Key facts at a glance
With holiday flats the advertised nightly rate is not the price: the final cleaning charge and the minimum stay move it most, and of eight properties checked in Zell am See and Kaprun only one publishes the whole calculation - The Steinbock Lodge in Zell am See-Schuettdorf, a whole holiday house for eight with a stated EUR 420 cleaning charge and the tourist tax included. The clearest short-stay rule is at Haus Wilhelmina, the largest unit is the Ski Dome in Kaprun sleeping twelve, the most floor space is at Lakeside Luxury with 219 square metres, and only Appartements by Hofer publishes a rate table.
| Property | Location | Largest unit | Washing machine in the flat | Final cleaning | Minimum stay | Summer card |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Steinbock Lodge | Zell am See | 4 bedrooms, 8 people, 120 m² (whole house) | yes | EUR 420 per booking | not published | not stated |
| Haus Wilhelmina | Zell am See | 3 bedrooms, 6 people | not stated | included, charged only if left unclean | no minimum; EUR 8 surcharge per night up to 3 nights | yes, for summer guests |
| Ski Dome Apartments | Kaprun | 6 bedrooms, 12 people, 186 m² | listed as a house facility, not per unit | not published | not published | yes |
| Lakeside Luxury Apartments | Zell am See | 4 bedrooms, 8 people, 219 m² | no, shared laundry room | not published | not published | not stated |
| Alpen Leaf – Haus Amelie | Kaprun | up to 10 people | yes | not published | not published | not stated |
| Appartements by Hofer | Kaprun | 1 bedroom, 4 people, 52 m² | not stated | not published | not published | yes, for summer guests |
With holiday flats the advertised nightly rate is not the price. The two items that move it most — the final cleaning charge and the minimum stay — are the ones most operators do not publish at all. Of eight properties checked in Zell am See and Kaprun, exactly one states both — and exactly one publishes everything else, down to the nightly rate for your dates.
At a glance: which property for which need
Anyone looking for an apartment compares different things than with a hotel. Spa and half board are irrelevant; what decides it is occupancy, kitchen, washing machine and the extras. This selection is sorted accordingly:
- If you want to work out the total before you enquire: The Steinbock Lodge in Zell am See-Schüttdorf — a whole holiday house for eight; nightly rates, the cleaning charge and the tourist tax are all on the page as figures.
- If you want the clearest short-stay rule: Haus Wilhelmina in Zell am See — the only property that discloses both the cleaning charge and the short-stay surcharge.
- A large group in one unit: Ski Dome Apartments in Kaprun — up to twelve people, summer card included.
- Upper segment near the lake: Lakeside Luxury Apartments in Zell am See — four bedrooms, 219 square metres.
- With a washing machine in the flat: Alpen Leaf Haus Amelie in Kaprun — up to ten people, supermarket on foot.
- Smaller and cheaper: Appartements by Hofer in Kaprun — up to four people, rates published on the website.
The table that shows what is missing
The gaps in this overview are not a weakness in the research, they are the finding. “Not published” means we checked the operator’s own website and found no figure. Portals sometimes quote numbers, but those diverge from the landlord’s own terms and are no basis for a decision.
The Steinbock Lodge, Zell am See-Schüttdorf — the only property that prices the whole stay
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A whole holiday house rather than a flat inside one: 120 square metres over three floors, four bedrooms with box-spring double beds, two bathrooms — one with a tub, one with a shower — two WCs and room for eight. There is a fenced garden with a twelve-square-metre terrace and a barbecue area, three free parking spaces directly outside, one of them covered, and a ski room in the garden house that takes bikes in summer. The washing machine is in the ground-floor bathroom, so inside the property rather than in a shared laundry room.
Why it comes first: it is the only property in this selection where you can calculate the total before writing to anyone. The listing carries an availability calendar, per-date nightly rates — from €160, and roughly €198 to €212 for early September 2026 — the final cleaning as a figure of €420 per booking, an explicit note that the tourist tax is included in the total, and the cancellation terms: free up to 31 days before arrival, 100 per cent from 30 days out. Bed linen, towels, heating, WiFi and parking are included, as is a high chair; pets cost €45 per booking and a cot €15 per night. With the other five properties you have to ask for at least one of those numbers.
Important: €420 for the final cleaning is a three-figure item, well above what a flat costs — over three nights it lands in full, while over a week for eight it works out at around €53 per person for the whole stay. No minimum stay is stated, and that is the one figure left open. The house sits in a residential street, so quiet hours from 22:00 to 06:00 apply, along with no parties, no smoking and no youth groups. Electric cars may not be charged on the property — if you depend on that, the Lakeside with its two charging points is the better fit.
Who it suits: large families and two couples travelling together who want a whole house rather than one floor of one, intend to cook and do laundry themselves, and want to know the final bill before they enquire. The bus stop is 260 metres away, the shopping centre with a large supermarket 450 metres; a bread-roll delivery from the local baker can be booked for a fee. Rates, calendar and details at steinbock-lodges.at
Haus Wilhelmina, Zell am See — the clearest short-stay rule
The house on Schmittenstrasse has flats of up to three bedrooms for six people, around 200 metres from the town centre. For summer guests the Summer Card comes with the stay according to the 2026 rate table. But the reason it is here is a different one: it is the only property checked that names both of the cost items that actually matter with holiday flats — the cleaning charge and the minimum stay.
Important: the final cleaning is included in principle and charged only if the kitchen and flat are not left tidy. There is no fixed minimum stay; instead a short-stay surcharge of €8 per flat per night applies to stays of up to three nights. Both are stated openly on the rate page — with the four properties that follow you will have to ask.
Who it suits: families and couples who want to book with a known total. The house does not state the floor area of its largest flat, so ask if space is tight.
Ski Dome Apartments, Kaprun — twelve people in one unit
The largest unit is a penthouse with six bedrooms, 186 square metres and room for twelve — unusual in this region, and the reason the property is here. For two families or a group it is the obvious answer, because otherwise you need two separate flats. Parking is included, and so is the summer card according to the operator’s page.
Important: the washing machine is listed as a facility of the house but not clearly per unit — with twelve people over a week that is a material difference. Final cleaning, minimum stay and the distance to the nearest supermarket are not on the operator’s site. Alongside the apartments a “Heaven Chalet” for twelve people at 180 square metres is marketed as a separate product; that is not the same unit.
Who it suits: groups and two families travelling together. For two people the house is the wrong order of magnitude.
Lakeside Luxury Apartments, Zell am See — space at the top end
The double penthouses have four bedrooms, 219 square metres and room for eight. The building has lockable parking with two charging points for electric cars, and the centre is walkable. The operator per the imprint is LIMA Apartments Service GmbH.
Important: there is no washing machine in the flat, only a shared laundry room in the building. With eight people over a week that is the difference between washing in passing and planning around waiting times. Rates, minimum stay and the cleaning charge are not disclosed on the website — for a property of this size those are precisely the three figures you need before booking.
Who it suits: anyone who wants space and position and has to enquire about the price anyway. Not if you need your own washing machine.
Alpen Leaf – Haus Amelie, Kaprun — washing machine and shops on foot
The house on Lederergasse in Kaprun sleeps up to ten, has a washing machine in the unit, free parking directly outside, and a supermarket five to ten minutes away on foot. For self-caterers that combination is the practical one: shopping without the car, laundry without a queue.
Important: the company address in the imprint — Sepp-Hörl-Strasse 16 — is not the address of the building on Lederergasse. Set your navigation to the property address, not to the imprint. How many bedrooms the ten beds occupy is not stated on the website, nor are the floor area, the minimum stay or the cleaning charge.
Who it suits: large families and groups who genuinely intend to cook and do laundry themselves.
Appartements by Hofer, Kaprun — the small sum, but with numbers
The units run from a 26-square-metre studio for two up to 52 square metres for four with two bathrooms. Parking is free and the summer card comes with a summer stay. What is notable is that a tiered rate table exists on the website at all: from around €121 per night for the small studio to around €264 for the largest unit.
Important: those rates appear without a year or a season attached. Treat them as an order of magnitude rather than a commitment for your dates — between shoulder season and high summer the difference here is usually considerable. Final cleaning, minimum stay and the washing machine are not stated, and several subpages were unreachable when checked.
Who it suits: couples and families of up to four who want a sense of the price before they enquire.
The four questions that decide the price
Because the websites mostly do not carry these figures, here is the list to paste into your enquiry. First: how much is the final cleaning, and is it in the displayed rate? With flats it is often a mid two-figure sum and with a whole house a three-figure one — the Steinbock Lodge states €420. On a short stay it is the largest single item after the night itself.
Second: is there a minimum stay or a short-stay surcharge, and does it apply to your dates? In high season many properties in the region require a full week — with camping it is much the same. Third: is the tourist tax in the rate or added on top? And fourth: is parking included, and does it fit your vehicle?
Two more questions decide not the money but the stay: is the washing machine in the flat or in the building — and how far is the nearest supermarket on foot? With self-catering, both matter more than the floor area.
Flat or hotel: when the switch pays off
The rule of thumb from the figures above: from about five people and about a week, the flat becomes clearly cheaper than two hotel rooms, because the cleaning charge spreads over more nights and breakfast falls away. At two people and three nights it tips the other way — short-stay surcharges and cleaning then land in full.
One item often forgotten argues for the flat: four of the properties checked give summer guests the summer card, exactly as hotels do. The free cable car rides do not depend on the type of accommodation — which properties actually include the card is covered in its own article.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the final cleaning charge for a holiday flat in Zell am See?
Most operators do not publish it. Of eight properties checked, only two state anything at all: The Steinbock Lodge in Zell am See gives EUR 420 per booking, and at Haus Wilhelmina the cleaning is included in principle and charged only if the flat is not left tidy. With all the others you have to ask before booking - on a short stay it is often the largest single item after the night itself.
Is there a minimum stay for holiday flats in the region?
Often yes, but it is rarely stated publicly. Haus Wilhelmina sets no minimum and instead charges 8 euros per flat per night for stays of up to three nights. For the other properties nothing appears on the website - including The Steinbock Lodge, which otherwise prices the whole stay. In high season many businesses in the region require a full week.
Which holiday flat in Zell am See-Kaprun suits a large group?
The largest unit in this selection is the Ski Dome Apartments in Kaprun, a penthouse for twelve people across 186 square metres and six bedrooms. For ten there is the Alpen Leaf Haus Amelie in Kaprun. For eight there are two routes: the Lakeside Luxury Apartments in Zell am See with 219 square metres, or The Steinbock Lodge, a whole holiday house with four bedrooms and 120 square metres in Zell am See-Schuettdorf.
Do holiday flats come with a washing machine?
Not as a matter of course, and the difference between in the flat and in the building is substantial. It is confirmed inside the property at The Steinbock Lodge and at the Alpen Leaf Haus Amelie. The Lakeside Luxury Apartments explicitly have none in the flat, only a shared laundry room. For the others it is not stated.
Does the Summer Card apply to holiday flats too?
Yes, the free cable car rides do not depend on the type of accommodation. Haus Wilhelmina, Ski Dome and Appartements by Hofer all state the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card for summer guests. The region's official partner list expressly includes apartments and holiday homes alongside hotels.
