Harz Hotel & Spa Seela

We got very good value for money. The beds were comfortable, the staff polite, and the food was great quality. There’s a pool and several saunas. Rooms facing the road can be noisy, but the excellent triple-pane windows blocked all the traffic noise.

The wellness and fitness centers were nice, and I had a great experience. The only thing was that the pool felt a little cold for winter.

We stayed in January while visiting our daughter. The room was clean, though quite small, and the bathroom was small too. The spa was okay, and I liked the pool, but the water was fairly cold and wasn’t heated. The renovation was still underway, and a barrier in front of the hotel made the entrance hard to find. Check-in took ages and felt ridiculous: you have to do it yourself on a tablet while staff stand there watching. I guess nobody wants to talk to people anymore. Our biggest problem was the dogs everywhere, in the lobby, at the restaurant and again at breakfast. My wife is allergic, so we sat as far away from the dogs as we could. Then a couple with their dog sat right behind us. We told staff about her allergy, but they dismissed our concerns and said it was a pet-friendly hotel with designated restaurant areas for dogs. That made no sense to us, since dogs were sitting all over the restaurant. Given Germany’s hygiene standards, I found it appalling that dogs were allowed in the restaurant, and even more so that the dog owners’ rights seemed to take priority over a human life. We’ll never return to this dog hotel spa.

The location worked really well, close to the forest but also just a few minutes’ walk from some main attractions and the pedestrian area full of little cafés and restaurants. Every day there was an info board in the lobby with suggestions for what to see, hiking routes, that day’s menu and more. The staff were super helpful and friendly. Breakfast was a very nice buffet; I especially liked that coffee and tea were served by reception during breakfast hours, handy if you eat later but want a hot drink beforehand, or want to take one away. There was always a bowl of apples to take for free 😊. Dinner offered a choice of three meals or pizza, with one vegetarian option among the three 🙌. The hotel has a lovely atmosphere and great design, with a comfortable, welcoming lobby. There are several kinds of saunas, including infrared, a wonderful comfortable spa lounge, a well-equipped gym, a nice pool, quiet rooms, a library and open spaces and terraces. They also offer massages and beauty treatments, though I didn’t try those. I highly recommend the place and will certainly be back :)