More favorite European luxury hotels…

Happy Saturday, blog fans. I usually try to update my travel blog on the weekends with reports on restaurants, fun activities, or travel. This weekend, Bill is recovering from two back to back TDYs, some kind of respiratory infection that isn’t COVID, and irritable bowel syndrome. He is out shopping for food right now, but I have my doubts that we’re going to get out and about today.

Although we have lovely fall weather, we’re both kind of tired… Bill from sickness, and me from tending to Arran all week and repeatedly getting up in the middle of the night. Arran is doing okay today, except for his rancid, atomic farts, and being a little sleepy from his chemo. He did get a chemo pill today, as well as Prednisolone; the Endoxan pill makes him want to snooze. And two days post Vincristine infusion is also when the side effects tend to kick in. He was a little low energy this morning, and threw up a little of his food.

This is actually kind of a bummer, though. I’d rather Arran not be dealing with side effects on Saturday, which is the one day Bill and I can go anywhere and things will be open. Maybe we should try to change the day of the infusions. We’ll have to do that anyway, if Arran is still with us next month. We still have plans to visit France, starting on Wednesday, the 16th, which is our anniversary.

But maybe it’s not so bad that we aren’t going out today. I’ve been wanting to write another post about some of my favorite European luxury hotels. We’ve been to some good ones since the last time I did one of these posts, in February 2017. Our fortunes have improved since that time, five years ago, when I wrote about our favorite luxury digs. These aren’t necessarily ranked in order, nor are they even my favorite lodgings of all time. They’re just luxurious European places we really enjoyed and haven’t forgotten. So here’s another post about some of my favorite hotels when we want to drop a load of euros. Here goes.

10. Grand Hotel du Lac, Vevey Switzerland

*From the very first moment, we were impressed… until we ate in the restaurant and our waiter sold us 40 CHF glasses of Cristal Champagne, and waved a truffle under my nose!*

Bill and I stayed at this five star hotel in Vevey, Switzerland in December 2015. I went with him on a business trip to Vicenza, Italy, and we decided to stop in Switzerland on the way home, so Bill could visit the Giger Museum in Gruyeres. I noticed the Grand Hotel du Lac the first time we lived in Germany, but in those days, our finances made it impossible to book such a place. Switzerland is expensive no matter what, but a five star hotel there is quite a splurge. Still, I decided to go for it, and even sprang for a lake view, as the hotel is right next to Lake Geneva. The lake view was a waste of money, though, because there was fog the whole time we were there during waking hours. The one full day we were in the area, we spent in Gruyeres. Still, the hotel is absolutely beautiful and comfortable, and I remember our stay there fondly– with exception to our experience in the restaurant, which was not as impressive. Vevey is a pretty town, too. I’d love to go back! And I would definitely stay in this hotel… though I might go elsewhere for dinner.

9. Merrion Hotel, Dublin Ireland

*Merrion Hotel is wonderful! And it’s close to lots of authentic Irish pubs, too…*

In 2018, I whimsically bought tickets to see a bunch of concerts, one of which was in Dublin, Ireland, and featured Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Bonnie Raitt. Yeah, that was a great show, and it lasted about six hours! We obviously needed good digs, so we could get proper rest. I decided to book Merrion Hotel, which is supposedly Dublin’s best… or, at least it was when we were there in 2018. Anyway, we didn’t have an upgraded room, but the room we had was nice enough. Bonus was that they gave us lots of chocolate– like three huge bars of it– milk, dark, and white. I remember loving the breakfasts at this hotel, which were cooked to order and absolutely amazing. Plus, there was a beautiful pool area, and top notch service. Highly recommended!

8. Europäische Hof Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

*This was a very tastefully decorated and comfortable room. The owner of the hotel obviously takes great pains to make her hotel special.*

In June 2021, Bill and I decided to pay a visit to Heidelberg, Germany, a city not that far from where we currently live. At the time, COVID-19 cases, and the restrictions that accompanied the pandemic, were in full swing. We decided we wanted to stick close to home. I booked a few nights at Europäische Hof Heidelberg, a beautiful five star hotel with a long history and high service standards. The hotel has been family run for generations, and the attention to detail and care for guests are obvious. The owner of the hotel was very attentive and visible during our visit. Afterwards, when I wrote a review on TripAdvisor, she responded personally, and even sent me an email. We had a gorgeous, comfortable room, and the location was very convenient to the downtown area. I still get email offers from this hotel, and I’d love to go back sometime. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s not a rip off.

7. Park Hotel Sonnenhof, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

*The view from our patio. What a beautiful place! I could stare at those mountains all day!*

Bill and I visited Vaduz, Liechtenstein in May 2022, on our way home from a trip to Italy to taste wines. Originally, I had planned to stop in Lugano, Switzerland, but determined that Lugano wasn’t close enough to home. We had visited Liechtenstein once, back in 2009, and I thought it might be interested to visit the tiny country one more time. When I saw that it had a very highly regarded hotel with beautiful views, I was definitely onboard with booking. We had a lovely time in Vaduz, and delighted in tasting even more wines there! Park Hotel Sonnenhof is a very restful hotel with an excellent restaurant. It’s great for a splurge.

6. Hotel Bareiss, Baiersbronn, Germany

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might know that Bill and I only recently stayed at the Hotel Bareiss in Baiersbronn, Germany. It’s probably the most expensive hotel we’ve ever stayed at, but it’s important to remember that the price of the room includes breakfast and dinner, as well as an afternoon cake buffet. At this hotel, food is front and center, but it also offers classic, quaint Black Forest inspired rooms, a petting zoo, daily activities, walking trails, several restaurants, and a first class pool and spa area. I LOVED the pool and spa areas, actually. We were there at a great time to enjoy them, too, because it wasn’t crowded at all! I wish we’d had a chance to try the a la carte restaurants, because the items that we had that weren’t part of the board menu were truly very special. Service is also outstanding at this hotel! Baiersbronn is a great town for foodies, as there are quite a few exquisite Michelin starred restaurants there. It’s also a fine place for hikers, especially if they want to see waterfalls.

5. Upper House, Gothenburg, Sweden

*Coolest pool ever! This is jutting out from the building on the 18th floor, and has a glass bottom.*

In late June 2019, Bill and I went to Gothenburg, Sweden to pick up our brand new Volvo at the Volvo factory. Although we could have stayed at a hotel chosen by Volvo, I wanted to go to the Upper House, a hotel in Gothia Towers. Why? Because of the pool. It juts out from the side of the building on the 18th floor! Also, the hotel is very swanky and beautiful, and offers beautiful views of the amusement park next door. Bill and I both loved the breakfasts, which were very unusual and cooked to order with fresh ingredients. If you’re going to Gothenburg and looking for something special, The Upper House is a good bet. The spa area is dreamy, but so is the bar… and I distinctly remember loving the bed. I wish I’d thought to find out where the mattress came from. That was a pretty epic trip. We combined it with stops in Copenhagen, Rostock, and Leipzig, and saw Mark Knopfler, both in concert, and at the bar in the Leipzig hotel where we were staying!

4. Auberge au Boeuf, Sessenheim, France

*The pastries alone were worth the trip! The room was nice, too!*

In March 2022, we had to go see our dentist in Stuttgart. At that time, COVID-19 rules were in full effect in Germany, and things were feeling a bit dystopian. We decided we wanted to get out of Germany for a few days, so I looked for a place just over the border. That’s when I discovered tiny Sessenheim, a little village near Soufflenheim, where a lot of French pottery is made. Sessenheim boasts a marvelous Michelin starred restaurant called Auberge au Boeuf, which also has four rooms to rent. This isn’t a big hotel, but the room we stayed in was the only one I have ever stayed in my lifetime that had its very own private sauna. It also had a jacuzzi bath. But the most impressive and memorable part of our stay at this hotel was the breakfast, which included the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had! They were obviously made on site, and served on special pottery that appeared to be locally made. Breakfast also included cheeses, smoked fish, cold cuts, and a variety of other goodies, all of which were brought to us. No breakfast buffet!

3. Hotel Oberwaid, St. Gallen, Switzerland

*Beautiful pool area. There are also great spa facilities on the ground floor.*

If you ever feel the need to feel “safe”, Hotel Oberwaid is a good bet. This hotel, located within sight of Lake Konstanz, is also a health sanitorium. There are physicians on staff for people who go there for health reasons, but it’s also a very comfortable hotel. From June until December, children are not allowed at the hotel, so it’s a very restful, adult oriented place. The restaurant serves excellent local cuisine, and there’s a fantastic pool and spa area. What I loved most about this hotel, though, was that they went to great lengths to make guests comfortable. After four nights at a noisy resort in Italy, I was definitely in the mood for a peaceful, quiet couple of nights at a place that was climate controlled and had good beds. Hotel Oberwaid had that, but it was also a very classy place. I can see why people go there for their health, even though I didn’t feel like I was staying in a hospital. The focus is on health and wellness, but in a comfortable, visually appealing setting. I’d like to go back sometime, if the fates allow.

2. De Witte Lelie, Antwerp, Belgium

This is the hotel Bill chose for us when I turned 50 in June. It’s not the most luxurious of the properties where we’ve stayed. It doesn’t have a spa or a pool. However, it is beautifully and stylishly furnished, and offers every comfort, and it’s very convenient to downtown Antwerp. What I loved most about it was the service, which was very warm, personal, and professional. They brought out a beautiful strawberry tart and some fizz for my birthday morning, and we stayed in the funkiest room I’ve ever seen. I like this hotel because it’s so hospitable; we were so pleased with everything! One caveat I would mention is that if you have mobility issues, you might want to call the hotel for advice on which rooms are best. Our room required climbing a couple of flights of stairs. The other side of the hotel has elevator access for that part. The featured photo is of the hotel’s iconic red front door!

1. Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden, Germany

In November 2018, Bill and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. We were also preparing to move to Wiesbaden from the Stuttgart area, in what would turn out to be a very stressful relocation, particularly considering that we were moving within Germany. I wanted to find us a really beautiful place to spend our anniversary, and I found it in Brenner’s Park. One of my former professors from Longwood University recommended this hotel, calling it “a little slice of Heaven”. Indeed, that’s what we found when we got there, especially since they upgraded us from a deluxe room to a junior suite… and that room was palatial! Brenner’s Park has a resident cat named Kleopatra, a fantastic spa, beautiful pool area, delicious food, and a classy bar. I would LOVE to go back there, even though it’s not very far from where we live now. Maybe on a future dentist excursion, we’ll book Brenner’s Park… but I don’t know if we can spring for a junior suite, and it’ll be hard to downgrade after staying in one. In a word… WOW.

I won’t deny it. Bill and I have been living a pretty sweet life over here… and I am very grateful we’ve had these opportunities to enjoy some of Europe’s loveliest hotels. I hope we can visit a few more before it’s time to retire and settle somewhere permanent. For now, we’re going to keep splurging for as long as we can. You only live once!

If you’re curious about any of these places and want more details of our visits, be sure to search the blog. I have done extensive review series of each place listed in this post!

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Sud Tyrol and beyond… part twelve

Home at last!

I managed to get up in time to take a couple of pictures of the sunrise over Lake Konstanz on Sunday morning. It was a little sad to think of leaving the lovely Oberwaid Hotel, but I was definitely ready to get home and start writing. I have a few folks who genuinely look forward to reading these posts and it was time to dish!

We enjoyed another fine breakfast in the restaurant, albeit for a hefty price tag. Then we loaded up the car and Bill checked out. The receptionist kindly offered us bottles of sparkling water for the journey. Once again, as I left a hotel, I found myself saying “What an amazing place.” I would come back to the Oberwaid for sure. Next time we need a short break from Germany, it’ll be on our list! Hopefully, by then, the COVID-19 situation will be better controlled. But if it’s not, I’d still feel very safe in that hotel. I noticed they have a huge team of housekeepers, all of whom wore masks and keep the place sparkling clean. Here are a few parting shots before we got on the road to Wiesbaden.

We had a choice of several ways to get home. If we still lived near Stuttgart, we would have driven through Switzerland to the familiar border at Thayngen, which ultimately leads to A81 and past our old stomping grounds. But since we now live in Wiesbaden, Bill decided to get on A7 on the other side of the lake. From there, we passed through Baden-Württemberg and Bayern (Bavaria) until we finally reached Hesse. We hit a few staus on the way, one of which was pretty obnoxious and took some time to get through.

Against our better judgment, we stopped at a McDonald’s for lunch, but decided against eating in the restaurant due to the high number of people there. It wasn’t even a good restroom stop, since patrons could only go one at a time and there was a line. So we ended up peeing at a nearby rest stop. We should have just gone there to eat, too.

*This came from the little market in Leutasch, too. Everyone is making gin these days!* We should have spent more money… *and we definitely should have bought more wine.*

Arran stayed at the Birkenhof until Monday night. I wish we could have picked him up on Sunday, because I really missed him. But we weren’t sure when we’d be back on Sunday and the Birkenhof only allows a short window for pickups.

I’m really glad we took this trip, especially as the news about COVID-19 gets bleaker. There have been more cases in Europe lately because people are traveling. I didn’t feel particularly unsafe when we traveled, but there was definitely no chance of forgetting the pandemic, even in Switzerland, where things seemed the “slackest” (and that really surprised me). I’m not sure when we’ll get to do another lengthy trip. I hope it won’t be too long. For now, I’m glad we took this opportunity to change our scenery and get new pictures. I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride!

I’m amazed at all we were able to do– hike through a gorge, look at a waterfall, go to the top of the Zugspitze, see several beautiful lakes, eat good food, visit Lake Konstanz, and enjoy excellent hospitality. Overall, it was a very special and memorable trip. I’m glad we did it, even if I’m now slightly worried about exposure to the virus. But I’d rather live life than stay locked up, drinking wine in the backyard with the dog.

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Sud Tyrol and beyond… part eleven

Pool time and the beautiful Bodensee!

Saturday morning, I woke up and noticed the sunrise peeking through the curtains. Because I was enjoying the bed so much, I didn’t get up to take a picture of it. Instead, we slept in until the sun was up, then we went down to breakfast. Unlike the other two hotels we visited, Oberwaid isn’t doing a buffet right now. Instead, you sit down at a table and a server brings you bread and a tiered plate stand with fresh fruits, cold cuts, cheese, smoked fish, and horseradish sauce. You can then order eggs, bacon, porridge, fruit juices, or rosti if you like. Naturally, you can also get coffee and tea, although prosecco is an extra charge to the 25 franc breakfast.

After breakfast, we decided to check out the pool, which was one of the amenities that attracted me to booking the hotel. Due to COVID-19, the hotel requests that people change in their rooms instead of the locker room. That was fine with me. We went down to the indoor pool area and enjoyed swimming some laps. I noticed, with much amusement, that on the ceiling, there was a warning about the pool walls. I suppose that’s for people doing the backstroke so they don’t hit their heads. I have never seen that at an indoor pool anywhere before, but I definitely appreciated it. I have hit my head more than once while doing the backstroke (explains a lot, I know). There was also a backboard by the wall. I definitely felt like this was a health and safety inspired operation.

There was just one other couple in the pool area with us. They left and went outside to the hot tub. I must say, the hot tub at Oberwaid is very impressive. It rivals what we experienced in Gothenburg, Sweden last year at the Upper House hotel. Only four people are allowed in it at a time right now. There’s a rack where you can lie while the water bubbles, pressurized water spouts for massaging the shoulders, and my personal favorite, stations in the corners where you can get an all body massage from jets that surround you as you hold on to a circular bar that surrounds your body. There’s also a very nice walking park around the hotel, and a fully equipped fitness room, which of course we didn’t bother with. 😉

Indoors, there’s a Turkish bath, steam room, massage rooms, and a sauna. We didn’t opt to use the facilities indoors because of the whole COVID situation, but it appeared that everything was open. They also had water and a very comforting hot tea available. Spa services were available, although they required mask use for the therapist and the client.

After about an hour in the pool, we decided to visit nearby Rorschach, which is a town right on the Bodensee. If we had had another day, we would have made a point of visiting St. Gallen itself, which is very charming. But I was especially interested in getting to the lake, because even though we lived in the Stuttgart for six years over two different stints, we had never managed to visit the Bodensee up close. I got some very nice pictures after we had Italian food for lunch. We happened to stop into a pizzeria about a half hour before their pause. The waiter was kind enough to serve us anyway, although he told us in his Swiss style German that the pause was imminent.

Rorschach has an American restaurant that didn’t tempt us, even though it doesn’t take a pause.

After we walked around Rorschach for awhile, we decided to go to the COOP store– that’s a Swiss grocery store chain that we have encountered a few times. No one in the grocery store wore a mask, at all. There were markings on the floor showing where people were to stand and the cashiers were behind plexiglass. Other than that, it was pretty much business as usual in there. I must say, it was quite a surprise to see that.

We picked up some Swiss wine, dental floss, and sparkling water. Then we went back to the glorious hotel room and I watched What’s Love Got to Do With It on my computer. That is, of course, the 1993 movie starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne as Tina and Ike Turner. I was inspired to watch it because Tina Turner is now a Swiss citizen and lives near Zurich with her German husband, Erwin Bach. We didn’t bother with dinner, although housekeeping did bring us a couple of chocolates for our pillows.

I definitely would have liked to have explored St. Gallen and its surroundings more, but the trip was winding down and it was time to focus on the journey back to Wiesbaden on Sunday. I’ll wrap that up in the next post. I hope we can get to the Hotel Oberwaid again, though. It’s now one of my favorite hotels in Europe. I’m developing quite a list!

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Sud Tyrol and beyond… part ten

We decided to stop for lunch at an Austrian truck stop, once we drove through the gorgeous mountain pass that took us out of Italy. That border was being actively patrolled by Austrian police officers, much as the Swiss police always keep an eye on the Swiss border. Bill had prepared for us to be stopped in Italy, which has a form one should fill out before arrival declaring that one has not been in a risk area. But we were never stopped in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, or Germany. On the other hand, I read that each country had an uptick in COVID-19 cases over the weekend. I suppose it doesn’t matter that we left, since Germany also experienced an uptick as people continue to travel.

In any case, the Austrian truck stop required masks, except in the restaurant. As we sat down to enjoy hearty Austrian fare– cordon bleu for me and Farmer’s toast for Bill, a French family sat at the next table. It was an older couple with a young man who was wearing his mask the whole time. We noticed they spoke English to the waitress and the young man gave me an alarmed look when I sneezed (into my elbow). Sorry… I have allergies, which sometimes make me cough and sneeze. One thing I really hate about the whole pandemic is that it’s made everyone suspicious of everyone else. It’s made socializing and meeting new people difficult. It’s taken away things that bring joy, like live music and physical affection with friends. But, at least the food was good, and we were soon on our way to Switzerland.

I had gotten an email from the Oberwaid Hotel a couple of days before our arrival in St. Gallen. The email detailed a “code of conduct” for the hotel, which is also a medical clinic and got its start as a sanatorium. Basically, the email let us know what was expected of us as guests during the pandemic and offered us the chance to cancel our reservation free of charge if we were feeling ill or didn’t want to submit to having our temperatures taken at check in. Masks were not required at all, although the staff members wore them. The elevators had signs requesting that people not use them with strangers, and the generously sized hot tub stipulated a limit of four persons at a time.

Honestly, after four nights at a decidedly kid friendly hotel, I was more than ready for the Oberwaid experience. This hotel does not allow guests under age 16 from June until December. It’s a place where people seek medical care and there is an actual medical center in the building. They offer treatment to people with psychosomatic issues, as well as people who have cardiology, orthopedic, or physical therapy needs. Fortunately, despite my sneeze in the truck stop, I was feeling fine. So was Bill. We pressed on toward Switzerland and bought our 2020 vignette at the border, something we used to do every year when we lived in Stuttgart.

I knew it was going to be a unique experience, no matter what…

Surprise! Welcome back to Austria. I was genuinely surprised that we’d be going through Austria instead of straight into Switzerland.

We got to the hotel at just after 3:00pm. That’s when check in begins. We had our temperatures taken and recorded and filled out a form showing that we live in Germany and haven’t been to a hot zone in the last couple of weeks. The receptionist also gave me a hard copy of the code of conduct, which was presented in flawless English. Then we went to our room, number 351, which had a lake view. As soon as I saw the bed, I knew it was nap time! I also knew that no one’s screams would wake me from my afternoon slumber.

I was so happy with this bed. The duvet was large and comfortable and the mattress was not too hard for my back.

Oberwaid offers half board, which I didn’t sign up for. In retrospect, maybe it would have been alright to do half board at this hotel, since it’s not near any restaurants and the food is excellent. We did choose to have dinner there Friday night– it was 85 francs per person– and we had breakfast both mornings at 25 francs per person. No, it’s not cheap, but I was happy with the quality of the food as well as the service, which was extremely professional and efficient.

After we ate, we decided to retire to the room and enjoy the peace, quiet, and air conditioning! I had big plans to try out the pool and hot tub on Saturday, then venture into Rorschach. More on that in the next post!

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: Oberwaid

More favorite European luxury hotels…

Sud Tyrol and beyond… part twelve

Sud Tyrol and beyond… part eleven

Sud Tyrol and beyond… part ten