Why I LOVE Haus Hepi

Have you ever stayed at a place where you thought, “I could live here” or “I would like to be adopted by these people?” Well, that is EXACTLY how we felt after a five night stay at Haus Hepi in Obertraun, Austria.

A year ago when I began planning a trip “somewhere” in Europe, I knew two things: we wanted beautiful landscapes for hiking & a place to stay that felt like home. I looked at farm stays all across Bavaria & Iceland, coastal cottages in Portugal, villas in Costa Rica. I used a lot of non-English search terms, trying to find lodging that only the locals would know about…and that’s when I discovered Haus Hepi. I had never heard of Obertraun, but Haus Hepi’s site said they had a hiking package which included customized advice on hiking itineraries plus transportation from Salzburg plus the option to add dinner prepared by a professional chef. PERFECT! I built the rest of our two week trip around this place, & boy am I SOOOOOO glad I did.

My love for Haus Hepi began when I first contacted them via email about a possible reservation & it increased through the phone conversations that ensued. It was so easy to talk with them & ask questions about transportation & international payments & they chatted like we were old friends. My respect increased with the taxi that they scheduled for us. The driver was prompt, very friendly (didn’t speak English but that was no problem), & got us to Obertraun with no tense muscles or thanking God for bringing us to our destination alive. It was a pleasant drive.

haus hepi obertraun austria — View from our balcony

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our hosts Larry & Lisa Hepi, who originally hail from the UK & have lived in Austria for the past 14 years. Before “retiring” to bucolic Austria, Larry was an executive chef in England & Germany & Lisa was in hospitality management (Lisa, I hope I remembered this correctly…you’ll have to correct me if not). They immediately made us feel welcome & Larry sat down with us over water & coffee to introduce us to the area with a welcome packet, complete with topographical maps, bus & train schedules, & local attractions. He was FULL of useful knowledge & eager to share it but recognized we were probably missing half of what he was saying because we were travel weary. So, he graciously let us go with the knowledge that we would see him again for dinner at 7. We passed out in our room shortly thereafter.

My undying adoration of Haus Hepi began with dinner that first evening. Pan fried pork schnitzel with chantarelle & chive sauce. For dessert, apple strudel with homemade walnut ice cream. OH. MY. GOODNESS!

Larry had provided us with a menu in our welcome packet, but words on a sheet do not prepare you for the meals that he creates. He is a SUPERB chef who clearly understands how to pair seasonal ingredients in a way that presents as gourmet but tastes like comfort food. Beer, wine, & coffee were included in the meals & best of all…WATER! We wouldn’t fully appreciate this unlimited access to H2O until later in our trip, but looking back it was an oasis amidst water-hoarding Europe.

The room we had was a typical Euro style bedroom & bath, so nothing fancy. But it had a balcony with gorgeous views & a radiator in the bathroom which worked great for drying unmentionables (yes, we wash clothes on our trips…how else would I get away with 4 pairs of undies for 14 days). For larger clothing, Lisa offered their outdoor boiler room for us to dry clothes & that worked wonderfully! We had access to a guest living area, complete with Ikea Poang chairs (which made Eric happy) & complimentary espresso, tea & water. Eric enjoyed perusing their travel books & I enjoyed basking under the skylights munching on Viennese hazelnut wafers. Why have I never tried these things — they’re available in the US & they’re ADDICTING!

But back to my love for Haus Hepi. Each morning we were greeted by a cheery Lisa & four of the jolliest Brits & Irish lady I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet — Vic, Pam, Shirley and Lauren (hope I got your names right). Shirley is Larry’s mum, Vic & Pam are his aunt & uncle, & Lauren is the friend from Ireland. They were there for a visit & we actually left the same day they did. It was a hoot listening to them at breakfast & dinner each day (they probably thought we were quiet or shy, but the truth was we just enjoyed listening to their accents & lively chatter). They made us feel part of the family & we truly lucked out being there at the same time as them.

As we finished breakfast, Larry would arrive to help us plan our day (whether that meant hiking up a mountain, adapting to rainy weather, visiting neighboring towns for artwork, bus/train routes…you name it). Lisa would also give advice, & the one time we didn’t heed her suggestion…we missed out on a good lunch because of it. We learned quickly to do everything they suggested — they never steered us wrong.

One word of warning: if you don’t arrive in your own vehicle, be prepared for a climb every time you walk down & up to Haus Hepi. The bus & train station are VERY close, but they are at the bottom of a steep little hill. The good news is, you always have a warm welcome & hearty food waiting for you at the top.