Golf, Lakes and Quiet Luxury

Dear readers,

Carinthia has a rhythm you can’t quite explain, only recognise once you’ve been there. Lakes that turn turquoise against the mountains. A cuisine that speaks of three countries without settling on just one. And golf courses you forget the moment you walk to the next tee, because the view all around outshines everything.

This issue takes you to southern Carinthia and beyond, to four hideaways that see golf as part of something bigger.

Warmly,

Your NineteenGolf.Guide team

A Holiday Right on the Klopeiner See

Hotel & Spa Sonne sits right on the shore of the Klopeiner See — a family-run house with the kind of warmth you can’t stage. Right outside the door waits the hotel’s own 1,500 sqm lakeside beach, with a sprawling sunbathing lawn, turquoise water and three private jetties — a small slice of summer happiness that feels familiar almost immediately.

Plenty of Space to Feel at Home

Many of the 90 rooms look straight out over the lake — you wake up, and the water is the first thing you see. Since spring 2025, some of the rooms have been fitted with air conditioning, which is worth more than you’d think on hot Carinthian summer days.

Carinthia meets Italy meets Slovenia

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The two head chefs, Kurt Kristan and Sascha Wöhlert, don’t cook for the mainstream. They cook for the moment — with herbs from the hotel’s own garden, fish from local waters, meat from the region, and pastries from the hotel’s own bakery. Whatever the season provides ends up on the plate.

In the restaurant right on the water, the day begins with a generous breakfast buffet and that particular feeling of already being close to the lake first thing in the morning. In the evening, the region becomes tangible on the plate: Alpe-Adria lake cuisine brings together down-to-earth, traditional flavours with the Mediterranean lightness of the south — indulgent, honest and wonderfully relaxed.

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Golf nearby — with a genuine advantage

Just a few minutes from the hotel lies Golfpark Klopeiner See – Südkärnten. It sits at an altitude where the wind plays by its own rules. Wide fairways, no crowding, views of the Karawanken thrown in — not a spectacular course, but an honest one.

As a guest at Hotel & Spa Sonne, you benefit from reduced green fees — up to 40% cheaper, depending on the season. The reception is happy to organise your tee times and offer recommendations for other courses in Carinthia and the wider Alpe-Adria region.

The Alpe Adria Golf Card opens doors to numerous courses in Austria, Slovenia and Italy — often with a 2-for-1 offer in the shoulder seasons.

Golf Hideaways in Europe’s Finest Settings

What ties the Falkensteiner hotels together isn’t just their star rating, but above all a shared outlook. Eleven properties across four countries, 39 golf courses right on the doorstep or a short drive away, and every resort with a character all its own. Four of them are especially close to our hearts, and we’d like to introduce them to you here.

Golf at Falkensteiner

Falkensteiner Spa Resort Marienbad — Spa Tradition Meets Longevity

Marienbad has always enjoyed a special reputation as a spa and health destination steeped in tradition, and Falkensteiner picks up that heritage in a thoroughly contemporary way. The resort combines a modern Health & Longevity Center with precise diagnostics and an expansive spa into one holistic wellbeing concept. Just ten minutes away lies Royal Golf Club Mariánské Lázně, the oldest golf course in the Czech Republic — a parkland course steeped in tradition, set in the forest with an unmistakable historic charm. A backdrop that suits the character of this house perfectly.

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Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden — Grandeur on the Wörthersee

Velden sits right on the shore of the Wörthersee, on the sunny south side of the Alps. Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, and you can tell why immediately. Historic grandeur here meets a modern sense of wellness and indulgence, including the 3,600 sqm Acquapura Lake SPA.

Add to that toque-rated dining across several restaurants and nearby leading golf courses that are easy to reach. The hotel is happy to arrange transfers on request.

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Falkensteiner Resort Capo Boi — Dolce Vita in Sardinia

Moorish architecture, the scent of myrtle and a private sandy beach on a protected stretch of sea shape the special atmosphere of this house. At the Kento Bay Restaurant, Sardinian cuisine and Japanese influences combine into a refined culinary experience. Add to that Stefano Miozzo’s gourmet pizzas and a glass of Ferrari Trento. Golf opportunities are nearby, rounding out the stay in a pleasantly uncomplicated way.

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Falkensteiner Balance Resort Stegersbach — Adults-Only in Southern Burgenland

The Balance Resort delivers on what its name promises: a harmonious interplay of calm, movement and indulgence. An expansive spa area, a lovingly laid-out permaculture garden to stroll through, and right outside the door, Golfschaukel Stegersbach — Austria’s largest golf facility — create the best conditions for a relaxed golfing break. The first tee is just a few steps from the hotel entrance; a golf hotel could hardly be closer to the fairway.

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