Can an Austrian hostel give a luxury ski chalet a run for its money?

“Want to come skiing in Austria at half-term?” I asked my 13-year-old son. We stayed at St Josefsheim in Schruns, a hostel opened in December 2021 in a blue‑shuttered villa that began life as an early 1900s hospital and maternity unit. It is the first hostel in the Montafon ski area, a five‑minute walk from the railway, opposite a bus stop and only a two‑minute ski‑booted shuffle from a gondola station.

Above the ground‑floor restaurant and bar are 13 bedrooms and bunkrooms, some doubles and others sleeping up to eight in cosy wooden sleeping pods. There is a shared kitchen, bathrooms tiled in pinks and blues, a contactless self check‑in system and practical touches such as hanging cords for damp clothes, shoe racks and pink lockers.

Christian, the restaurant manager, even offered to watch our suitcases when early check‑in wasn’t possible.

Austria, Schruns

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