Leogang, Austria · 1 hr 10 from Salzburg · Family-run spa hotel
Naturhotel Forsthofgut
A four-hundred-year-old farmstead turned forest spa, where the adults-only wing and the family wing are two separate buildings.
A four-hundred-year-old farmstead that grew a five-thousand-seven-hundred-square-metre spa in the woods without becoming a resort. The trick is architectural: the adults-only half and the family half are separate buildings, so a couple and a family with a two-year-old can both have the week they came for.
The Lake House is the best of it — a forty-two-degree onsen pool with a washing ritual before you get in, a lake sauna, and a silence room called bergSTILLE where the rule is exactly what the name suggests. Outside, a twenty-five-metre infinity pool at twenty-eight degrees faces the Leoganger Steinberge and opens at seven.
Breakfast is a market rather than a buffet, with the hotel's own bakery, dairy and butchery. Five courses at night. Horses, ponies and alpacas year-round, free, for anyone of any age who wants to stand near an animal for a while.
The Alps — the region, not the property. Photograph Claudio Biesele
I
The facilities
waldSPA, 5,700 m², of which 3,500 m² is adults-only (16+); plus a 300 m² gym
Europe's first forest spa
Lake House with a 42°C Onsen Pool and an onsen washing ritual
25 m Infinity Pool 'bergFRISCHE' facing the Leoganger Steinberge, 28–29°C, from 07:00
Leoganger stadlSAUNA, an old-wood barn sauna, and a Lake Sauna
Indoor pool at 31°C open 24 hours
'bergSTILLE' silence room; a 30,000 m² garden with an organic bathing lake
II
The rooms
CategorySizeSleeps
Nature Room “Kuschelnest”Balcony; living and sleeping in one21 m²1–2
Nature Room “Berglust”Balcony; bathtub with integrated shower; some views restricted30 m²2–3
Nature Suite “Lebensquell”Freestanding bathtub in the living area; some with lake access39 m²2–3
Nature Suite “Morgentau”Separate bedroom and living area; balcony42 m²2–3
112 rooms and suites in all. 5 categories from the hotel's own pages, smallest first — see their own page ↗.
III
What the rate covers
What you will not have to think about
Breakfast
07:00–11:00
Delicacies Market with own bakery, cheese dairy, butchery, coffee bar, juice bar and vegan corner
Afternoon snack
14:30–16:00
From three kitchen lines at the Noon restaurant
Dinner
evening
Five-course gourmet dinner, choice of alpine, regional or vegan; separate children's buffet
Drinks, and the small printCoffee bar and juice bar at breakfast. Soft drinks, wine and minibar are not stated as included.
Yours, at no extra cost
Activity programme
A live weekly programme — yoga, waldSPÜREN, woodCAMP and more
Guided hikes
Five per week in summer and autumn, with hiking guide Claus
Sauna infusions
Two to three every day
Gym
300 m² waldSPA fitness, open 24 hours
Mountain railway
Free use in summer and autumn
Hiking poles and backpacks
Free hire
Sleds
Free hire in winter
Riding stables
Year-round free animal experience with horses, ponies and alpacas; pony rides per the weekly programme
Guest Mobility Ticket
Issued at check-in — all public transport across SalzburgerLand
Ski-in / ski-out
Monitored ski room with heated lockers
Also in the rate
Spa bag in the room with bathrobe, sauna towels and slippers; children's bathrobes provided
Two relaxation rooms in the adults-only area
waldGEFLÜSTER tea lounge
Free outdoor parking and Wi-Fi
IV
Before you book
Before you go6 things worth knowing first
Parts of the spa are textile-free. waldSPA Adults Only, 3,500 m², guests 16 and over; clothing-free whirlpool at the top If bathing without a swimsuit is not for you, check which zones before you book — in much of the Alps it is the norm rather than the exception.
The house takes children, but not everywhere in it. waldSPA Adults Only, 3,500 m², guests 16 and over; clothing-free whirlpool at the top For the children themselves: Rocky's Club childcare from two years, daily 09:00–21:00, seven days a week. Lunch with the carers daily; supervised dinner from 18:15. 3,500 m² miniGUT children's farm, game enclosure, 24/7 sports ground, full baby package.
Minimum stay of 2 nights. Shorter stays are usually possible off-season, but ask.
The spa is not free on your departure day. Chargeable — €35 per adult for the full day Worth budgeting for if you have a late flight.
Dogs — €50 per day plus a €50 cleaning fee.
Language. English is spoken throughout, but the hotel's own pages are often fuller in German — which is where several of the details above came from.
What is not included7 charges on top of the rate
Underground parking
€20 summer, €25 winter
Dog
€50 per day plus a €50 cleaning fee
Departure-day spa
'spaPLEASURE', €35 per adult
Three à la carte restaurants
Charged
waldSPA Health — cryotherapy −110°C, IHHT, infusions, personal training
Charged
Bike rental, ski passes and rental
Charged
All spa treatments
Charged
The facts, as published12 lines, plus a link to their own site
Classification5-star
CategoryFamily-run spa hotel
Rooms112
Spa5,700 m²
Saunas8
Pools7
Minimum stay2 nights
Check-in / out15:00 / 11:00
Spa on arrival dayFree before your room is ready; spa bag provided
Spa on departure dayChargeable — €35 per adult for the full day
ChildrenRocky's Club childcare from two years, daily 09:00–21:00, seven days a week. Lunch with the carers daily; supervised dinner from 18:15. 3,500 m² miniGUT children's farm, game enclosure, 24/7 sports ground, full baby package.
Adults-only areaswaldSPA Adults Only, 3,500 m², guests 16 and over; clothing-free whirlpool at the top
One Michelin Key, 2025Falstaff Spa Guide 2026 — 100/100Condé Nast Johansens Best Countryside Hotel, Europe 2026Austrian and EU Ecolabel
Falstaff and the RELAX Guide are the two authorities on spa hotels in the German-speaking world — widely trusted there, and almost unknown elsewhere. Falstaff scores out of 100; the RELAX Guide awards up to four lilies, which very few hotels hold. Gault&Millau rates kitchens in toques, four being exceptional.
VI
Getting there
By air
Salzburg 1 hr 10 · Munich 2 hr 20
By rail
Saalfelden, Leogang or Hochfilzen
Transfers
Free transfer from all three; Fieberbrunn charged
Worth knowing
Do not confuse it with Forsthofalm — the hotel warns about this
VII
Why it qualifies
Every one of these was verified against what the hotel itself publishes. Any of them will take you to the others that share it.
Compiled from the hotel's own published pages where available, otherwise from trade and press sources, correct as at September 2026. Anything marked "not published" is something the hotel does not state — we would rather tell you that than guess. The image above is a generated illustration, not a photograph of the property.
