Kinderhotels - A way of life

In most places organic, local food is a luxury product of recent years, while in Austria it is a tradition. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture found that Austria had the second largest number of organic farms in Europe: 19,826 of them, to be precise, which makes 11.3% of the country’s total. By comparison, England had 4,010 organic farms, just 1.7% of the total.

Austria’s organic tradition can now be experienced by the whole family: Kinderhotels, a group of 27 ultra family-friendly hotels that are only just being discovered by British families, source almost all their food from local, organic outlets. At the luxury properties of Kinderhotels, children are just as important and welcome as their parents.

All Kinderhotels offer free baby and child care (up to 60 hours a week), baby and toddler equipment and all-day activities for kids. For parents, there are lavish spa facilities as well as cultural, culinary and sports programmes.

Youngsters get top quality nourishment that they enjoy, and that applies right down to Schnitzel and other favourites – just because it’s good for you doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Many Kinderhotels also have working farms attached to them, so children play safely as well as learning to appreciate where their meals come from.

Menus are designed to tempt the most fussiest of eaters, big or small, and in addition, you can eat all together as a family, stagger your meal so that the children eat first or, at certain hotels, there's even a separate children's table where the little ones can eat with their new friends.

The reason for Austria’s tradition of organic farming? From the 1980s farms started to go organic by the thousands thanks to government support. Organic brands started to pop up and supermarkets got right behind the moves. The result was organic food that was both easy to find and – perhaps more importantly – affordable.

And it still is, although it has taken on a new sophistication. Ageless products have taken on a style of their own – naturally smoked trout from cool mountain streams, dozens of different varieties of schnapps made in tiny stills from hand-picked plants and berries, sweet plum liqueur and hand-made sausages.

In Austria, organic food isn’t a fad, it’s a lifestyle which has been cherished down the generations. Find out more about healthy family holidays with Austria’s Kinderhotels at Kinderhotels.co.uk.

Family Pampering Offer: Kinderhotel Matschner (valid until 4 November 2007)
2 adults and one child including 7 nights all inclusive with a programme of family activities from GBP 685!

For more details please visit Kinderhotels.co.uk