Hotel Post in Imst, Austria

I was looking for a convenient stopover on my way east from Zurich. The small village of Imst in Austria offered suitable relief after enduring weekend bumper to bumper traffic on the Austrian side of the Arlberg Tunnel.

For over 2000 years, the crossroads town of Imst has given travelers rest and comfort. It lies along major east-west and north-south highways which follow ancient tracks through the surrounding passes. European tourists have long responded to the central location and outdoor activities Imst affords. The average tourist stays for one to three weeks, using the town as a base for explorations. Innsbruck is 40 minutes by car, Munich is 2 hours, Zurich 3 hours (except on busy weekends), and Salzburg and Venice are 4 hours away. Of course, the Alps are a mere Barry Bonds homerun from the center of town.

Five minutes from the autobahn had us in the parking lot of The Romantic Hotel Post run by the Pfeifer family. Entering the ground floor, we passed the oldest part of the building, a wine cellar that dates from before 1400. I was greeted at the first floor desk by the effervescent Christa Pfeifer. I put my tired self in the capable hands of her staff and let them guide me into another realm.

The Hotel Post has the comfort and service associated with a modern hotel plus a highly intriguing old world atmosphere that most other hotels cannot offer. A manor has been on the spot since at least 1450. It became Castle Sprengenstein in 1592. After that, the castle was used as a stage coach station and hotel. The carriage house for the coaches is across the street from the main hotel. As a guest wandering the halls, you are infused with the thrilling feeling of turning back the ages of life to a far off time and place-the ideal sensation for a traveler. The low lighting enhanced the medieval candlelit atmosphere.

Each of the three dining rooms is unique. Cozy bar rooms, drawing rooms furnished in Biedermeier (early Victorian) style, and a romantic balcony decorated with flowers used in the spring and summer for breakfast.

We had a two-room suite with a bathroom which was larger than some expensive rooms I’ve had in Venice. The floor was parquet and covered with oriental rugs. My only complaint was that the towels were thin. If I had the time, I could have practiced my language skills on the 200+ channels on the television. At least it seems like that many channels and almost as many languages.

Since this is Austria, I probably don’t need to add that the rooms were clean. However, they seemed especially spotless. My bed was the best I’ve ever had in 30 years of traveling! I had to be pried from it the next morning.

My travel companions tried out the Hunter’s Bar. It is a bright and comfortable family bar with a few private nooks. Not a place for an animal rights advocate, though. These people take their hunting seriously. The walls are covered with small antlers, perhaps all that remains of former fine meals in the adjoining dining rooms.

The extensive menu at Hotel Post had convenient English (British English) translations. The emphasis is on fresh local produce and game. All the veggies were poppin’ fresh and crisp. The tasty potatoes resembled fried Dunkin Donut holes. The recipes were definitely local variations of dishes I have had elsewhere in Austria. The difference was surprising at times. What they call truthahnschnitzel (turkey) was no schnitzel. It was white turkey meat wrapped in ham. While the spatzel was average, the venison was unanimously proclaimed superb by the three of us. It wasn’t too gamey, tender and just right. For our sensibilities, the lamb ragout was too fatty with less than choice cuts. It should have been trimmed a bit but that’s a ragout for you. The pasta was slightly pasty but the presentation was five-star. The garlic soup was smooth and tasty. The knodel soup was rich and full-bodied. The local dark beer was the best we had during our three-week trip. All in all, the experience and ambiance was totally Tyrolean.

I decided that after a few hours in the car and a few hours eating, my body and conscience needed a few minutes lap work in the pleasant indoor pool at the Hotel Post. The pool is cleaned with ozone. The crystal clean water of an ozone cleaned pool is free of odor. A chlorine pool would be second class. And nothing at the Hotel Post is second class.

Here the historic and the modern mingle with discerning travelers and locals, all overseen by the Pfeifer family in a friendly and unobtrusive manner. You’re not just a customer, you are a guest at the Romantic Hotel Post.

Imst presents itself as a small, nice town with kindly restored old houses and courageous examples of modern buildings hidden in the nooks and crannies of this gently hilled town. It is an old settlement and culture. The Imster Schemenlaufen, a ritual fight between winter and spring, between darkness and light, dates from pre-Christian time. It is considered to be one of the oldest carnival customs in the Alpine region and takes place every four years. It is maintained in genuine form by a severe committee. The unique feature of this procession is the many carved masks representing spring and winter. The main dining room in the Post Hotel has several fine examples of these masks. Some are valuable antiques and worth a peek.

Imst is moderately famous for its wells. The many wells are decorated traditionally with figures of saints or with modern interpretations. The summer is alive with concerts, small and large. In the past, big names such as Santana and Paul Simon have played this little town.

In Imst, there is an abounding number of possibilities for cross country skiing. You can glide through the picturesque valley of Gurgl (Gurgltal) and along scattered barns, stopping for a warm drink or a stein of beer in the small villages.

Other activities in the area include downhill skiing, illuminated toboggan runs, indoor tennis, glacier skiing, mountain biking and hiking, and rafting the River Inn – -yes, the river that runs through Innsbruck.