We are not fancy people, but will pay for location and views over amenities like bigger rooms and floof.

Thanks in advance.

Last week we were at Ebner's Waldhof am See which is like 45 minutes from Hallstatt. Not sure if you are just wanting to visit Hallstatt or stay in it but we had a great time.

Very much an Austrian/german weekend getaway spa and resort. Think we may have been the only Americans there. Rates included meals and spa. The gratuitous nudity in the saunas at no additional cost

I recently stayed at Gasthof Simony-Hallstat - typical creaky old floors, small showers, standard breakfast, but stellar location and a great rate.

The place next door, Seehotel Gruner Baum looked a little nicer, and probably has great views from any room (either lake or plaza).

I highly recommend staying in the small town itself so that you can enjoy a quiet evening / take a boat ride without waiting, etc. We arrived around 6 PM, and it felt like a quaint small town that evening and the next morning. But by about 10 AM the busses of Chinese tourists started showing up, and it turned into Disneyland. Apparently Halstatt is famous in China, and they even built an exact replica of the town.

For Montalcino, we stayed here: leragnaie.com. Absolutely wonderful and we hit the grocery store and cooked dinner at least one night. I would also recommend Poggio Antico and Podere il Cocco as a wineries to hit down the road. We did wine tasting and a dinner at il Cocco.

You must also take a trip to Montepulciano. We bought copper in town!