Chiemgauhof Lakeside Retreat – barns reborn on Lake Chiemsee

On the south shore of the Chiemsee, Bavaria's largest lake, the Chiemgauhof Lakeside Retreat has replaced an old farmstead with a run of pale timber barns that face the water head-on, rather than retreating behind hedges as many of the lake's Alpine-chalet hotels do. The five-star-plus hotel opened in February 2025 on the southern shore of the Chiemsee. The property is built as three wooden buildings linked by gardens and patios, with the central building holding the lobby and food-and-beverage spaces and the other two housing the 28 guestrooms and suites. Milanese architect Matteo Thun, known across Europe for material-led, quietly luxurious hospitality projects, designed the retreat for the Müller family's Resort Achental group, drawing directly on the look of the wooden barns that once stood on the site. The MICHELIN Guide recognises the house with Two Keys, placing it among the most distinguished addresses in its international hotel selection. What results is lake-facing Bavarian luxury without a single gingerbread gable.

01The house

The Chiemgauhof takes its name, and something of its character, from the farmstead that previously occupied the plot. Thun's design picks up the tradition of the old Chiemgauhof, folding the charm of its historic wooden barns into a contemporary building. The architecture runs on brushed larch and spruce alongside natural stone, glass and marble, with details such as the hand-made stove tiles supplied by the traditional Inseltöpferei Klampfleuthner workshop on the nearby island of Fraueninsel.

An adjoining pavilion built from flamed timber serves as both event space and retreat, set directly by the lake and the pool, with a fireplace, bar and tearoom creating a setting for celebrations and quiet afternoons alike. The whole complex is run by Resort Achental, whose managing directors include Dieter Müller, Ursula Schelle-Müller and Franz Wiessler, the same family behind the group's older flagship hotel, Das Achental, in nearby Grassau.

02Rooms and suites

The 28 rooms and suites run across seven categories, beginning with the 38 sq m Corner Suite and 39 sq m Junior Suite, moving up through the 48 sq m Junior Suite Terrace and the 43-52 sq m Chiemsee Suite to the 52 sq m Chiemsee Spa Suite, and topping out with the Chiemsee Royal Suite, the only category built for three. All 28 suites are positioned to face the lake. Bathrooms blend dark natural stone with pale oak, built around a freestanding larch-wood soaking tub crafted in the Japanese tradition. A double-sided fireplace adds warmth to several suites, and hand-made rugs from German designer Jan Kath soften the oiled oak floorboards throughout. Higher categories add private gardens, outdoor living rooms or, in the case of the Spa Suite, their own sauna.

Insider tip

Train station Übersee is minutes away; Munich Airport is about an hour by car.

03Where to eat

The Chiemgauhof Restaurant is run day to day by head chefs Florian Litza and Louis Wiegand, working to a concept set by culinary director Edip Sigl, whose own restaurant es:senz at the group's flagship Das Achental resort in Grassau holds three MICHELIN stars. The menu celebrates the essence of the Chiemgau region with modern Alpine cuisine and a focus on sustainability and local producers. Expect sushi cut from fish taken directly out of the Chiemsee alongside hearty regional dishes, served, as published on the hotel's website in October 2026, daily from noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm; dogs are welcome in the bar and gardens but not at the restaurant tables.

04The bar

The Lakeside Bar keeps the same sushi counter running into the evening, pairing it with cocktails and bar snacks in a more relaxed register than the restaurant next door. Seating spills onto the terrace and lakeside garden in summer, close enough to the water that the house can fairly claim some of the lake's best sunsets as its own.

05Spa and wellbeing

Wellness at the Chiemgauhof is deliberately compact. Guests can begin the day with a cold plunge in the lake or swim lengths of the heated, 18-metre outdoor pool, and the hotel also offers stand-up paddleboarding, yoga, pilates, boat rides and e-bike riding. A sauna and a small gym complete the in-house facilities; for a fuller spa menu, treatment rooms and golf, a shuttle connects guests to Das Achental, the group's larger resort in Grassau, a few minutes away. In summer, a private beach club at the water's edge runs daily from midday until sunset, bookable from May to October, as listed on the hotel's website in October 2026.

06The neighbourhood

From the jetty, guests can explore the lake by sailboat, paddleboard or electric boat, cycle the 64-kilometre path that circles the shoreline, or take a ferry to Herreninsel to see King Ludwig II's unfinished palace, Herrenchiemsee, often described as Bavaria's Versailles. The Alps rise within about 30 minutes for hiking, skiing and mountain outings. Munich Airport is roughly an hour's drive away, and the railway station at Übersee, a few minutes from the hotel, connects to Munich in around 45 minutes and to Salzburg in about 35.

07Making the most of a stay

The hotel joined Leading Hotels of the World soon after opening, and in 2026 the Prix Versailles named it one of sixteen most beautiful hotels in the world for the year, the only German hotel on that list, according to the hotel's own site in October 2026. A small gallery in the hotel shows changing exhibitions by regional artists, worth a slow look before or after dinner. Book a Chiemsee Suite or higher if the larch-wood bathtub by the window matters most; the Corner and Junior categories keep their bathrooms more compact.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.