The Farm “Marhof” - Holidays in a Historic Building

Stories from the Farm, 06.10.2021, Maria Verena Neuner

Farm holidays in the Pustertal valley in East Tyrol.

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Relaxing Holidays in a Historic Building

Why do people who usually wake up several times at night get a full night’s sleep here, at last? Thanks to the clean air and the beds made of Austrian stone pine. But not only. It’s also thanks to the kind, warm-hearted hosts. Toni and Maria Oberhofer run their farm with a great deal of dedication.

What to do with a 300- or even 400-year-old building? Restore it. Well, that was Toni Oberhofer’s dream. He dreamed of giving his parents’ house in the mountains of East Tyrol a stylish makeover. For him, it was quite obvious that building holiday apartments would make sense. “We wanted them to be something special”, he says. That’s why he had a main focus: accessible apartments.

A Dream Comes True

In 2013, Toni’s dream came true. His parents’ former bedroom was transformed into a modern living room. The old attic became a traditional bedroom. “The Austrian Federal Monuments Office gave us great advice”, the 67-year-old says. The beds were built with recycled timber. The three apartments “Trojwiese”, “Spitzenstein” and “Spielbichl” are furnished with old wardrobes, chests and desks. A top-notch kitchen and bathroom in every apartment and high-speed internet are topping it off. After all, not all of the guests are on holiday here. Businessmen and businesswomen like using the spacious rooms as their home office on a daily basis.

Holidays for Families and Office Workers

There are no animals on the farm “Marhof”. These days are gone. “It would simply be too much work”, Tony Oberhofer says with a wistful smile. He misses the cows. Back then, they also had pigs. Tony still brings in the hay. He sells it to his neighbours. “It’s a country house, after all”, he says. Families or office workers - everyone feels at home here. The latter get inspired by the view of the large Pustertal valley. Guests can explore the region on several hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails. Plenty of leisure activities are on the doorstep. The children fly high on the swings, almost touching the sky. Afterwards, they play table tennis. And their eyes sparkle as though they were competing with the sunrays.

Courage and Commitment

“Everyone says that this must be our hobby”, Toni says. “Because everyone sees that we do this with love and dedication.” Toni and Maria have another team member: Margit who takes care of the guests and manages everything.

She’s in charge of everyday matters, bookings, garden, flowers and much more. Everything has to run smoothly. And it does. “It fells as if these were my own apartments”, Margit says with a radiant smile. And that’s the reason why a lot of guests return here. “Two days after it was allowed to accommodate guests again, we were fully booked for two months in advance”, Toni tells us.

“It takes a lot of courage and commitment. Together, we’ve made it!”

Toni and Maria Oberhofer

Simply Relax

Considering that the former mayor did not have any experience in hosting guests, things are going extremely well. It’s the combination of details that makes for an outstanding holiday: the clean air in East Tyrol, the beds made from locally sourced Austrian stone pine, the love and dedication with which he has restored the house his parents used to live in. And, of course, the kind, warm-hearted hosts - Maria, Margit and himself - who love taking care of their guests.

Text inspired by Monika Hoeksema from Osttirol Leben