First In: Eriro Alpine Hide, Ehrwald

Character and identity

Reached by gondola above Ehrwald and set against the Zugspitze massif, Eriro Alpine Hide is a nine-room hideaway built on the footprint of a 1930s alpine hut by three Tyrolean families with no outside investors. The architecture reads as modern minimalism in recycled wood, stone and metal, with old German room names tied to the view (felisa, boum, wisa). Chef David Franken cooks a strictly hyper-local menu (no pepper, no avocado, no oat milk), a basement spa runs Japanese-style onsen pools alongside Finnish and herbal saunas, and service is warm, communal and quietly attentive.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're paying for is uncompromising place: a tiny, founder-run hide where the food, the materials, the water and the activities all come from within walking distance, and digital life is firmly switched off. Book Himil if you want the fireplace, private sauna and extra bedrooms; otherwise any of the nine suites delivers the same view-led calm. Come in late summer for foraging and alpine lake swims.