Tag Archives: Hotel Engel Obertal

Schwarzwald

Baiersbronn in the Black Forest– Bareiss Style! Part one

Those of you who regularly read my travel blog might remember that in August 2021, when it came time for Bill and me to visit our dentist in Stuttgart, we decided to book a stay at the Hotel Engel Obertal in Baiersbronn. We spent four pleasant nights at that luxury property and mostly really enjoyed ourselves. While we were staying at that hotel, we visited a restaurant owned by the Hotel Bareiss called the Forellenhof Buhlbach. I noticed a number of guests who were enjoying fresh trout there were also staying at Hotel Bareiss. I didn’t know much about the place, other than it’s where one of the two Three Star Michelin restaurants in Baiersbronn is. I also knew that Hotel Bareiss is considered a pretty swanky place to stay.

In August, Bill rescheduled our dental appointments, to accommodate the Hundepension taking care of our dogs, Arran and Noyzi. Since we moved to Wiesbaden and COVID-19 has been less of an issue, we’ve been combining our trips to Stuttgart with “mini breaks”. Last year, we did Baiersbronn, for instance. In the spring, we went to Sessenheim, France, and stayed in a beautiful little boutique hotel with a gourmet restaurant. I was considering staying in another nice place we haven’t yet been, when I remembered the Bareiss Hotel, and how curious I was about it. So I checked their availability for our dates…

Sure enough, they had room in their “Landhaus”, which is where some of the hotel’s suites and apartments are. After talking about it with Bill– especially given the steep price of the room– we decided to book it. And, because of the steep cost, and the contractual obligation to pay soon after we booked, I also bought travel insurance. It made sense, since the original quote– just for five nights in the room, parking in a garage, and half board, was about 3700 euros. That may seem like a lot, and it is. But you get a lot for your money at this hotel. Besides offering a comfortable place to stay, the Bareiss also has daily activities and many facilities, an awesome spa and sauna world, a huge pool complex with several pools, most of which can be used year round, walking trails, a petting zoo, and lots of child friendly attractions. It’s also an extremely dog friendly hotel, although there is a daily 35 euro charge for each dog.

Having just left the hotel this morning, I can say that the high price was mostly worth it. I liked the Bareiss more than Hotel Engel Obertal. The food was exceptional, especially considering that we mostly ate from the board program, rather than a la carte. The staff is mostly excellent, too. I did have a few quibbles about a few things, which I’ll get to as I write the blow by blow account of our trip. But– overall– I can say that we did enjoy ourselves very much.

I just wish we’d had better weather, because there were some outdoor activities I wanted to do while we were visiting. However, not doing those activities meant that we got to enjoy a couple of fabulous mornings in the pool and sauna world. They were not at all crowded, and were on par with some of the best public mineralthermes/spas/quellens we’ve been to. Imagine going to your favorite pool based spa with almost no one there, competing for resources. That’s what it was like for us at the Hotel Bareiss at this time of year, when most children are in school. I think if you’re a couple or a bunch of ladies who want a relatively quiet and less child populated experience at this property, definitely book in late September or October! In the summer, I’m sure it’s a hell of a lot more crowded and expensive! But then, the weather is also sunnier.

I’m going to start from the beginning of our five night stay and give a very detailed account, then do my usual quick and dirty top ten things I learned post, for those who want to skip the details. I hope you’ll come along with me on our latest Black Forest journey!

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Schwarzwald

Seeing “stars” in Baiersbronn… Part five

We had no plans at all for Saturday. It was rainy and chilly, though, so we figured people would probably be hanging out in the spa area. We decided to take a drive instead. I can’t even tell you exactly where we went. Bill just got on the road, heading north, and we drove through several nice, picturesque towns. At one point, I was enchanted by the sight of rushing water, so we stopped so I could get some pictures. We eventually turned around when we got to the town of Rastatt, which looked to be pretty decent sized.

A small shrine near the rushing water…
I enjoyed playing with my camera’s settings…
Got plenty of cool photos of this picturesque area north of Baiersbronn…
This is the Murg River.
And then we passed through Gernsbach, where Schloss Eberstein sits on a hilltop.

After a couple of hours of good music and conversation, we headed back toward Obertal. It had started to rain and it was time for lunch. Despite all of the eating we did on Friday, we were hungry. I decided that I really wanted to stop at the Forellenhof Buhlbach, a restaurant owned by Hotel Bareiss.

If you are a food lover, you might know the Bareiss because it is where Baiersbronn’s other Michelin Three Star restaurant is. That restaurant, also known as Bareiss, is led by Clauss-Peter Lumpp, who has been working there for decades. I read about Chef Lumpp in that amazing New York Times Magazine article about Baiersbronn I posted at the beginning of this series. Now that I’m looking at the hotel’s Web site, I’m thinking that maybe if we go back, we should look into staying there!

In any case, we had driven up to the Forellenhof Buhlbach restaurant earlier in the day, so I got a good photo of it before the crowds showed up. It’s only open from 11:30 until 5:30 every day, and it’s a popular place that specializes in serving fresh trout. Reservations are not accepted. When we arrived, the place was pretty full and there was a line to get in. Since we didn’t have anything else to do, we decided to stick around. That was a good decision. Our wait was only about ten minutes and the meal was outstanding. No, it wasn’t fancy gourmet fare, but it was still very good food. I love fresh fish, and it doesn’t get much fresher than what is served at the Forellenhof. We did enjoy trout that was just as fresh when we visited Slovenia in 2016. The place in Slovenia was a bit more rustic, though.

Here are some photos from a fantastic lunch!

There was a covered area near the front door where people could wait. We signed in using Luca and the server checked our COVID pass.
Wines by the bathroom…
Too bad they are only open during the daytime.
The menu
They have them in English and probably French, too. France is very near.
Bill was very happy he listened to me.
Wine list.
This was a nice wine– very crisp and went beautifully with the fish!
Bill’s smoked trout came with horseradish sauce and roe.
He got parsley potatoes and market vegetables as his two sides.
I had my fish Müllerinart– dredged in milk and flour and lightly fried in butter.
And I had the market vegetables and creamed potatoes with scallions. Those potatoes were delicious! They were small chunks, slightly mashed.
For dessert, Bill had Grandma’s cheesecake, which was served plain, but had raisins in the crust.
And I had Schwarzwaldschnit… more Black Forest cake, more modestly cut.
The drive out…
Happy sheep.
I would love to live in such an idyllic place.

One of the other guests at the Forellenhof was a nun. She seemed to be enjoying her lunch with her companion. This restaurant is quite reasonably priced, especially compared to where we ate on Friday. I think we got out of there having spent less than 100 euros. There are other menu choices besides fish, too, although the trout is definitely the star attraction at the Forellenhof.

Since we were pretty full and lunch was later, we decided to hang out in the bar instead of having dinner. The crowd changed a bit. There were many French people there, no doubt wanting to eat some excellent cuisine. I did notice that there weren’t many Americans around, especially in our hotel. In fact, most of the people in our hotel didn’t speak English, which I found rather refreshing. Bill got to practice his German a lot, and I found that I understood more than I realized.

I got to try out a new dress, too…
I got a kick out of this art by the restrooms by the hotel.

There were a few things that made our trip a little more stressful than it should have been. All of it had to do with my inability to unplug from social media. I was especially nervous after having read about a gang of women in our neighborhood who have been trying to break in to people’s houses. One of Bill’s co-workers even caught someone trying to break into his car a few weeks ago. After reading about the neighborhood creepers, I ended up buying more renter’s insurance. I am a BIG believer in insurance.

We checked out of Hotel Engel Obertal at about 9:00am yesterday. As a parting gift, they gave us water, a small loaf of fresh farmer’s bread, and salt. Our final bill for the bar and restaurant, taxes, and one night of parking in the garage, was about 400 euros. All in all, we spent about 2000 euros on the hotel. I would stay at that hotel again, although if we go back, I’ll probably book somewhere else for the different experience. To anyone who is looking into visiting Baiersbronn, I would recommend the Hotel Engel Obertal. It seemed pretty popular with seniors, although we also saw a number of young families there. It has a nice family vibe.

Our drive back to Wiesbaden wasn’t bad at all, although I did a fair amount of bitching… mainly due to stuff that was completely unrelated to our weekend. Overall, we had a wonderful time, and now I’m thinking our days of staying in downtown Stuttgart when we need to see the dentist may be over forever. I’m all about staying in the Black Forest now, and am even thinking of other towns I’d like to explore next time. A bonus was that when we got home, our house was fine, and the dogs were delighted to see us. Noyzi even jumped into the back of the Volvo all by himself!

I hope anyone who’s been following along enjoyed this look at Baiersbronn. There are plenty of reasons to go back… more “stars” to see, if the opportunity presents itself. Until next time!

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Schwarzwald

Seeing “stars” in Baiersbronn… Part one

Our Black Forest adventure begins…

A few weeks ago, Bill finally decided it was time for us to get our teeth cleaned. Actually, it was long past time. We hadn’t seen our Stuttgart area dentist in over two years. I’m usually really regular about my dental visits. In May 2019, when we went to Stuttgart to see Elton John, I had every intention of coming back in November for a six month visit. But Bill ended up being very busy in November 2019, so we never did get back down there. Then, COVID-19 shut everything down. Going to the dentist seemed like it could even be unsafe.

We finally got vaccinated a few months ago. In July, Bill tried to get us appointments to see the dentist. He was booked solid through July, and then would be on vacation. The earliest Bill could get us in was August 26th. I tried to get us a room at our favorite Stuttgart area hotel, but it was fully booked. Then I remembered how much we had enjoyed visiting the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) when we lived in the Stuttgart area. I remembered a day trip we took to Baiersbronn, which was located just 40 minutes or so from where we lived. I recalled how I ate quiche there after having read about the many gourmet restaurants in the sleepy, but pretty town in the forest. I remembered a wonderful article I read in the New York Times Magazine about Baiersbronn. Then I started searching to see what kinds of accommodations were available there.

It turned out that a lot of the hotels in the Baiersbronn area were booked, but I did find us a room at the Hotel Engel Obertal, a five star property in a tiny hamlet called Obertal. The property had just about everything I was looking for in a hotel, as well as a few special extras, like the salt pool. I decided to book us a superior room with a balcony facing the countryside. I paid in full ahead of time and waited eagerly for the big day.

On Wednesday, August 25th, we made our way from Wiesbaden to Obertal, having dropped off our dogs at their usual accommodation. The drive down was mostly on the Autobahn and took about 3 hours. I sighed with contentment as we turned onto a two lane state road that took us into the countryside. I had forgotten how much I love the Schwarzwald. When we lived in Jettingen, we could easily visit on the weekends, spending a few hours enjoying the scenery and relaxed mood. Now that we’re in Wiesbaden, it takes a bit longer to get to the forest, but it’s still not a super long drive. We did get stuck behind a truck, which was pretty annoying. It’s not easy to pass on the tight roads into the idyllic German countryside. But we weren’t in a hurry. We were hoping to relax.

We arrived at the hotel at about 1:30 or so. The receptionist who checked us in easily found our reservation and checked our COVID status. Obertal is located in Baden-Württemberg, which recently passed an ordinance that requires everyone to show that they have been fully vaccinated, have a recent negative COVID test, or have successfully recovered from the illness. Not all German states are doing this yet. I suspect it’s just a matter of time. But Baden-Württemberg was the first to implement this new rule, which perhaps will make new lockdowns less likely to happen.

We were assigned room 109, but it wasn’t ready for us. Check in wasn’t until 3:00pm anyway, so we went to the restaurant for lunch. The hotel offers free breakfast, buffet lunches, and fancy multi-coursed meals that are preferably booked ahead of time. On Wednesday, the hotel was offering penne pasta with ratatouille, chicken breast, potatoes au gratin, salad, breads, and dessert. They also had several lovely cakes available. We also had some beer vom fass as we enjoyed the sunshine and mild temperatures. This was the only day we had lunch at the hotel. It was worth it just for the cake!

The only time we sat outside.
Bill’s haul from the buffet.
Black Forest cake.
Strawberry cake.

After lunch, our room was ready, so we completed the check in, and the receptionist led us to our accommodations. I wasn’t expecting a super modern room, and my expectations were met. But the room was very large, with a comfortable bed, huge balcony, and sitting area. Bill ordered a split of champagne and pralines. I’m not sure why he did that; he doesn’t usually spring for extras. But it was all set up for us when we walked into our room, along with a bowl of apples and a bottle of complimentary sparkling water. The room also had a mini bar, which offered, beer, wine, soda, and extra water at customary minibar prices. The room had a TV, CD player (how retro), free WiFi, and a phone.

I enjoyed the shower. It got great pressure and was generously equipped with Molton Brown toiletries, as well as plenty of large towels, slippers, and robes.

The reception area.
Nice bed with plenty of pillows and lots of closet space.
Sitting area with fruit, water, and champagne and praline extras that Bill ordered.
Bathroom. The WC was separate, which is very school.
A long view of the room. We had many windows!
One view from the huge balcony.
This whole balcony was for us!
Another view.
Cheers!

The room wasn’t air conditioned, but the weather was cool and pleasant, so we didn’t miss climate control at all. And it was so quiet and peaceful that the first thing I did was take a nap while Bill booked dinner at the hotel. The hotel offers regular rooms, but it also has chalets and apartments for rent. There’s a free parking lot and limited street parking, as well as a garage that costs ten euros a night. We only used the parking garage last night, because the parking lot was completely full when we came back to the hotel.

Obertal is a tiny little village, but there are a few other restaurants that are within walking distance of the hotel. There’s also a small convenience store and a few shops that appear to cater to the wealthy spa crowd. Across the street is a large Asian spa hotel, complete with a sign in Chinese and a mural of a beautiful Asian woman.

After our one lunch, we ate all of the rest of our meals at the same table. That was also true for dinner on Wednesday night. We weren’t very hungry after the big pieces of cake, but I am glad we stopped in for a dinner, just to see what they had on offer.

Bread and butter….
The amuse– tomatoes, eggplant, and buffalo mozzarella.
My starter, made of pickled salmon with orange compote and watercress.
Bill had cream of potato soup.
I had a small portion of Schwarzwalder Forellen (trout from the Black Forest). It came with parsleyed potatoes and spinach.
Bill had a regular portion of Zander filet with cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.

The restaurant offers vegetarian selections and heartier fare, like Schnitzels, as well. We found the food quality at the hotel to be fine, especially washed down with a locally produced Spatburgunder, but it would pale in comparison to the two gourmet meals we planned for Friday. Still, we were too full for dessert, so we decided to head off to bed after dinner. We had a big day planned for Thursday. More on that in the next post.

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