HOTEL DOLLENBERG

Five Star Hotel In Black Forest, Germany I found the Dollenberg Resort to be lovely, relaxing, along with solitude. I found myself wanting to stay two or three extra days. If you wish to get away, and let the quiet speak to you, then visit soon.

One night is not enough We thoroughly enjoyed the hotel - however, it has a strict check in at 3 pm and check out by 11 am. In other spa resorts, we have been allowed to check out, but then continue to use the spa area facilities until midafternoon, before new guests check in. This is not permitted here, unless you pay a day use fee, which on top of the fairly expensive overnight rate seemed excessive to me. But, this was my fault for not reading the rules more carefully. So, staying one night is not enough! The resort and spa facilities were wonderful! Plenty of room for everyone, several pool options, saunas and so on. Our room was fantastic - beautiful view and so very comfortable. The breakfast was great! Absolutely anything and everything you could want for a German breakfast ++. I will definitely go back but will stay at least 2 nights, if not longer. The location is fantastic for hiking, getting to know the Black Forest a bit. Followed by a relaxing swim and sauna, it is dreamy.

a wonderful five star hotel We had a very enjoyable stay . The food at all the meals was superb and the staff were all very friendly , helpful and professional .A quick tip - do take the hike up to the hut . It is about 2 hours but the views and the food in the hut when you get there are brilliant . Take the shuttle back !! Would definitely recommend Dollenberg . We will be going back .

New year's Brunch We came for the second time to try the new year s brunch and this will be the last time. The buffet was exactly the same as last year and this is deceptive for a 5 stars hotel. The desserts doesn't look good and are not tasty at all. We were very disappointed. An effort has clearly to be made. The service is ok but cold.

An interesting experience, so far I have been wanting to stay here for some time, so a few free days in the autumn seemed the ideal opportunity. The hotel is fairly easy to find, but I missed (or there weren't any) signs to the car park, so I ended up outside reception, but as there was nobody around to welcome/help with luggage, I drove to the car park and walked back (luckily not far). At reception I was greeted warmly, seated and given a glass of sparkling wine whilst I filled in the registration form. I had booked via a travel company and noted that none of my details were correct - not the hotel's fault at all - but considering the address was 20 years out of date it made me laugh! Note to self, even if not asked when booking, check that your details are correct. I was then given a "tour" which almost, but not quite, covered the areas I needed to know about. I asked if I could take a luggage trolley to my car to collect the rest of my things and was told, yes, then no - as I might bash it into the other, parked cars! So I just walked back and forth on my own. Didn't really bother me, but could have been tricky had I been parked on the slope or further away. I thought I had booked a room with a view to the vineyard, but was given a room with a balcony looking down the valley. The room was really quite small, decorated in the local style. Although there are plenty of (wooden) clothes hangers, storage space is very economical. There are no drawers at all, just shelves in the wardrobe, which is in another dark corner. There was a plate of fruit (the banana had seen better days) and a bottle of mineral water on arrival, as well as a selection of (very sweet) chocolate truffles and a fresh rose in a vase. There is also a mini-bar (not complimentary) full of beer, mineral water and fizzy drinks (the usual suspects). The bathroom was very small with a shower over the bath and in definite need of updating, although everything worked fine. I am sure that some people still enjoy a bath, but I do like a nice, walk in shower, which is definitely missing. There is very little space for one's own toiletries and, although a "hairdryer" is provided it is one where you have to hold the button down all the time to get it to function. There was nowhere in the bathroom for my own hairdryer and anyway, the 1 available plug was partly blocked by the hotel dryer, so not ideal. I ended up using the writing table, which had a mirror, but was in the darkest corner of the room with poor lighting. Again, not ideal. I asked if I should reserve a table for supper, but was told this was not necessary, as they "assume" that hotel guests will eat in. This was my first mistake as I ended up having to wait for quite a while for a table to be free and ate much later than I normally would, but OK I am on holiday. The bed was comfortable, although 2 separate mattresses and duvets, so, to all intents and purposes a single bed. I do not think it would have been very comfortable for 2 people sharing and certainly not for anyone taller than about 180cm. Breakfast was good, but I made the mistake of going down later and the place was very, very busy. The main dining area has the atmosphere and charm of an aircraft hanger. It was very noisy in the evening, but I was lucky at breakfast to find a small table in on of the other, more intimate spaces. Talking of which, table are really close together, not to say packed in. The breakfast offering was comprehensive with a lot of local specialities, such as smoked trout. Once again, however, the buffet area was "economical" from a space point of view. After breakfast I found my way to the spa area to book some treatments. I had wanted to do this online before my trip, but each time I clicked on "book" or make a request, I was looped into the actual room booking system, so I gave up. Anyway, in person (and with a palpable reluctance for the woman at the desk) I managed to book 3 treatments, whilst being given the impression that she was doing me a favour. As I was out and about during the day, I asked about dining on the second evening, as it was the evening of the weekly "Kitchen Party", so the restaurant was closed to those not participating - as far as I can tell there is no room service for such eventualities. I was told that I could get something in the bar that evening. Again there was some reluctance, but after I informed the staff that this information had been given me at reception, I was given a food menu but instructed that I could only have cold food. Luckily I did not want anything hot and, so far, this has been the best meal, local, home-smoked trout with a selection of fresh and tasty salads. Going for an earlier breakfast proved to be a much more enjoyable experience. The first of my treatments was also very satisfactory, even if it took me a while to work out that the actual treatment area was on the floor below the entrance (and not sign posted). In fact, I enjoyed it so much and chatting to the therapist, that I asked for an additional treatment - much to my surprise, this was accommodated with good grace, even pleasure, and a suitable time was found. I am in two minds about this evening's meal arrangements. I may try to see if I can book a table, although I suspect a lot of guests book half-board or select the menu, which changes daily. I dined a la carte on the first evening. At least there should not be an issue with getting something in the bar - fingers crossed! My jury is still out on the overall impression. Perhaps singletons are not kindly looked upon. Perhaps people only come here to stuff their faces at every possible opportunity (4-course menu every evening), who knows? I am not unfamiliar with stays in 5* hotels, but so far I would only rate this as a good-ish 4*. I am pleased, however, to report that a postal delivery for me was brought to my room with a smile :-) The local area is beautiful with lots of opportunities for hiking, biking and visiting old ruins as well as taking a short trip over the border into Alsace. Here endeth part 1!