It's easy to be down this place, but it ws OK value considering I stayed there in high ski season. Bad Gastein itself is beautiful and well worth visiting. The ski resort is fantasic and Penion Laura (not prefixed with 'Sport' any longer) was a useful base.

Laura is a bit out of town, which provided for lovely views going to and fro, but could be a pain if carrying ski gear. I kept mine in the rental place in town, but would have had to use the bus each time if wanted to store my skis in the hotel. Bad Gastein is built around a valley, which contributes to its beauty, but means a lot of hill walking to get anywhere. If you're daunted by hills or have mobility problems you might want to stay in the centre of town.

I'm generally not fussy about where I stay, so long as the place is clean and the staff are friendly and helpful. Pension Laura is mixed. I can imagine many people thinking the place is rundown, but this didn't bother me greatly. It was clean, for the most part, but the kitchen is located right by the entrance and at the bottom of the main stairs. The staff leave the door open and are generally cooking fried food - the smell of which drifts around the whole place and gets into your clothes. I had a pizza in their restaurant, which was tasty, but had to change and shower again before going out as I smelled like a greasy-spoon cafe.

The proprietors do not speak English well, so you're on to a loser if the conversation becomes any more complicated than asking for food or fresh towels. They advertise that guests have use of the hotel's sauna and thermal bath, but they would not let me use the sauna unless I could recruit 2 other people to join me as they did not want to turn it on for less than 3 people.