Goldener Greif by Christoph Hargreaves-Allen

Traditional and typically Austrian, the Goldener Greif hotel has an anachronistic atmosphere which may or may not soothe you on those already dark winter nights - it's a matter of taste. Not favoured by locals so much as foreigners, the interior is nonetheless well worth seeing for its Baroque richness, as is the exterior with its frescoes. The Goldener Greif is an old and showy name in Kitzbuhel and is where Brigitte Bardot used to stay.

The decorative scheme verges on the masonic, with a daunting series of red-and-black family crests and a Gothic vaulted ceiling in the lounge; other eye-catching objects include pink and mauve armchairs. The Goldener Greif is at once a staple and a classic hotel. If it's ostentatious and a little schizophrenic, with the occasional Oriental furnishing, it's also light-hearted. The bedrooms do have a sweet character with Alpine furnishings made from oak.

The building, a historic Tirolean inn built in 1271 and continuing in the same style ever since, has some remarkable features intact. It's kind of a musuem of the old Tirol with some eclectic modern furnishings thrown in.