In this European hotel, even the lobby feels like a world-class gallery

The Almanac Palais inhabits a pair of cojoined neo-Baroque palaces built in 1871. Its most recent iteration was as a far more workaday Radisson Blu, before it was taken over, refurbished and rebranded by a local hospitality family, the entrepreneur and former professional basketball player Herbert Haselbacher and his architect daughter Tina, opening in 2023. The group also has hotels in Barcelona, Prague and Zagreb, with plans to expand further into Europe.

On the famous Ringstrasse, the mid-19th-century boulevard encircling the historic centre, which replaced the original 13th-century city walls, the hotel overlooks the Stadtpark, a 28-hectare municipal park with manicured lawns, rose gardens and statues of some of the city's famous composers. St Stephen's Cathedral and many of Vienna's other architectural treasures, such as Parliament, the Opera House, City Hall, and the UNESCO world heritage-listed old town, are just a short walk or tram ride away.

Many of the original features have been preserved, like the lavishly decorated ceilings, gilding, and carved marble columns that greet guests at the entry. Still, the old-world Viennese elegance has been impeccably mixed with modern design elements.

As befitting a city where culture takes centre stage, artworks proliferate, from the conceptual sculptures in the lobby by artists Joannis Avramidis and Erwin Wurm to a collection of paintings by Peter Weihs in the bar area. In one of the suites, there's even a rare sketch by Klimt, the workings for a painting currently exhibited in the Upper Belvedere Museum.

There are 31 rooms and 80 suites, with courtyard or park views, stylishly furnished in a neutral palette. We are in a Park Suite, a duplex with a downstairs sitting area with sofa, TV and coffee machine, and a mezzanine level with bedroom, large dressing room, separate toilet and even our own sauna. Beside the king-size bed, an electronic panel operates the lights and temperature and lowers blackout blinds. Bathrooms are spacious and well-equipped, with luxe amenities and a rain shower.

Breakfast, served in the hotel's restaurant, the Donnersmarkt is, unusually, a la carte, rather than buffet-style - very welcome for those of us who tend to overload our plates and then feel guilty for the waste. Even more remarkably, you can get breakfast until 2pm, a real bonus when your body clock hasn't yet adjusted to local time. The menu offers a good spread of regional specialities, with organic sourdough and creamy white butter, platters of Styrian hams and local cheese, plus typical breakfast fare such as eggs, French toast and waffles.

In the evening, you can choose to have dinner in the art-nouveau inspired bar (the Vienna schnitzel is an exemplar of its kind) or in the restaurant. The terrace on the footpath is a pleasant spot on a fine afternoon to take an aperitif or experience the tradition of "kaffee und kuchen" - coffee with a slice of one of Vienna's celebrated cakes.

If you really must, the hotel has a compact but perfectly adequate fitness area. There's also an indoor pool, a sauna, steam room and a spa, with a menu of everything from fancy facials to ayurvedic body treatments.

The comfort level. Premium pillows, dreamily comfortable beds and robes that, for once, are made for every body shape and size.

The writer was a guest of The Almanac Palais, Vienna