A family-run hotel at the foot of Austria's dramatic Wilder Kaiser mountains seems like an unlikely location for one of the most successful tennis camps in all of Europe. Yet Stanglwirt will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2008, having started out in 1978 as the Kneissl Tennis Camp and run then as now by a multi-lingual staff from Peter Burwash International. Over those decades, owner Balthasar Hauser has found innovative ways to enhance not only his once tiny guesthouse but also its place in the tennis vacation landscape. Today, it is a 150-room resort and spa with fourteen tennis courts, six of them indoors, which allows tennis to operate year-round. Its location an hour and a half from the Munich airport and an hour from Salzburg makes it easy to reach from much of central Europe (and the U.S., for that matter), and it attracts a local following particularly from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and, increasingly, Great Britain.

Overview

Ordinarily when choosing which side to start on in a match you take factors like sun and wind into consideration. At Stanglwirt, guests joke that the south side is worse, because there you face the distracting view of the soaring Wilder Kaiser mountains, a gray wall of jagged limestone peaks rising steeply to more than 7,000 feet. If that backdrop undermines concentration, it nonetheless adds immeasurably to the pleasure of playing here. So do the superbly maintained red-clay courts.

When I first read about this camp I was frankly a little disappointed that it encompassed only two hours a day of group lessons. Not until I attended did I realize that organized tennis continued after those group sessions ended. And not until I attended did I realize that for an American at least the lure of the mountains would be as strong as the lure of the courts.

Except during the busiest months of April, July, and August, the group lessons take place from 10 a.m. to noon (during very busy times, there are two sessions: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The student:pro ratio never exceeds 4:1 and in fact when I visited during a light week in late September it was 2:1. For those who want more, however, there are several options (see Tennis Programs below).

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: (43) 5358 3310

Tennis Staff. Tennis director Adri Atkinson, a Peter Burwash International pro, heads a staff of as many as six multilingual pros in season. Born and raised in South Africa, she played for Mississippi's Delta State University, a Division II school, ranking in the Top 5 in doubles. She joined PBI in 2002, and was first posted to Guam before coming to Stanglwirt in 2004. She took over as director in August 2007.
Tennis Programs. Guests enrolled in the PBI camp program get two hours of group instruction each morning (maximum student:pro ratio of 4:1). Midweek campers also can participate in a singles tournament, whose winners are invited back for a special Masters tournament in November, and close out their stay with a tennis Olympics (a series of on-court games) for prizes. Hotel guests not in the program can take private lessons, play matches (the staff will find opponents), play in a free weekly doubles round robin, and during slow weeks join other guests and campers for midday doubles with the pros. During busy weeks, the staff also stages an exhibition or puts on a performance of the lively PBI Tennis Show, a exhibition of juggling and ball control combined with a spoof of different playing styles.
Courts & Fees. Stanglwirt has eight immaculately maintained red-clay courts outdoors and another six Granulat courts (a carpet covered with rubber granules) indoors in V-ceilinged buildings who roofs are covered with grass, the better to blend with the pastureland around them. The fully-equipped pro shop borders the indoor courts, which also have their own pub. At the outdoor courts, a small wooden tennis hut serves beverages (the local beer is Huber Brau) and provides glasses for the mountain spring water that flows seeming straight from a branch of wood into a trough carved from a tree trunk. Court fees: €7.95/hour outdoors, €14-€18/hour indoors (free on tennis packages).
Altitude Caveat: Stanglwirt stands at 750 meters (about 2,475 feet) above sea level. Expect the ball to be on you a little more quickly and be sure to pack ample sunblock, especially if you plan to go hiking or skiing.
Tennis Information: For more detailed information, contact the PBI tennis office at (43) 5358 3310 or email pbitennis@goingnet.at.

Your Call

Here's what others have had to say about Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt and PBI Tennis Camp at Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt.

• ""—R.R., Int., May 2008

• "This is an amazing place. Not because the hotel, the facilities or the surroundings are at a very high level - it's mainly because the tennis school and their trainers are outstanding. A week of training once a year gives you "food" for the next 12 months to have fun on the court again."—J.H., Int., May 2008

• "I am enthusiastic about this resort where I had a wonderful holiday and had a lot of fun and very good learning playing tennis with an exstraordinary PBI team ."—R.P., Low Int., April 2008

• "Impeccable red clay courts in a gorgeous mountainous setting, with outstanding tennis pros. Incredible Austrian lodging, food and hospitality. The tennis pro forever improved by backhand after only two lessons, and found me a perfectly matched player for me to practice with in the evenings. I also hiked, and enjoyed the pool spa. Charming hospitality. I will definitely be back!"—L.C., Adv. Int., April 2008

• ""—D.T., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "The PBI tennis school is outstanding for beginners as well as advanced players. Excellent skilled trainers, very friendly and relaxed atmosphere."—W.K., Adv. Int., April 2008

• "The resort is located in a quiet and really beautiful landscape and everything there is relaxing , thrilling and fantastic ! I went there for Tennis but there are so many amusing things to enjoy at Stanglwirt : they have a fabulous spa and a new very nice fitness center, swimming pools out- and indoor , a golf school, you can ride horses (your children poneys!)
  Ah! The food is incredible and the resort is SO NICE: romantic , traditional and it seems to be a little town where everything is made to make you feel ... a king! But MY HIGHLIGHT there ... is TENNIS! A great team , they are so nice , kind and very good teachers , I learned a lot , my tennis is much better now thank to them and I enjoyed a lot my tennis lessons. I can't wait to get there again! (Sorry ... NO weaknesses ...)"—D.P., Adv., April 2008

• "A GREAT place to stay ! A wonderful resort with an awful and refined spa , excellent food , where you can practice many sports (riding horses and poneys , golf school , fitness , swimming , skiing and winter sports , trekking , ...) and an EXCITING TENNIS PROGRAM managed by a PBI tennis team whether you are a beginner or a very good player. Everything perfect an enjoyable for adults and children ! You will have AN UNFORGETTABLE STAY ."—E.C., Int., April 2008

• "The overall vacation was absolutely fantastic. Going especially for the tennis it surpassed my expectations. I was expecting a good knock around with some good players but the contest and coaching I received will stay with me forever.
  WOW . . not only did I have a great holiday I have improved my game over just two weeks. I played Adri, the tennis director and she made me feel like Anna Ivanovic - I would recommend this to anyone at any level."—N.V., Adv., April 2008

• "One of the best places I've ever been to! The tennis school is great. I've never learned that much in just one week, I could approve my skills a lot. I can't mention any weakness. Everything is excellent!"—N.Z., Low Int., April 2008

• ""—M.V., Int., April 2008

• "Outstanding hotel, very friendly, very good service, outstanding Tennis teaching staff with very good skills, I have always learn a lot in this Tenniscamps wenn I have been there (8 times now) - so Stangelwirt is my favorit Tennishotel. Try it, you will not be disapointed."—T.L., Adv. Int., April 2008

Other Recreation

Golf Courses. There is a driving range and putting green at the hotel. The nearest golf course is 2 km away in Going.

Spa. Built partly into the hillside, the spa at the Bio-Hotel seduces guests not so much for its treatments as its design and amenities. Lounge chairs in a sunroom at the uppermost level—a level shared by most of the treatment rooms—look out through floor-to-ceiling windows on that mountainscape of the Wilder Kaisers. To reach that aerie, you climb stairs cut into simulated stone the same gray color as the mountains. Water splashes down the rocky slope in full view of a large rimless hot tub the shape of a mountain pool. Lying there you can gaze at the Wilder Kaisers perfectly framed in the windows of that sunroom above or at an aquarium filled with neon-colored tropical fish and two marauding sharks. Behind the cascading water as if in a cave are a series of saunas—one in translucent stone and called the "Crystal Sauna"—and salt grotto, all of them clothing optional (an option most guests elect, which is not always a good thing). Leave that area and you follow a set of stairs to an indoor pool, bordered by what seems to be an extension of that rock face and cascading water in the room above with windows on a large grassy inner courtyard of the hotel containing lounge chairs and a kids' tree house. A tunnel from the indoor pool leads directly into a small outdoor pool, both filled with crystal-clear water. Finally, there is a separate lap pool in one corner of the courtyard. All of this is accessible to guests whether or not they book spa treatments.

Fitness Center. The "FolterKammer," which translates as "torture chamber," is not part of the spa but can be found off a long hallway that eventually leads to the indoor courts. It contains two pieces of LifeFitness equipment, one of them a multi-function machine, eight or nine cardio machines, and a few dumbbells.

Summer: Hiking and Mountain Biking. Hiking trails begin almost at the doorstep of the hotel and head up—and if you choose, over—the Wilder Kaiser mountains. Some are easy. Those at higher elevation can be difficult, as you climb hand-over-hand up rocky paths or along very steep slopes where you're smart to hang onto the cable attached to the rock on the upper side as a handhold. Scattered throughout are mountain huts providing refreshments and even overnight lodging. A map and suggested routes are available from the hotel desk and their are occasional guided hikes during late spring, summer, and fall. Meanwhile, for bicyclists there are both paved bike lanes all along the valley floor and paved and gravel forest roads in the mountains themselves. Bikes can be rented right at the hotel and like hiking there are guided outings available in season.
Winter: Nordic and Alpine Skiing. There is the first of a series of lifts as close as Going, less that a mile away, and the Kitzbühel and its fabled Hahnenkamm downhill racecourse are only 15 minutes away by taxi.

And ... Stanglwirt has Lipizzaner horses and a riding school, complete with a small outdoor equestrian ring.

Children's Programs

At 9:30 each morning, kids as young as age 3 can meet at the "Kinderstube" in the hotel or the Children's Farm behind or for a full day of activities, including lunch, hay games, pony rides, petting zoo, and more supervised by the hotel's nannies until 5 p.m.

Lodging

The carpeted, wood-rich rooms range in size from an attic-like chamber with twin beds and a large walk-in closet and dressing room to three-room suites. What they share is an abundance of warm wood called zirbelkiefer or "stone pine" that resembles knotty pine and gently perfumes the room. They have rough white-plaster walls, televisions, phones, high-speed internet connections, in-room safes, and electronic door locks. All but those smallest attic rooms have balconies or terraces.

Restaurants

Packages include breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is a vast buffet of cheeses (some Stanglwirt's own), deli meats, fish like smoked salmon or mixed seafood, their own yogurt, fresh fruit from raspberries and blackberries to watermelon and pineapple, breads, and a made-to-order omelet bar. Dinner varies from night to night but is typically a sumptuous five-course affair with a different theme each evening: Italian one night, Tyrolean Mountains another, the chef's creations a third. They usually begin with a buffet of salads, fruits, vegetables and cheeses before giving you a choice of entrees, one of which is always vegetarian. There is also a free afternoon snack served, if by snack you mean pasta, salad and a few vegetables, and dessert.

See Also

If you like the sound of the Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt and you're looking for other tennis-camp options in Europe, also take a look at:

• Roy Emerson Tennis Weeks at the Palace Hotel, Gstaad, Switzerland
• Jonathan Markson Algarve Tennis Centre, Portugal
• Jonathan Markson Mallorca Tennis Centre, Spain

Travel Essentials

Seasons. The indoor courts allow year-round tennis. July, August, and April are the busiest months for tennis camps, though they, too, operate year-round.

Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt
Kaiserweg 1
A-6353 Going am Wilden Kaiser, Tirol Austria
(43) 5358 2000
Fax: (43) 5358 200031
Web Link: Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt

 

Travel Instructions. The nearest major international airport is Munich (MUC), Germany, roughly 90 minutes away, though you may also find flights into Salzburg (SZG) and Innsbruck (INN), Austria, each about an hour's drive from Going.

General Tourist Information. For specific information about lodging and activities in the Tyrol region, visit www.tirol.at. For general information about travel to Austria, go to www.austria.info.

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