Palais Coburg Residenz

"In a city larded with palaces, the Palais Coburg Residenz, built between 1840 and 1845, is in a league of its own. Now transformed into a sort of baby grand hotel with just 35 suites, it has a refreshing lack of pomp but all the circumstance. The semi-subterranean entryway allows glimpses of the spectacular banqueting rooms and wine cellars created from the surviving barrel-vaulted medieval brick cellars. This earthy approach softens the aristocratic grandeur that awaits upstairs, where rooms have been decorated with impeccable if restrained good taste. Furnishings vary according to the type of room: The top-drawer Coburg and Palais suites are done in Biedermeier and Louis Philippe XVI furniture, while the less expensive City and Modern rooms feature comfortable contemporary Italian pieces. The spa has a pool, a whirlpool, a sauna, a steam room, a big sun terrace, and a small workout area. Le Coburg restaurant’s modern riff on Austrian soul food is the talk of Vienna and—fair warning—books up weeks in advance."