Its summer in Vienna right now, and summer in Vienna means sunshine. Lots of it. The land-locked city has been basking in 100 degree temperatures for the last few weeks. It can be brutal.
Its a whole lot less brutal, though, at The Guesthouse, a Terence Conran-designed hotel thats one of our all-time Wiener loves. The Guesthouse (Guesthaus?) goes all out for summer with outdoor patio seating in the brasserie (called a Schanigarten), picnic hampers and – the crowning glory – homemade ice cream.
We seriously love the idea of the hampers, given that over half of Vienna is green land (who knew?) and there are over 800 parks in the city. Theyre beautiful wicker affairs complete with blanket, yet not nearly as expensive as youd think. An Albertina hamper includes tea or coffee, ham and cheese, quark with herbs and cress, boiled eggs, bread roll and croissants – for 14 ($ 15) per person. For 15, the Burggarten hamper gets a little more snacky than breakfasty, but the real one to go for is the Time for Delight hamper: salad, cream cheese, antipasti, croissants, water and cakes and sweets from the amazing in-house patisserie for 28pp.
And if finding a spot in the park or royal Burggarten seems like too much work, you can stay in and order this homemade ice cream sundae, Mrs Poppyseed, for 6.80 ($ 7.40). Don’t worry – youll sweat off the extra weight the minute you step outside.
Rates at the Guesthouse currently start at around 230 ($ 250).
[Photos: The Guesthouse]