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Fairytale Weekend in Vienna: the Historic Hotel Bristol

a living room with a chandelier and couches
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My first night in Vienna I stayed at the Hotel Bristol. Originally it was booked using 12,000 points (a bargain with rooms starting at 400 euros +), but the Vienna Film Ball auction I won included one night accommodation there.

Check rates at this hotel:   SPG.com |  Booking.com   |   Orbitz   |   Expedia  |  Hotels.com  

a statue of a person in front of a building

I arrived at around 10AM straight from my redye. They were ready for me and a manager came to greet me and also to ask if Shawna and I were willing to change our twin beds facing the Opera House for an upgrade into their recently renovated Bristol Suite on the Mezannine Level. At the Park Inn Shannon for a short stay, maybe not, but for a hotel like this, YES!

a reception desk in a hotel

The hotel was in a historic building, so while very beautiful, like most of the buildings I saw, it was not very handicap accessible. There was marble and mirrors and gilt decor everywhere.

a elevator with a mirror and chairs

I fell in love with the elevator. A tiny box, also decorated with gilt and mirrors and featuring a little leather seat in two of the corners.

Our room was on the first floor (second in America) facing the street. Interestingly enough and despite the rennovations, there was only one key per room – a giant heavy cylinder attached to an electronic tag that opened the door.

a close-up of a pen and a book

It was an amazing suite, particularly for a European room.

a living room with a chandelier and couches

There was a powder room off the foyer.

a bathroom with a sink and mirror

Directly across was a large bathroom with two sinks and separate shower.

a bathroom with a large mirror

a glass shower door with a towel on it

 

A shower that didn’t leak all over the floor and drained well! (Half the amazing bathrooms I’ve seen have one or both of those problems). It was also funny to note that the bathroom fan turns on automatically when the toilet seat is in use.

a bathtub with white towels on it

A large bathtub with heated towel rack.

a group of towels and a bottle of shampoo

And of course large Bulgari amenities are always a plus! 🙂

The living room was elegant with great big comfy white couches.

a living room with white furniture

a living room with a tv and a table

I loved the little details like the glittering door knobs.

a door knob with a gold ball

The bedroom was on the small side, but had lots of closet space and natural light.

a bed with white sheets and pillows

a bedroom with a bed and a chair

And shortly after I arrived, they delivered a gorgeous bowl of fruit and a bottle of sparkling wine, completing the princess feeling!

a bowl of fruit on a table

a champagne bottle in a bucket with ice and glasses

The extra space was much appreciated that evening when we were scrambling to get dressed for the Ball after an afternoon of site-seeing. And also a good setting for pictures!

a woman in a black dress lying on a couch

Breakfast the next morning was in the extremely ornate Restaurant Bristol. The service very European – unhurried, pleasant but not friendly. Near the center of the room there was an island loaded with bread. The rest of the buffet breakfast was in a small side room decorated in marble. It featured plenty of meats and cheeses, limited fruit options, eggs to order, hot options of sauteed veggies, limp bacon and hashbrowns that were more flavorful than they looked.

a room with tables and chairs

While the Radisson Blu I stayed in the next two nights was perfectly fine, the Hotel Bristol was far better and would be my top pick when I return. I guess I’ll have to split my time between here and the Park Hyatt Vienna.

Check rates at this hotel:   SPG.com |  Booking.com   |   Orbitz   |   Expedia  |  Hotels.com  

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5 Comments

  1. I’ll be going to Vienna in July and staying at the Park Hyatt, but would you care to share other things to do in the area? Please email me, or a public post 🙂

  2. I stayed for two nights over Thanksgiving. It was a fabulous location for exploring. It seems they’ve updated the locks – my large cylinder had a real key attached to it!

  3. The Ritz Carlton there is very nice too. Did you get a chance to eat at Steirereck? A top 10 restaurant in the world, but very affordable, relatively speaking.

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