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Villa Orléans is set on the edge of the village of Attersee on the Lake Attersee. It was built in 1924 as a shooting lodge for the French Duke Pédro Orléans and has been the home of the present owner, the Countess Kottulinsky, for over 50 years. The original house has been carefully divided to provide nine apartments, each with its own kitchen facilities.

From the entrance drive, a flight of steps lead up to the front door and into the splendid reception hall, with the lovely original gleaming parquet floor, wooden beamed ceiling and comfortable sofas and tables. It is heated by a superb traditonal ceramic-tiled wood-burning stove, topped with an onion-dome reminiscent of that on the nearby church on the adjoining hill. For music lovers there is a beautiful Steinway grand piano in the hall.

To the left of this room, double doors lead into the ground-floor apartment 2. The main staircase leads up to apartment 6 and apartment 7. A cool stone spiral staircase leads from the side entrance up to apartment 8, apartment 9 and apartment 12 on the first floor and up again to room 18, apartment 19 and the Stadl apartment nestling under the steep roof. Additional self-contained accomodation is available in the chalet at the side of the house.

From the front terrace, thyme-edged steps lead down through grass studded with geranium phaeum, clover, buttercups and wild garlic to the road. A few metres along, on the other side, is the house's private beach where guests can swim, relax, and moor their boats.

The lake is 22km long and has the best water quality. It is also Austria's most famous sailing lake. There are two yacht clubs which offer sailing courses for both beginners and advanced sailers. Lake Attersee is home to the famous international regattas which can be watched in comfort from the house.