The Black Forest
 

Any recommendations for places to stay? Nice large rooms w/ en suite bathrooms, not overrun with tourists, good food, great and personable service, quaint/unique & modern - without the hotel atmosphere?

How much are you willing to pay for this paragon of lodging?

Separately - somehow quaint and modern simply don;t seem to go together.

(I can;t help with recos anyway - have only been there twice and both times we stayed in gasthauses. Both were charming and quaint with large rooms (since space isn;t at a premium as in cities) and naturally with private bath - but they were full of tourists (multiple nationalities - but a hotel with no guests would go out of business), were the opposite of modern and served breakfast only. And service (by the owners or their kids) was certainly perfectly polite - but not "great and personable" as in a deluxe hotel.

Hotel Pfaff, Triberg http://www.hotel-pfaff.com/english.htm. I always remember this hotel as my traveling companion (another lady) & I were able to get separate rooms at a good rate (we liked the break), they had the best meatloaf I've ever eaten (wouldn't give me the recipe :-(, and it was across the road from a lovely little (the website mentions large??) waterfall which you could hike around. As I recall the town was very nice but very small. We only stayed one night.

We were on the way between Baden-Baden and Frieberg.

I'd like to be open as far as what we're willing to pay for lodging.

I'm not looking for a Brenners Park style atmosphere etc., Frankly, from the photos I've seen, I wouldn't even stay there, regardless of how it's ranked for a holiday. We'd like to steer very clear from huge hotels.

Black Forest cakes and cuckoo clocks with a nice full breakfast and good company and style to suit the era in which the lodging was built, keeping up with the times etc.; are just fine with us.

On that note, any recs?

Check out Bavaria Ben's site - www.bensbauernhof.co

Quaint and modern? Whatever are you looking for? Sorry, but I can't even conjure up an image of that.

(StCirq) Quaint, meaning charming, aged with some history. Modern, not the architecture, but with the intention that, it won't be dilapidated and hopefully renovated to the era in which it was built, and with "modern" conveniences.

If you've ever been to Ireland and stayed in a manor-style home that's got a few centuries under it's belt, you'd understand what I'm trying to relay.

(bigtyke) Thanks, I'll check it out.

I'm not sure what you are looking for either (cakes and clocks?) but you might check out the Colombi Hotel or the Park Hotel Post in Freiburg im Breisgau.

Thank you for some lodging ideas.

Cakes and clocks, the Black Forest is known for it's Black Forest Cake and for the craft of clockmaking, hence the cuckoo clocks.

I know what the Black Forest is known for - how it relates to helping us help you find a hotel is uber goofy.

I thought that with my initial post stating my idea of lodging would set the tone, but I guess it did't, at all, and I was being specific.

Being uber goofy, was my way of making light of the fact that nobody seemed to understand my post.

"Quaint and modern" - this is exactly the style of many Black Forest hotels. Here some suggestions in Schluchsee:

www.auerhahn.net
www.hirschen-fischbach.de
www.hotel-schluchsee.de
www.hotel-haldenhof.com

And, if you are ready for a bit splurge, this is the very best of them all:

www.adler-schwarzwald.de

If you are looking for something extremely unique with fabulous atmosphere, I recommend the Schlosshotel Bühlerhohe, www.buehlerhoehe.de. It is probably my most favorite hotel out of all of those at which I have stayed.

It is on the top of a very high hill/mountain (almost 3,000 ft.) in the Black Forest near Bühl, about 9 miles from Baden Baden. From many of the rooms and the terrace in the back, there are soaring views over the Rhine Valley towards Strasbourg (about an hour or so away).

The hotel was a former home, and it, as well as the large gardens (37 acres) are absolutely beautiful. It even boasts 5 original Van Dyck paintings. There are 2 restaurants, an espresso lounge and a bar. There is also a spa. It is a member of the Leading Small Hotels in the World.

Park Hotel Wehrle(Triberg) might be what you'd like....400 years old, it has aging "quaintness" (FlannerUK loves that term)!..and has added "modern" in the shape of a new terrace entrance...which was only in the planning stages when we were there last. The rates<u>were</u> reasonable, the rooms big and comfortable...right in the heart of the pretty little town...easy walk to the forested and picturesque waterfall mentioned in one of the posts above. The waterfall is in fact rated as the largest in Germany.

Yes, there are the ubiquitous cuckoo clock "factories" in and around Triberg.

http://www.parkhotel-wehrle.com/hotel.php

(looks like today's rates are about €149, buffet breakfast included....sure have risen)

Enjoy your trip..(the pretty lakeside village of Titisee, east of Freibourg also has many choices for gast hauses)

stu t.

(traveller1959 / dalaine / tower) Some real ideas, finally :) !

Thanks for the links!!!

Spidy.....please accept this as a positve suggestion...when posting, it's always best to give the respondents a solid idea of what you will pay. No generalities. You now have a range of hotels from $100-$500. Remember, all of us are on a budget..yes, we all have an upper limit..even Bill Gates and Steven Spielberg have limits, much higher than ours of course...I know for a personal fact that Steven has set limits of which he is willing to pay for lodgings all over the world..but nevertheless, limits. This would help you immeasurably in receiving sensible lodging suggestions within which you can make a choice. Good luck, I hope you settle on something.

stu t.

hi spideycat,

most times of te hyear, it's possible to travel "on spec" in germany and book when you get there. that way you can see if the place measures up to your standards.

it's worth remembering that in germany, they generally quote per person, not per room. they usually make up for that with terrific breakfasts. furthermore, the smallest B&B will be spotless and probably have all the modern facilities you require. that at least has been my experience.

regards, ann

Tower, thanks for your suggestion. I'll take that into consideration when posting again.

We too have limits and while researching lodging online, 1st comes location, then the bathrooms, the actual rooms, their tone and "want" to assist on the phone etc., and then i usually thin the list by price & preference. So for me, it's easier to describe what I'm looking for vs. stating my upper limit.

I'm always looking for good lodging recommendations, always. Thanks...