PANNONIAN WINE & EVENT PARADISE
LOCATION
Many European event organisers have never heard of Neusiedler See, although the region and eponymous national park are part of UNESCO’s protected cultural landscapes. The lake’s eastern shore is considered one of the most rich natural world heritage sites. Neusiedler See is sometimes named the Viennese Sea, as the lake is the largest in Austria – a country with one of the most lakes in Europe. Slightly salty, the lake can warm up to 30 degrees Celsius in the summer. What makes this region truly unique is its soil, ideal for winemaking. Unsurprisingly, Scheiblhofer, an esteemed Austrian winemaking company, found its home on the easternmost shore of the lake. The estate, stretching 104 hectares, includes an outstandingly original wine-hotel-cum-event-place since 2022. The Seewinkel region is famed for its salty marshlands, beef, the legendary pork Mangalica and much more, which you can experience and taste in this one-off, exceptional wine hotel.
ACCESSIBILITY
Andau is a village bordering Hungary, easily accessible by car through the winding local roads that merge onto the nearby motorway crossroads. Guests most often arrive from motorway A4, connecting Vienna and Budapest. Vienna and Andau are eighty-five kilometres apart or an hour’s drive. Bratislava is even closer, approximately forty minutes away. Understandably, the hotel takes excellent care of guests arriving by car. A spacious underground parking garage with electric charging stations ensures guests arrive elegantly. Although Andau lacks a train station, you can take the train to St. Andrä am Zicksee. You can take a bus or taxi or arrange a hotel shuttle from there. Bus connections leading to Andau are punctual and frequent, too, as apt for Austria. Should you host an event in the hotel, note that this region of Austria is a cycling paradise. Crisscrossing the picturesque countryside can be an unforgettable team experience. You can rent bicycles in the resort, too.
COLD STARTER - Architecture and aesthetics
The hotel inconspicuously, elegantly seeps into the Pannonian plain. You may even fail to see it from the main road, as its organic architecture blends with the wine scenography. The elongated two-storey building exudes elegance and captures the hotel’s genius loci. The building seems interconnected with the plains from the interior rooms. Vast glass surfaces provide quality natural light and remarkable views. Guests can admire the views from their rooms, the restaurant or the spa amid the vineyards. The wine barrels, interior design and outstanding horticulture combine into the inspiring story created by famed Austrian architect Arkan Zeytinoglu. Among his award-winning projects are 25hours Hotel, Hotel Motto and Taureen Spa. Within this hotel, the hotel lobby represents his take on a central town square. The adjoining reception, bar, winery, shop, restaurant and lounge make up the hotel’s own bustling city centre. Despite the massive materials used in the interior, including oak wood, the building appears transparent, translucent and uncluttered. Glass, wood and metal details appear simple yet complex, exuding originality and refinement at the same time. This hotel is a best practice case of outstanding cooperation between an architect and a client.
WARM ENTRÉE - The staff and the culinary experience
When a company operating outside the confines of generic hotel stories fabricated by international hotel chains endeavours to create a hotel story, revolutions are bound to occur. Scheilblhofer The Resort can hardly be compared with average hotels. The price of staying here includes an exceptional dinner and a superb breakfast. You will be served a four-course gourmet dinner here, recommended by Gault Milleau Austria and the locally-renowned Austrian culinary guide Falstaff. Infinity Restaurant scored an impressive 93 points in the latter guide. The high mark is entirely justified. We relished a fantastic dinner; the oriental Tom Kha Gsi soup twist left us speechless. The slowly-roasted lamb shank with polenta and the dessert were equally mouthwatering. We suggest you list through the extensive wine list to pair the cuisine with great wine. We stuck to house wines and must admit that their Big John white Cuvee elevated the experience. A few other star wines from Scheblhofer, such as the Praittenbrunn 2018, add a touch of prestige.
The breakfast was just as excellent. We hardly have any remarks. The selection of dishes and the front cooking were on a five-star level. We wish the dishes were labelled in English, though. A proper espresso instead of instant coffee would have improved the experience.
MAIN COURSE – The meetings offering at the hotel
Hotel rooms
The rooms have perfected the story of wine. No other style but oakwood flooring belongs in such a hotel. The massive furniture pays homage to the oak barrels where the wine is stored. Coarse concrete walls, contrastively, follow the latest architectural trends. The interplay between modern and traditional continues in the bathroom with a perfect pairing of grey tiles, wooden furniture and an elegant panoramic wall with an industrial-inspired steel frame. Gazing out from the balcony is a soul-fulfilling experience. The views of the Pannonian sea strewn with vineyards are balsam to the soul. Do you expect anything less than quality wine glasses and a handpicked selection of house wines at affordable prices? The room also boasts an excellent bed and slick lights reminiscent of old wine chalices, goblets and decanters. Not least, the room features Rolf Benz loungers. In this room, you will not hear the buzz of the air conditioning. You need not worry about any noise apart from the occasional mosquito. A great night’s sleep and a great experience!
Meetings centre
The offering of meeting capacities is phenomenal. Meeting halls take their names from wine sorts. Three smaller halls, measuring 130 square metres, can be joined into a large banquet hall for 350 attendees. You can also host your event in the magical hotel garden adjoining the restaurant or the nearby wine cellar – the Hall of Legends. Unsurprisingly, the hotel offers a variety of team-building activities. During our stay, event organisers hosted their events and team-building programmes, one after the other. The story of the Scheiblhofer wine house is simply fascinating and provides an abundance of combinations that will satisfy any event attendee. They even have an adrenaline park named The Andreasberg.
DESSERT – The extras
The hotel spa stretches over 4000 square metres, which speaks volumes about the dimensions. After an event, attendees can relax in the spa to crown their day at the estate. A spacious sauna centre and infinity pool overlooking the vineyards are part of the superb spa, not to mention a selection of treatments and massages.
FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES
We understand most guests are German-speaking. Nonetheless, we hoped there would be more information in English. With the rise of AI, this problem should be easy to resolve.
TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES
The superb restaurant staff masterfully contributes to the quality of the overall experience. Professionals from Hungary are masters of their trade and are always there when you need them. That goes for every staff member we encountered during our stay. It is delightful to stay in a hotel where they know how to treat their guests.
SUSTAINABLE ENDEAVOURS
The hotel has been implementing some incognito yet all-important sustainable measures. One of the most notable is the wine-cellar-to-table philosophy, apt for a winemaking estate. Another sustainable measure is their cuisine, which revolves around local ingredients and the farm-to-fork concept. Their dinner concept, where guests choose between two dishes for each course, is far more sustainable than a typical buffet dinner as it helps prevent leftover food and waste. Lastly, the hotel has implemented tiny measures such as putting cosmetics in a special cup, thus avoiding plastic wrapping. We did not come across sustainable certificates in the hotel.
FINAL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY
Scheiblhofer deserves a slew of superlatives. The hotel stretches on an impressive estate measuring 84,123 square metres. The additional offerings of the hotel are incredibly diverse, and the wine list is among the richest in this part of Europe. If you organise a large event in this hotel, you can almost book the entire village of Andau.
The hotel is distinctly different, unique and special in a positive way. It can be considered a wine hotel, spa resort or purebred meeting hotel. This philosophy gives the hotel character, setting it apart from the competition. The rest is often dependent on the subjective take of event organisers. In this case, though, almost everyone is thrilled about the idea and realisation. That is why we consider the hotel one of the most original ones we stayed in lately. Such a superb package is not the cheapest, but with a gourmet dinner and a tasteful breakfast, the price is fair.
FINAL GRADE: 4.96 THREE MEETING STARS⭐⭐⭐Resort Meeting Hotel
3 MEETING STARS⭐⭐⭐ final score from 4.81 to 5.00
2 MEETING STARS⭐⭐ final score from 4.61 to 4.80
1 MEETING STAR⭐ final score from 4.41 to 4.60
