Frank Mannion Reviews Hotel Sacher Salzburg, A Perfectly Located Gem To Explore The City’s Musical Heritage.
Salzburg has seen many transformations and evolutions since its days as a salt mining powerhouse (its name literally means “Salt Fortress”). Often known as the “Rome of the North”, its musical heritage is unmatched. It is renowned as Mozart’s birthplace and The Sound of Music was filmed here. I have come to the city to retrace the steps of the iconic musical as it celebrates its 60th anniversary.
I stay at the Hotel Sacher Salzburg, an appropriate choice as Julie Andrews resided here during the filming of The Sound of Music. The film was scheduled for a 6 week shoot in Salzburg, but it went so dramatically over schedule that Dame Julie ended up staying for 3 months. She did not have far to travel for several sequences including the famous “Do Re Mi” number which was filmed at the fountain of the wonderful Mirabell Gardens next door to the hotel.
My home for the night is the sumptuous Madame Butterfly Suite with an enchanting terrace overlooking Hohensalzburg Fortress and the twinkling Salzach river below. The suite’s living room is a tranquil space with a cream and taupe design adorned with homely prints. There is a charming series of celebrity photos on a pillar in the living room including a convivial photo of Vivienne Westwood enjoying a cocktail in the hotel bar while the crooner Michael Bublé looks delighted with a giant Sacher Torte.
The suite has a series of sliding doors between rooms to ensure privacy while nice touches include fluffy slippers and bathrobes with Hotel Sacher Salzburg embroidered in gold.
The owners, the Gurtzler-Winkler family, ensure that the hotel (refurbished to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2016) has the highest standards while still honouring its past. There is a lovely French bulldog portrait in the suite as a tribute to former proprietress Anna Sacher’s love of the breed (in Austria the association is so strong that they are sometimes referred to as Sacher dogs). In fact, the hotel has a dog friendly package and even a special pet menu.
A tour of the hotel reveals a stunning collection of artworks including several Picasso prints. My marbled bathroom has a bullfighting triptych by Picasso with a comforting waterproof pillow to lay a weary head after a refreshing stroll through Salzburg’s Old Town. The terrace allows a spectacular view of the changing landscape, the early foggy morning view slowly lifts over the river to reveal the misty Fortress and by noon, the sun is sparkling on the horizon.
Music is never far from the ears in Salzburg and since the founding of the Salzburg Festival in 1920, greats like Max Reinhardt and Richard Strauss have stayed in the hotel, with suites named after former guests like the conductor Herbert von Karajan and arias like the Fidelio Suite. The Mozart Music Week, which has run annually since 1956 and always coincides with his birthday on January 27th, brings a raft of foreigners to the town but it never feels crowded on the charming narrow streets.
The Salzburg Theatre in the square next to the hotel is now playing a musical version of the drag queen favourite Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Mozart’s home (for 7 years), known as the Dance Master’s House, is located in the nearby Makart square.
Hotel Sacher Salzburg’s piece de resistance is the glass framed atrium that showcases the spectacular gold staircase that allows guests to arrive with a flourish into the lobby with its mosaic floors. The breakfast room has a spectacular view of the Old Town and Salzach river.
The Sacher’s staff are warm, attentive and genuinely hospitable. I enjoy a buffet breakfast at an airy window table in the delightful breakfast room. My server is the charming Ursula who worked for many years at the acclaimed original Viennese outpost of the Hotel Sacher but loved Salzburg so much that she moved here 5 years ago. The young (but experienced) staff provide an attentive and confident level of service.
The walls and hotel lifts are adorned with cheerful wallpaper filled with musical notes by local musical giants, Mozart and Haydn. It is little wonder that it is known as the “Amadeus of 5-star accommodation”. The Health Club is a relaxing place with the sauna set at the perfect temperature to detox. The relaxation room is filled with Sacher branded water and fruit. The Sacher’s concierge is knowledgeable and has useful tips about The Sound of Music locations including the Schloss Leopoldskron and its spectacular lakeside setting, which was the Von Trapp family home in the film.
Hotel Sacher Salzburg has a classic, opulent style with crystal chandeliers, precious antiques, and rich fabrics. Each room and suite is unique with many featuring Old Town views and luxurious and spacious marble bathrooms with Sacher branded products. There is a sophisticated and intimate ambiance throughout with several excellent dining options – Café Sacher Salzburg has a traditional coffee house feel serving the world-famous Original Sacher-Torte while the refined Sacher Grill has traditional Austrian cuisine, including Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz.
The Zirbelzimmer is an elegant restaurant featuring traditional wood-panelling, providing a special setting for dining while the Roter Bar is filled with a well-heeled clientele enjoying the signature negroni and a late night Salzburger. Overall, the hotel offers a quintessentially Austrian, high-end experience, deeply rooted in history and elegance.
For dinner, the charming concierge recommends Senns, the two Michelin star restaurant in a unique setting of a former bell foundry in the hills above Salzburg. An aperitif in the bar sets the scene for a memorable evening where original features like the beautifully floodlit original foundry bells appear like props from a movie set. It is no surprise to learn that the 5 Senses menu is a hit on social media where it has been called “SENNS-ational”.
It is a cosy design with 10 tables filled with well to do local couples enjoying a culinary masterpiece in a dramatic theatrical setting where all diners watch chef Andreas Senn and his chiselled-featured chefs work meticulously in harmony to prepare delicate dishes like the black Patagonian Thunderfish and the mouthwatering Burgaud duck served with cabbage, pearl onion and black garlic.
Senn has deservedly won every award in the culinary world, and it is the most sought-after destination for the world’s leading chefs when they fly into town for the annual Salzburg Kulnarik Gourmet Show. The Perigord Truffle dessert with pear, hazelnut and parsley will live long in the memory. The staff are young, English speaking and wonderfully attentive with the maître d’ Thomas describing his work trip to Gusbourne in Kent which explains why it appears proudly on the menu alongside the likes of Krug. Sensational indeed.
“Live like royalty and feel like family ” is the unofficial motto of the Hotel Sacher and the hotel affords an abundance of culture and comfort. The hotel has hosted heads of State like JFK and several Royals including Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Beatrix. Acting royalty, Julie Andrews, loved her experience at the Hotel Sacher Salzburg so much that she came back fifty years later to film a TV special about the city in 2015.
It is a wonderful hotel with its turn-of-the-century elegance. Arnold Schwarzenegger has often spoken of his love of Wiener Schnitzel and Sacher Torte insisting that it should be served with “Schlagobers” or unsweetened whipped cream. That’s just how Ursula recommends it as I tuck into a slice with a dab of cream at breakfast!
Having spoken to several Austrians since returning to London, a constant refrain was that I missed out by not having the Wiener Schnitzel at the hotel’s Zirbelzwimmer restaurant. They tell me that it is the best in Austria. As a well-known Austrian once said, I will be back…
Tell Me More About Hotel Sacher Salzburg
Hotel Sacher Salzburg, Schwarzstraße 5-7, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria
E: salzburg@sacher.com T: +43 (0) 662 889 770
Double Rooms start from £231 in low season and breakfast is from £38 per person.
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