Family values

Food / Travel

Run by the Rhomberg family for almost 100 years, Hotel Madrisa is so beloved that some guests have been returning for decades. What keeps them coming back to this corner of Austria? Welcoming rooms, ethical fine dining and a deep love of‘ skiing are among its irresistible draws.

To reach Gargellen at the top of the Austrian valley of Montafon, you have to squeeze through the eye of a needle. A covered wooden bridge leads over the Ill river and towards this small village; the passage is so narrow that only one vehicle can fit at a time.

The majestic Madrisa peak towers above the village and gives its name to the most charming of the handful of hotels here. Set inside a building with a notable art nouveau wing, Hotel Madrisa has been owned by the Rhomberg family for almost a century. Monika Rhomberg and her children, Johanna and Paul, run it together; they are the third and fourth generations in the business. Monika, wearing a dark-green loden blazer and navy-blue chinos, meets Konfekt at the heavy glass door of the south wing and leads us into the lounge, a space with large windows and a roaring fire. At one of the heavy oak tables, a young family is playing canasta. We take a seat on the striped red chairs.

“This lounge isn’t just used by our guests – our family often gathers here,” says Monika. “This is where everybody meets, chats, plays games and exchanges tips.” She points to an oil painting of a handsome, grey-haired gentleman, hanging opposite the bar. “My late husband Bertram’s grandfather [who was also called Bertram] was a cosmopolitan man and had the courage to buy this house in 1930. In those days, it stood nearly alone but, thanks to the excellent international contacts of Bertram’s grandfather, it quickly became a magnet for visitors.”

Distinguished members of European society – including professors and industrialists from Austria, Germany and the UK – came here during that time, many of them repeatedly, as the meticulously kept guestbooks show. “Sigmund Freud was one of the very early guests,” says Monika, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her husband’s grandfather was also involved in founding Gargellen’s first ski school in the 1920s. After his death, his wife made sure that a small lift was constructed a few steps from the hotel entrance so that guests could ski in and out using the main doors.

Gargellen has long been an insider tip among winter-sports enthusiasts. Because of its location at the end of the valley, it is quiet but offers everything that a skier could desire: a high plateau for beginners, slopes of many levels of difficulty, options for ski touring and deep snow. Johanna, who is in her twenties, joins us at the table, wearing the same type of loden blazer as her mother. Like all Rhombergs, she is a keen skier. “I love ski touring,” she says. “Of course, it’s more physically demanding than downhill skiing but here in the Gargellen area, you can find secluded and unspoilt routes.”

“Word of our passion for skiing has naturally spread among our guests,” adds her mother. “We feel at one with like-minded people here. Every time we bump into a guest, we end up discussing snow conditions.”

At the day’s end, weary limbs can be soothed in a swimming pool and a sauna – but these aren’t the only ways that guests can unwind after hitting the pistes. Gargellen might not be known for its après-ski nightlife but the younger members of the family know how to have fun. In the basement, a cavernous, sleek club room has played host to parties that only wound down at dawn. “Just yesterday we had a big one here,” says Johanna. “We all danced until the morning. My brother Paul and I love the party room’s 1970s vibe. Though we’re a bit frazzled today, we definitely want to organise more nights like that.” She laughs, then heads to the reception desk to greet a young couple who have just knocked the snow off their boots at the entrance.

Konfekt checks in to a room that exudes rustic charm, with fir-green sofas and armchairs, fire-red carpets and large, floral-patterned curtains in front of the wood-framed double windows. This old-school atmosphere, which has remained almost unchanged for years, has attracted a dedicated clientele, from an extended family from Switzerland (comprising two siblings, their husbands, their children and their
grandparents) to German, British and American couples. Solo travellers, meanwhile, quickly strike up friendships with one another. “About 65 per cent of our guests are regulars,” says the landlady on her way back to the reception area. “We just had someone stay here who has been coming for 75 years. Others used to come here as children with their parents and now return with their own offspring. The house is a haven of fond memories for them – and they are delighted to find some of the rooms just as they left them.”

In the dining room, light oak panelling, mottled woollen fabrics in natural colours and oil paintings by artist Klaus Fussenegger give the space a homely aura despite its expansive size. Most guests staying in one of Hotel Madrisa’s 60 rooms book half-board. And it’s no wonder: the lavish breakfast buffet and the varied five-course evening menu are unrivalled in the region. That’s largely down to Czech-born chef Zdenek Cepera, who has been in the kitchen here for nearly 20 years, adding his touch to traditional Alpine dishes, such as the fillet of platina venison with herb and nut crust and rowanberries or Ramschwag char “Vienna-style”, with locally sourced chanterelles and potato salad. He also cooks for the Montafoner Stube, the hotel’s à la carte restaurant that’s open to guests and those who aren’t staying.

Paul Rhomberg, a tall 24-year-old with a baritone voice inherited from his father, is responsible for overseeing the service at the hotel. He is particularly busy when Konfekt meets him because he is preparing for a large wedding between regular guests, which is set to take place in the next few days. The bride and groom have already arrived with their parents and are sitting at one of the tables at the lounge, writing place cards for the banquet.

“The groom’s family has been coming here for decades,” says Paul as he mixes two enzian sours, a recipe from his personal repertoire. “He has known the place since he was a child so there was no question about where the wedding should take place.” Paul is clearly in his element here. “Even as a little boy, I wanted to be in the kitchen – back then, I would take a beer crate and put it in front of the stove so I could see into the pots,” he says with a grin. “Today I love the fact that our kitchen is so highly regarded. Some guests who usually avoid meat for ethical reasons order our beef or lamb because they see how well the animals are kept on our farm.”

As if on cue, Johanna comes down the stairs and walks into the lobby. “I’m going over to check on the cattle,” she says. She has swapped her loden blazer for a down waistcoat and now wears a woollen hat and wellies too. The barn is home to two dozen cows and about 20 sheep and lambs. Since her father died in 2017, she has been responsible for looking after the hotel’s farm. She trudges through fresh snow along the short path and opens a wooden shed. Dozens of amber-coloured eyes turn towards her and, after a moment’s hesitation, ewes and their lambs start trotting towards us. Leading the way are two fully grown, shaggy sheep. “These are sisters Helga and Susi,” says Johanna. “I always buy pairs of sisters – did you know that sheep can have twins?” she asks, gazing at the herd.

This all-encompassing family spirit is the open secret of Hotel Madrisa – and the reason why a stay here is so special. The close bond between the owners, like the crackling fire in the open fireplace every evening, radiates warmth into the hotel. Every day, when the bell of the village church chimes 12.00, the family’s three generations gather at the bar for lunch with a large bowl of salad and a hearty main course, such as beef with spinach and roast potatoes or Wiener schnitzel with cranberries.

Johanna loves spending time with her brother, mother and grandparents. Today, though, she can’t sit still for long: she wants to make the most of the fresh snow and the sun before the wedding guests arrive. “The weather conditions are just fantastic,” she says, before setting off in the direction of the Rotbühelspitze, the highest mountain in Gargellen. “It takes four to five hours to climb but the reward is a view over the entire Silvretta mountain range,” she says. “Then it’s a half-hour descent down virgin deep-snow slopes that ends right in front of our house.”

Konfekt,
Winter 2025