Resort Das Achental

eMove360° travel tip: The Achental valley – Akkuaden between Chiemsee and Kampenwand

Lake Chiemsee shimmers in a vivid blue, the snow-covered Alpine peaks rise into the white-blue sky in the distance, then a vast meadow landscape opens up. In the middle of this postcard idyll lies the resort Das Achental. A hotel jewel that is no longer an insider tip among golfers, gourmets and connoisseurs. The weather gods are on our side as we dock our Kia EV3 test car at the charging station in the hotel car park. Alpine style, a spacious park landscape that offers views of the Chiemgau mountains all the way to the peaks of the Wilder Kaiser in Tyrol. We are thrilled and feel at home from the very first minute.

Author: Sabine Metzger

Is it the Chiemgau hospitality or simply the well-trained staff? It doesn’t matter. We are welcomed more warmly than ever before. And this warm hospitality runs through all areas of the resort. It is important to the owners Ursula Schelle-Müller and Dieter Müller, founders of the Motel One Group. They bought the former equestrian centre in the 1980s and in the years that followed, renovated the existing buildings step by step and added new ones. In 2013, an 18-hole golf course with its own golf academy was opened and the sports hotel became the Achental Golf and Wellness Resort.

Relaxed luxury made of loden, old wood and warm colours welcome us to our junior suite. The interior design bears the signature of the owner Ursula Schelle-Müller. Deckchairs await us on the balcony. We enjoy arriving and the view of the mountains. Postcard idyll at its best. Everything within a 50-kilometre radius of Lake Chiemsee is part of the charming region that King Ludwig II fell in love with. The fairytale king had his Herrenchiemsee Palace built in 1878 on the largest island of the ‘Bavarian Sea’ of the same name. The small Fraueninsel is picturesque. But it doesn’t always have to be Lake Chiemsee. Zeller See, Waginger See, Tüttensee & Co. are well worth a swim. Summit climbers are drawn to the Kampenwand or Hochfelln, whether by cable car or on foot. And the festival city of Salzburg is only 45 minutes away. We spend the afternoon in the Kendlmühlfilzen nature reserve, one of the largest contiguous raised bogs in Bavaria. It was created at the end of the last ice age around 12,000 years ago and developed from a siltation zone of the formerly much larger primeval Lake Chiemsee. A fascinating, expansive landscape that exudes a marvellous sense of tranquillity.

The sun slowly sets. Back at Das Achental, we slip into our cosy bathrobes and grab the bathing basket: ‘Spanieren’ is the order of the day. There’s a whole 2000 square metres of spa to explore. We glide into the spacious indoor infinity pool. Spoilt for choice in the sauna: Herbal sauna made from old wood and with a copper boiler, stone sauna made from slate or would you prefer the Finnish sauna made from Swiss stone pine?

The anticipation of dinner is growing. We love to eat. And especially after a long walk and sauna session. There are three culinary hotspots in Das Achental: Edip Sigl’s Michelin-starred cuisine is known among gourmets far beyond the borders of Chiemgau. The gourmet restaurant es:senz, which opened in June 2021, received two stars from the Michelin Guide after less than a year. Sigl then received the third star in 2024. This makes Edip Sigl one of ten chefs in Germany to receive the highest honour from the Michelin Guide.

Gourmet address number two is the Weißer Hirsch restaurant with its fine mix of international specialities and Bavarian delicacies. A sumptuous champagne breakfast with regional delicacies from the Seppnbauerin farm shop, char from the Lex fisherman on Fraueninsel, fresh omelettes, boiled eggs, veal sausage and warm waffles is also served here in the morning.

In the evening, we opt for the cosy vinotheque bathed in warm light. It stands for Mediterranean dolce vita in Chiemgau. Antipasti, homemade pasta, oven-fresh pizza and freshly sliced San Daniele ham, plus a wine list with around 300 items – a holiday couldn’t taste better. Even the amuse-gueule is a poem of braised cherry tomatoes, confit garlic cloves and light, crispy focaccia slices. Many thanks to Ivan, who so unerringly recommended the artichokes with leek, tomato salsa and capers. A taste sensation! Ivan was also spot on with his red wine recommendation.

Well-fed, we stroll to the bar for a nightcap. Here too, regional products and producers play a key role. The small distillers with their treasures such as Frauenbirne, pear liqueur or the classic Williams brandy from Chiemgau. We get talking to guests from Hamburg who are on holiday in Das Achental for the third time: Golf is their passion, but also the cosy warmth here in Chiemgau. They talk enthusiastically about their fondue evening in the Hubertushütte. The original mountain hut comes from the Kitzbühel Alps and has been rebuilt in the hotel garden.

On our morning jog, we meet a couple in their mid-thirties with their collie dog Bella. The walks directly from the hotel or in the surrounding area are an important reason for them to keep travelling from Stuttgart for a long weekend. We also enjoy the sporty round to the Seehütte10. The Achental not only has its own 18-hole golf course, but also its own lake. Where these two meet is probably the most beautiful halfway hut in Germany, the Seehütte10.

Ten o’clock. After our jog, we sit at the breakfast table in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. We enjoy a glass of champagne, which we have here every morning, and toast a couple who are apparently celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. The sky is not Bavarian white and blue today, but grey and mottled. Ideal for recharging your batteries in the spa. A big plus: at Das Achental, you are not kicked out in the morning on your day of departure, but are allowed to use the spa for the whole day. We are happy to do that. We’ve come full circle: having started our Chiemgau weekend with a moorland walk, we now want to feel the relaxing effect of the moor on our skin during the 25-minute ‘Chiemgau Feeling’ moor pack. Afterwards, we plan a hike up the Kampenwand on the rocking lounger in the relaxation room with a view of the mountains. Not today. Next time. Because one thing’s for sure: we’ll certainly be recharging our batteries more often at ‘Das Achental’.

Address: Das Achental, Mietenkamer Str. 65, 83224 Grassau im Chiemgau, Tel.0 8641/4010, reservierung@das-achental.com, www.das-achental.com

Charging: 10 charging stations

Rooms and suites: 179

Price: from 289 euros including champagne breakfast

Wellness: 3 saunas, 2 steam baths, indoor and outdoor pool

Fitness: fitness room, yoga room, weekly changing courses such as aqua fitness, yoga, dance fitness, meditation and forest meditation

Restaurants: three-Michelin-star restaurant Es:senz, Weißer Hirsch, vinotheque, ‘Chiemgau Pur’ concept: regionality, sustainability and organic quality

Golf: 75-hectare 18-hole golf course, 5-star superior golf course, PGA Golf Academy with spacious practice facilities directly adjacent to the hotel

Conferences: 15 conference rooms from 25 to 350 square metres

Read this travel tip and other articles on electromobility and autonomous driving in the current eMove360° magazine in german language. Download the free PDF or order the print version at sabine.metzger@emove360.com.