Hotel Schloss Dürnstein

I felt immediately at home as soon as I checked in. My 10-night of delightful stay over Easter 2025 ended just too quickly! A most sophisticated destination with its superb period decor, elegance, charm, ambience, location, service, staff and most importantly, great food, especially since opportunities for dining out in that small area is very limited and April nights are too cold to go out! The castle hotel and its imp[ressive wine cellar are owned and operated by the Thiery family and they are seen on the property each day tending to just about everything: from check-in desk to restaurant service and even including arranging the fresh hand-cut flowers adorning tables in each common area of the vast property. Their personal touch could be felt and was certainly appreciated. The impeccably well-mannered and well-groomed staff, coming from a diverse number of countries is rare in the region. Their ability to strike up a conversation in different languages besides just German and English is refreshing and counts as an additional credit for this hotel's image. Spanish, for example, is rarely heard amongst staff of hotels in Austria, much less in tiny Duernstein. I am a serious Foodie and without hesitation I say, indeed, meal times were always a high plus on my score sheet of experience at Hotel Schloss Duernstein. Everyday I looked forward just to waking up for my food times! With a diverse menu at both breakfast and dinner, one never gets bored. The presentation is always superb, the dining areas sophisticatedly elegant, making everyday and brand new delightful experience. My dinnertime favourite remained the extremely tasty starter: marinated asparagus tips and fried shrimps! The marinated swordfish comes very close too! The main course offers as vast and as gastronomically delightful!

We stayed two nights. Our room was a bit weird as there was a small area downstairs with a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Thankfully the AC worked well as it was quite hot when we were there. The bed was comfortable. Some of the staff were friendly and some were just okay. I can confirm what we read in many other reviews that breakfast was just okay. The service was not great and the offerings were average at best. On the good - the hotel is in a great location and we had very nice views of the river. All in all our stay was just okay. It is definitely not a five star hotel.

Schloss Dürnstein is a corner of paradise. If you need to relax, would like to enjoy sunsets over the Danube along with gourmet food and excellent wine, and always be welcomed by a smile, professionalism, and kindness this is a unique place. We went there five years ago for the first time and never looked for something else since then.