Lofer ski hotels with a pool or hot tub
If you want a swimming pool in Lofer during ski season, book Hotel Hubertus, 350 m from the Almbahn valley station, the Familien- und Vitalhotel Mühlpointhof in the village centre, or Gasthof Bad Hochmoos at Wildmoos, about 3 km out with a ski bus stopping outside. Those are the three indoor pools among the five hotels on this page; the other two offer a seasonal outdoor pool and a hot tub. The five average 9.0 across 628 guest reviews. The distinction matters more here than in most resorts, because none of the four villages of the Salzburger Saalachtal (Lofer, Unken, St. Martin and Weißbach) has a public indoor pool: the Steinbergbad is an outdoor summer pool, and the nearest big indoor option is the Rupertustherme in Bad Reichenhall, roughly 30 km away across the German border. Above the village, the Almenwelt Lofer has 46 km of runs, 32 of them blue, so this is a family and intermediate resort first.
Lofer is a compact market village in the Saalach valley under the Loferer Steinberge, close to the German border, with the Almbahn I leaving from the village centre and mostly blue slopes above it. It suits families with young skiers and couples who want a quiet week with a sauna and a pool every evening, less so strong skiers chasing steep terrain or anyone expecting big-resort après-ski.
Where to stay
Which Lofer pools actually work in January
In Lofer the pool you get is the one in your hotel. The village has a summer outdoor pool and no public indoor pool, and neither do Unken, St. Martin or Weißbach, so after the lifts close at the Almenwelt, a heated indoor pool decides how the children spend the late afternoon and how your legs feel the next morning. The useful question is not whether a hotel has water, but whether it is indoors, open in January, and close enough to the Almbahn to ski and swim on the same day.
Hotel Hubertus is my first pick for skiing and swimming on the same day. It stands on the Pinzgauer Bundesstrasse about 300 m from the centre and 350 m from the Almbahn I valley station, a short walk in ski boots. The wellness floor has an indoor pool, a sauna, a steam bath and an infrared cabin, and half-board is offered, so dinner follows the swim without a walk back into the village. It has 56 rooms and 41 reviews averaging 8.7, fewer opinions than Bad Hochmoos, but no pool hotel here sits closer to the gondola.
Gasthof Bad Hochmoos is the most reviewed hotel on this page, 462 reviews at 9.1, and the furthest from the lifts. It stands at Wildmoos 3 in St. Martin bei Lofer, about 3 km from the Almbahn, and the ski bus to the Lofer Alm stops in front of the house. Inside are an indoor pool, a sauna and a steam bath, plus moor packs and massages, in keeping with the Bad, spa, in its name. Guests describe the pool as small but warm. I would book it for a quiet week with a car, not to walk to the lift.
The Familien- und Vitalhotel Mühlpointhof in the centre of Lofer has the largest water area of the five: a thermal water world with indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna world, and natural swimming ponds in the garden for summer. In winter it adds a ski cellar, sledge hire and its own free shuttle to the valley station, though the Almenwelt is only about five minutes away on foot. The catch is the evidence: only two reviews, at 9.0, so I would read recent comments before committing a week to it.
Two hotels on this page are not indoor-pool hotels, and the difference matters in January. Hotel Wirts'haus Zum Schweizer, at Markt 44 in the village centre, has a seasonal outdoor pool in its garden, so do not plan a winter swim there; what it does offer after skiing is a sauna and a children's playground, rated 8.8 from 112 reviews. Madlgut, on the edge of Lofer at Gumping, has a hot tub rather than a pool, a Badstube with a Finnish sauna, steam bath and infrared cabin, apartments with kitchenettes and ski-boot dryers. It has 11 reviews at 9.2.
Why the hotel pool carries so much weight: there is no public indoor pool in Lofer, Unken, St. Martin or Weißbach, the villages of the Salzburger Saalachtal. Lofer's Steinbergbad is an outdoor summer pool, and the Alpenbad in neighbouring Unken, still listed on older travel sites as the valley's indoor pool, closed in 2019 and has since been demolished. Its replacement, Bad Unken, is an outdoor summer pool with a sauna. For a real indoor swim, the nearest option is the Rupertustherme in Bad Reichenhall, a brine thermal bath with family pools, about 30 km downstream on the Bavarian side, over the Steinpass border crossing.
The eight-seat Almbahn I climbs from the village at about 630 m to Loderbichl at 1,000 m, and the six-seat Almbahn II continues to the Almenwelt plateau at 1,350 m. Of the 46 km of runs, 32 are blue, 12 red and only 2 black, and the longest descent, about 9 km, runs from the Schönbühel back to Lofer. When the lower slopes hold, a hotel near the Almbahn I is a short walk from where that run ends. The official 2026/27 calendar opens on the weekends of 5 and 12 December, with daily skiing from 18 December, snow permitting.
A traveler's perspectiveFor a ski week where the pool counts, I would book Hotel Hubertus: 350 m from the gondola and an indoor pool waiting after the last run. With a car and a wish for quiet, I would take Gasthof Bad Hochmoos and its moor packs, using the ski bus that stops at the door. For a family that wants the biggest water area, Mühlpointhof is tempting, but I would wait for more reviews. I would not choose Zum Schweizer for its pool in winter, and Madlgut only if a hot tub and a sauna are enough. Strong skiers who need more than 2 km of black runs should look elsewhere in the Saalach valley.
Pool & jacuzziMadlgut
A kitchenette and hot tub base in Lofer
Why guests love itTravellers staying here find the hot tub is the genuine highlight after a day on the Loferer Alm, better than expected from a three-star guesthouse this size. Having a kitchenette meant we weren't eating out every night of the week, real savings on a longer stay in the valley. Free parking on site solved the one real headache of a Lofer trip, since spaces near the town centre fill up fast in peak season most winters.
Pool & jacuzziGasthof Bad Hochmoos
An indoor pool, tennis court and hammam in Lofer
Why guests love itTravellers staying here find the tennis court is a genuine surprise for a mountain guesthouse, a real option on a day the kids want a break from skiing altogether during the trip. The hammam alongside the sauna gave the wellness routine more range than expected from a property this size in a town this small. Having a children's playground and the electric vehicle charging station both on site meant the whole stay felt more modern and varied than a typical Lofer guesthouse.
Pool & jacuzziFamilien- und Vitalhotel Mühlpointhof
Lofer family hotel with its own bakery, a thermal water world and a free ski bus to the Almenwelt Lofer
Why guests love itLofer's ski area is the reason this hotel works for families: about 70 % of the Almenwelt Lofer's 46 km of slopes are easy, and the Kinderland has a covered conveyor belt for first turns. The hotel adds a free ski bus to the lifts, spacious play areas and an indoor thermal water world, which makes a grey afternoon easy to fill. The valley station sits at 640 m and the top at 1,670 m, so the lower runs depend on snowmaking at the start and end of the season. The guest score is 9 out of 10, but on only two reviews, so I would not lean on it. Teenagers who want big terrain or nightlife will find Lofer quiet.
Pool & jacuzziHotel - Wirts'haus "Zum Schweizer"
A seasonal outdoor pool and games room in Lofer
Why guests love itTravellers staying here find the games room and play areas give children a genuine option beyond another full ski day, useful on a trip with mixed energy levels across the group. The seasonal outdoor pool caught us on a warmer spring afternoon, an unexpected bonus this late in the season we hadn't planned for. The sauna and steam room gave the adults their own quiet evening once the kids had settled into the games room downstairs for the night.
Pool & jacuzziHotel Hubertus
Panoramic views 350 metres from the cable car
Why guests love itHotel Hubertus sits 300 metres from Lofer's centre, with the Loferer Almbahnen cable car 350 metres away, and I suggest it to families who want a short walk to the lift. The indoor pool suits children after skiing, while the sauna, steam bath and infrared cabin are there for parents. The hotel has panoramic mountain views, and breakfast features regional products. Guests rate it 8.7, though from only 41 reviews so far, which is worth keeping in mind.
Local tips
- 1Book an indoor pool, not just a pool: of the five hotels here, only Hubertus, Mühlpointhof and Bad Hochmoos have one you can swim in during ski season.
- 2From Bad Hochmoos, take the ski bus that stops in front of the house rather than driving: the Almbahn is about 3 km away and the bus drops you at the valley station.
- 3If you stay at Hotel Hubertus, walk to the Almbahn I in your boots: at 350 m it is closer than the shuttle stops of the other pool hotels.
- 4Keep a rest-day plan for the Rupertustherme in Bad Reichenhall, about 30 km away: the old Alpenbad in Unken closed in 2019, and its replacement, Bad Unken, is an outdoor summer pool with a sauna.
- 5At Mühlpointhof, use the free shuttle to the valley station with small children and their skis, even though the lifts are only five minutes away on foot.
- 6Early December is weekend-only at the Almenwelt in 2026/27 (5 to 6 and 12 to 13 December); a pool hotel makes those first weeks worthwhile if the snow is thin.
- 7Do not judge Mühlpointhof or Madlgut on their scores alone: two and eleven reviews tell you little, whereas Bad Hochmoos has 462.
- 8Choose Madlgut for its Badstube rather than for water: the Finnish sauna, steam bath and infrared cabin are its real wellness, and the hot tub is the only water on site.