out to the adventure playground and Isla enjoyed herself playing and spent ages on the trampolines and zip-lines.
We returned to our room and got everyone ready for dinner before heading to the bar to try out the cocktails of the day (they also have cocktails of the day for the children – alcohol free for Isla).
The next day we again put both girls in to nursery to allow us to exercise but then I collected Isla to take her to a special toddler class. The hotel runs various classes for parents and children together and I was interested in the Montessori class which was aimed at helping toddlers to do things themselves and explore their growing independence. Since Isla is trying every day to be more independent (and getting sometimes quite frustrated) I thought it would be a good choice. I think Isla enjoyed herself and I learnt a lot about how to help her and encourage her. I am aware that her world can sometimes be a flood of “no” and “stop that” so it is nice to think of new ways to guide her in different directs in a positive manner.
After the class we had a lovely lunch together before taking Isla back to the nursery and Matt and I used a couple of the hotel bikes for a ride around the lake and up to a local village – we stopped halfway for a relaxing drink overlooking the lake. It was fantastic. 
We then rode back to the hotel to collect the girls before going swimming again. Travelling with two small children we were always going to create a lot of washing so it was a good opportunity to go and use the hotel’s facilities to do a few washing loads. There were washing machines, dryers and airers available and we could get powder from reception. While the washing was on we went back out to the adventure playground and Isla exhausted herself playing on the trampoline again. Ella fell asleep and so Matt took the opportunity to get us some drinks to enjoy as we relaxed on the one of the many sun loungers around the gardens and pool.
We then made our way up to the room for baths and to get ready for dinner after which we again went to the bar to try the cocktails of the day (and ones for the children) before bedtime.
The next day we again used the nursery to allow Matt and I to go for a massage each. I’m not sure if something got lost in translation or if was an Austrian specific technique but the massage was one of the best in my life (and I’ve had many, many massages during our trips to Thailand). I felt completely relaxed (and a bit dizzy) after she had finished. With a glow of relaxation and happiness I decided to go and explore the sauna/solarium which was completely empty and far more comprehensive than I had expected – although I wasn’t brave enough to try to ice cold dip pool out the back.
We had lunch and then collected the girls early to take them on a bike ride with us around the lake. The hotel hires out all types of bike along with child friendly trailers. We each loaded a girl in to a trailer and we set off for a lovely family cycle ride together.
We stopped off for some drinks at the same cafe overlooking the lake – this time the holiday buzz took hold and we ordered some beers and cake to enjoy along with the views.
After a lovely time we set off back to the hotel and both girls fell fast asleep on the journey – at which point it occurred to us that shoulder straps would have been a good addition for Isla!
We then took the girls for more cake and drinks in the hotel – we decided to let Ella try the cone from her sister’s ice cream and it went down a treat.
After more playing in the adventure playground we all got ready for dinner and we decided to make use of another wonderful addition to the hotel childcare – dinner time nursery! We dropped the girls off and then went for a drink, just the two of us, in the bar. We were both deep in conversation when the nursery assistants came over to say they they were bringing the children down to a special nursery section of the restaurant for dinner and that we might want to disappear rather than let the girls see us – so we made our way to our table for a relaxing few hours of dinner alone – dinner where we actually talked to each other and could also hear the replies. We were feeling guilty but when we went to collect the girls later they were both absolutely fine and were enjoying watching German Paw Patrol.
The next day we were woken up to two big and smelly surprises from Ella (in quick succession) and so we needed to do a hot wash before breakfast (another moment when we appreciated the hotel’s facilities). We had a great breakfast although I must admit that we succumbed to the constant requests from Isla and placated her with Nutella spread on rice cakes. It worked well but we seem now to have created a fixation on Nutella which we had, up until this point, managed to avoid. We then dropped the girls off at the nursery and went to enjoy some exercise in the gym, we again had it all to ourselves, before we showered and had a relaxed lunch on the terrace. We we given an Achensee Holiday Card by the hotel and so we used them to catch the bus in to town for free and we decided to try the Rofan cable car. At the top we managed to fit in a lovely walk, some beers and more strudel cake.
We walked back to the hotel a little too late for the pony ride we had booked for Isla (included with the hotel) so we decided to go for more cake with the girls. That day they were serving Kaiserschmarren with fresh wild cranberry sauce and chocolate sauce along with various home made cakes including some milk chocolate moose filled white chocolate eclairs. As you can imagine we all stayed a little bit longer on the terrace that afternoon and Isla was very impressed and asked for more ‘chocolate pancakes’ each time until we decided she had probably had enough. After allowing the cakes to settle we all went swimming again to enjoy the good weather before dinner and a few more drinks in the bar. I thought we were all having a great time until Isla started destroying the playground area off the bar – so we took that as our call for bed.
The next morning we all slept in and had a late breakfast. Matt took Isla to nursery and then went for a long mountain bike ride alone. Ella had fallen asleep and so I decided to sit on the terrace with her in the buggy (and a fresh pot of coffee) and relax for a bit before my class. Small pleasures like reading my book seemed such a delicious luxury.
The hotel also runs exercise classes for the adults and so I dropped Ella off at nursery before going to my Legs, Bums and Tums class (carefully tailored to include exercises for postpartum mums). After lunch Matt and I went for another bike ride together but in the other direction along the lake. We decided to try one of the hotel e-bikes this time and they were great fun and it made the long bike rides far more enjoyable. After we collected the girls (and had yet more cake) we went to the soft play and adventure playground once more before dropping the children off at the evening nursery in order to have our final dinner alone. Unfortunately I started to feel ill and so we all went to bed early (or at least Matt and the girls did – I stayed up late in order to vomit multiple times!). The hotel is very good with steps in all bathrooms for the little ones to wash their hands and sanitising gel machines dotted around but I suppose there is always the risk that you might catch something unless you are very vigilant.
In the morning Matt took the girls to breakfast to give me more time to recover and to start our packing. I appreciated the coffee and croissant he brought back to me and I was surprisingly soon feeling a lot better. We all then continued to pack up (not the easiest with the two girls fighting and playing) but we were able to be checked out by 11am. Upon check out both girls were given T-shirts, teddies and food packs. The nursery also sent through lots of pictures of the two girls enjoying themselves in the nursery during the week. We decided to have lunch on the terrace and a last walk down by the lake before we came home. It was the Almabtrieb festival and we could see the locals and the vividly dressed cattle making their way along the roads.
We returned the hotel in time for the taxi but unfortunately Isla had an accident during an attempt at a ‘final wee’ before the journey so we had to do some quick cleaning and re-dressing. At any other hotel this may have been met by confusion or horror but here they were understanding and incredible helpful – just a wave and smile and then any help they could offer. We then all bundled in to the taxi to the airport for our trip home. Both girls fell fast asleep within minutes of our taxi ride starting and this left us both able to look out the windows and enjoy the incredible scenery on the way to Innsbruck.
Unfortunately Isla was in a difficult mood again at the airport and she kept running away or having meltdowns in the queues. Thankfully the airport was small and we were soon through and in to the Lounge where she enchanted several fellow passengers with her newly acquired German phrases and enthusiasm for Nutella (on anything including potato salad, sandwiches and fruit). On the aeroplane home both Isla and Ella were challenging but the cabin crew went out of their way to help us.
Thankfully we were through Heathrow quickly and our car was sat waiting for us as soon as we came out of the lifts in the car park. We miraculously managed to fit everything quickly back in to the car and we were soon on our way home. Both girls were overly tired and, after some screaming and crying, they fell in to a deep sleep as Matt and I looked forward to our own beds that night (and mentally ran through all the washing and unpacking ahead of us).
The Kinderhotel was an absolute gift for any family with children and I am certain that we will return – we are already looking at dates for next year and we cannot wait.
The Family That Travels Together 