Julisam is a one of a kind luxury ski chalet in Austria. It is located in the lesser known resort of Leogang, in the district of Zell am See, and is perfectly positioned for excellent access to adventure sports all year round. When you think of luxury ski destinations, places such as the Arlberg, Kitzbühel, Zermatt, St. Moritz and Courchevel are all popular choices. Leogang has been less known internationally, but it was top choice for the luxury resort complex of Julisam. We spoke with the Resort Manager of Julisam, Hannes Altenberger, who gave us an excellent insight into this unique luxury property and its surrounding area. It’s certainly not one to be missed when considering a luxury ski holiday in Leogang.
Leogang is the ideal location for the alpine luxury tourism of the future. And, while this may surprise you, it’s the same for both winter and summer.
First of all, there is the convenient location: Leogang is only 50 minutes from the Salzburg Airport, less than two hours from Innsbruck and about two hours from Munich airport.
In winter, Leogang has access to a vast ski region consisting of 85 ski resorts, 926 ski lifts and an incredible 2,700 kilometres of slopes to choose from. All accessible with the Super Ski Card. It’s an excellent area for all ski abilities and particularly those who seriously like to rack up the kilometres. The large choice of pistes can be found from Kitzbühel and Saalbach-Hinterglemm to the Kitzsteinhorn and Hochkönig mountains, and even Berchtesgaden.
With two cable cars, Leogang offers quick access to this area. The slopes from Leogang’s local mountain Asitz are north-facing and therefore have a great record for good quality snow conditions. Snow all the way down to the valley is guaranteed from December to the end of March.
As we have already established, the Leogang ski area is of course a big highlight. It isn’t the only draw to this incredible ski resort in Austria though. Due to the central location of Leogang, you have many possibilities to explore the local villages. By yourself or with our chauffeur service, in just a 30-minute drive, you can explore countless beautiful towns like Kitzbühel or Zell am See, known for their casinos and shopping. Directly in Leogang, recent developments have seen visitors enjoy tracks for tobogganing, Nordic skiing and the famous Flying Fox XXL on the Asitz. One thing’s for sure, a luxury ski holiday in Leogang won’t leave you short of things to do and places to see.
Julisam puts the cherry on top of everything, beginning with the location. Our luxury chalet in Austria is situated 100 metres above the village on a gorgeous south-facing slope. With its huge windows, you can soak up plenty of light and sun, whilst admiring the spectacular scenery before you. The views from the living room, the pool or one of the patios are like looking out of the cockpit of an aeroplane! Across the entire length of the Leogang Valley, you can see for many kilometres to the craggy rocks of Steinernes Meer, which turns red and orange in the evening from the setting sun. You will want to stay forever!
In the house, you have a 15-metre indoor pool and a fitness center with a rock climbing wall all to yourself. You don’t have to share with any other hotel guests. After you return from a day skiing in Leogang, you can unwind and recharge in the comfort of your private luxury home in the mountains. To make your stay even more special, a massage therapist, personal trainer, yoga instructor etc are just a phone call away. My duty is to arrange anything you need as your personal concierge.
It is important to us that we don’t impose full service on anyone, if you prefer to have the house all to yourselves, your wish is our command. Depending on how you feel, you can enjoy the private chef and full service or you can choose to have full privacy with your family and friends, and I’ll bring your groceries, for example. Alternatively, we can organise a gourmet breakfast on the patio in Leogang and then lunch on the Grand Canal in Venice – including a helicopter ride – if that is what you want…
Yes, the chalet itself is a destination, you don’t necessarily have to leave. Especially since the entertainment is also provided. It all starts right at the entrance with a self-playing grand piano in the living room. The cathedral-like ceiling and windows, up to 4.5 metres tall, create incredible acoustics which set the ambience for enjoying the magnificent view on your luxury ski holiday in Leogang.
The seating area is on a revolving stage: in the evening you can start facing towards the sunset and as the night draws in, turn towards the grand piano or the large TV set, which emerges from a sideboard. Of course, the whole house is also equipped with an excellent speaker system that allows you to listen to your favourite music in every room and create a personalised atmosphere.
The entertainment highlight at our luxury chalet in Austria is the in-house movie room with its near-wall laser projector and professional surround system. It makes everything from a classical concert to Metallica sound impressive and dynamic. On the wall of the movie room, there is a multimedia artwork of the starry sky over Leogang during a blood moon to admire. Some guests actually forget to switch on the movie projector because the starry sky is so beautiful on its own!
The total usable area is spread over two buildings and an impressive 1,800 square metres. As a guest, this means that you have two chalets with five bedrooms each at your disposal; two living rooms and two kitchens, as well as two large heated garages. There is plenty of space to accommodate everyone.
The houses are ideal for a family taking a luxury ski holiday in Leogang and welcome your little ones with open arms and plenty of entertainment. There are three playgrounds – two outdoor, one indoor – with two huge trampolines, a 10-metre stainless steel slide and a small artificial turf soccer pitch. Inside, children can enjoy the interactive screens in the elevator and pool area, and PlayStation in the movie room, games room and living room.
For the older children and ‘big kids’, there’s a designer stainless steel pool table, two saunas, foosball and pingpong tables, a whirlpool with a magnificent view and the outdoor hot tub. What more could you wish for?
Depending on the season, groups of up to eight people can rent the main house on its own. The guest house however would remain vacant, of course. Except for the pool table and outdoor hot tub, the main house offers the full service and facilities.
For larger families and groups, where perhaps there are varying meal times and bedtimes, the guest house offers the ideal retreat to accommodate differing requests and preferences. Others also like to bring their trusted staff from home, so the guest house is well-suited for that too.
Precise and detailed inquiries concerning preferences and desires help us plan an outstanding vacation experience for all of our guests in advance. The more we know about our guests prior to their luxury ski holiday in Leogang, the more we can work on delivering a super special and personalised service.
If the guest desires, we will come up with something unique. If the preference is to stay local, we can plan trips ranging from an unforgettable mountain experience with one of our top mountain guides, a helicopter ride or a private in-house concert of a classical quartet in the breathtaking atmosphere of Julisam. Or if exploring further afield is more appealing, we can arrange a trip to Venice inclusive of a coffee break at San Marco’s Square. All this and everything in between. We at Julisam are dedicated to ensuring your special occasions are celebrated in style on your Leogang luxury ski holiday.
We are not part of a group or agency. Our sole task is to provide an outstanding luxury holiday at Julisam and our whole focus is on that single task. With our full attention on our one luxury chalet in Leogang, you can rest easy knowing you will be in good hands to enjoy Leogang and your luxury ski holiday to its full potential.
No, not at all! We kept the region’s values at the heart of the construction. We sourced a great deal locally in the build, including the stone of the façade. It is all superb quality here. And it’s the same with the operation. All services for our discerning guests are regionally sourced.
The regional support is another reason why Leogang is a true luxury destination of the future. Here in Pinzgau, entrepreneurship, hard work, a sense of quality, and hospitality, are all a part of the people’s DNA.
It depends on the personal preferences of our guests of course. Whether they place more value on star cuisine, such as the Kirchenwirt with four “Hauben” from Gault & Milaut, or on Austrian charm and local cuisine such as Hüttwirt, which offers historical ambience, home-style cooking and a magnificent guest garden. There are a wide range of restaurants in Leogang that we can connect our guests with.
A lot has changed in recent years. Of course, many luxury domiciles and hotels are located in the Mediterranean, Caribbean or the Maldives. However a luxury summer holiday in the mountains is not to be dismissed.
During a summer vacation in Leogang, you can enjoy pleasantly warm temperatures of about 30 degrees Celsius during the day (yes, we have air conditioning at Julisam), and at night it almost always cools down to below 20 degrees Celsius, perfect for a good night’s sleep. In the summer, playing golf in Leogang is a popular activity, and usually guests can use one of the seven golf courses within a 30-minute drive, without breaking a sweat in any sort of unbearable heat. Golf Club Urslautal Saalfelden and Gut Brandlhof GC are Leogang’s local 18-hole golf courses. Nothing is more beautiful than a round of golf with a view of snow-capped mountain peaks.
The location offers endless possibilities and variety. Summer tourism in Leogang started a few years ago with mountain bikers, the downhill riders who plunge into the valley at breathtaking speed. For our guests, it is usually preferable to watch rather than take part!
However e-bikes, for example, offer a completely new way to access the mountains and are very popular with our guests. With little effort, you can reach a different alpine hut every day with fantastic regional cuisine and amazing views. Leogang also hosts the popular Jazzfestival Saalfelden, which has been running for decades, attracting visitors from all over the world to witness special moments of world-class jazz music, in a magical mountain setting.
That’s another difference to a beach vacation, you have a new view of breathtaking panoramas around every bend – simply super-romantic!
The excellent bars and restaurants in Leogang and the surrounding area are backed by 14 Michelin stars. And even without star-studded cuisine, tucking into a Wiener schnitzel at a restaurant’s romantic garden table – perhaps in the shade of an old linden tree on the banks of Leogang’s Ache river – is an experience you won’t forget…
The possibilities are endless: from the Grossglockner High Alpine Road to day trips to some of the most romantic cities in the world – Salzburg, Kitzbühel, Hall (Tyrol) or Innsbruck. If you like an adventure, you can pan for gold in Rauris or hike on a wooden footbridge through a dizzying mountain gorge. This special destination in Austria provides the means to explore far and wide on a luxury summer holiday in Leogang.
We are driven by a vision that can be summed up very simply. Everything I have told you ultimately serves one purpose: Our aim is for the residents of this house to be happy.
Thank you Hannes for giving up your valuable time to provide us with an exclusive insight into the vision of Julisam. It is clear your offering is special and unique, providing each and every guest with a personable and memorable experience.
If your vision of a luxury ski holiday in Leogang looks similar to the vision of Julisam, get in touch to start planning today. Our Ski Specialists are on hand to assist you through the steps to making your next luxury chalet holiday the best yet. Give us a call on +44 1202 203653 or send us an email.
Blue Skies Lifestyle Ltd, established in 2005, is an online luxury ski holiday agent that specialises in finding clients the perfect luxury ski chalet in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. We feature an extensive portfolio of luxury chalet accommodation and luxury ski hotels that are ideal for group and family luxury ski holidays.
