Fun foodie fact: per capita, Lech-Zürs claims the highest density of award-winning restaurants in all the skiing realm. How do they do it? Perfectionism is a distinguishing feature here—but so too is an unparalleled culture of hospitality that defines this storybook valley. We tip our toques to the elegant dining rooms and stylish Stuben in this snowy corner of the Vorarlberg—of which there’s no better example than the family-run, five-star-superior Hotel Almhof Schneider. The epitome of Alpine elegance, this piste-side pad is a true inn with benefits (a serious art collection, a sprawling spa, and the immodest 25,000-bottle wine cellar come to mind). But here’s the catch: Lech is more than just crisp linens and haute cooking.
Introducing Europe’s highest ski-in barbecue restaurant, Trittkopf BBQ Station. What better, more surprising, use for a disused high-mountain cablecar station than as a temple of pulled pork and slow-cooked ribs? Perhaps it’s the altitude but we’ve never tasted better. Also vying for first in the Lech Surprise Factor competition is The Yurt. A pop-up must for every skiing nomad, this authentic handmade Kyrgyzstani hideaway is the hot-spot for a glass of Perrier-Jouët followed by a round of Roku Negronis, all served to a beautiful fur-clad clientele draped over comfy kilim pillows and bathed in flattering firelight. Beats the usual mug of yak-butter tea, hands down.
