Landhaus zu Appesbach

Just outside the very popular tourist destination of Saint Wolfgang (immortalized in Benatzky’s operetta “The White Horse Inn”), the Landhaus zu Appesbach borders onto the same lovely, shimmering lake, but escapes the busloads of tourists. The attractive, pastel-yellow, two-story building, laced with ivy and accented by green shutters, is surrounded by woodlands, lush lawn and is perched on a slight hill that slopes gently down to the waterfront where there is a pier and swimming dock. Converted from a private mansion, the Appesbach still retains the intimacy and grandeur of a residence. There are twenty-seven charmingly decorated guestrooms, distributed over the three floors, many of which enjoy balconies or decks and unobstructed lake views. Perfect for longer stays there is also a series of guestrooms that are equipped with kitchenettes. Although, rooms are a haven in their own right, guests also comfortably settle in the lovely drawing room, attractive salon, cozy bar, or on the verandah. Dining here is exceptional both for the outstanding menu that changes daily as well as for the gorgeous room that stretches across the back length of the home whose expanse of window frames the picturesque lake. Even better, there is a view terrace where guests can dine outside when the weather is warm.

From its very beginnings, this house was something quite special. The property was intended to be spacious and yet intimate, fulfilling Erbauer’s dream in 1912 of an English country house in the midst of the Salzkammergut. A refuge where so much can readily be forgotten – even the loss of an entire kingdom. Here, amid the mountains flanking the Wolfgangsee, Edward VIII was able to find the “splendid isolation” he sought after abdicating as King of England. “A magnificent part of the world”, he wrote in a letter to his future wife, Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom he had chosen to forego the throne. The “Appesbach” radiates style and tranquillity. Those who stay here experience a Salzkammergut far removed from the well-trodden pathways. The apartment of the abdicated king welcomes its guests virtually unchanged from those earlier times. Those who stay in the Windsor Suite can climb into the self-same marble tub of the Roman bath, hang their skirts and trousers in the same white eggshell-finished wardrobes and sleep in the same royal beds. For decades, this country house has been run with such loving care, attentiveness and discretion, one might think the Windsors were about to arrive at any minute.