Ferien Hotel Südharz

The room was clean and the bed was comfortable, but there was a musty smell. Breakfast was good, though the buffet wasn't replenished, so later guests had little left to choose from. We arrived in pitch black, with no outside lighting, which made for a poor first impression. Check-in staff seemed stressed and had no time to explain anything. There was no WiFi in our room despite it being advertised, and although the hotel listed a bar, we couldn't find one. The evening meal was split into two sittings. We went to the second, but the buffet hadn't been refreshed. The food had been sitting out and picked through by the earlier group, and some dishes looked awful. I didn't enjoy it at all. Drinks were included with dinner, but nobody explained that to us. There was a seating plan, though we had to seat ourselves because no staff were there to ask. I wouldn't recommend the evening buffet here. The small lift was a scary ride, very slow and making odd movements and noises. Use the stairs 😂

The room had no tea or coffee facilities, and the only water was a bottle with a price tag on it. For a hotel at any price, let alone this one, I couldn't believe refreshments were only available at the breakfast buffet. The sockets were advertised as being beside the bed, but the room's only sockets were occupied by lamps, so I had to choose between using the lamps and charging my phone. WiFi was advertised throughout the hotel, yet out of our group of six rooms, mine was the only one where I could use it. The hotel also automatically charged me for parking even though I didn't have a vehicle. The receptionist seemed more interested in arguing that I should have told her I had no car than refunding the charge. Her computer wasn't working, and she asked me to speak with her the next day. I ran out of time, and at checkout there was nobody to talk to, just a box for the keys. I booked through booking.com, so I'm judging the stay against the hotel's listing there. It felt like poor value for money, and the hotel seemed outdated and in need of renovation. For me, many things need improvement at this price, and my experience didn't match what the advertisement led me to expect. Overall, I was disappointed by the stay and by the extra charges, rather than getting what I expected to be included for the price.

The staff made a real difference. They took care of all our requests, answered every question and sorted out everything we asked for. Thanks a lot! We were lucky with the weather and our room, though others might not be as fortunate. We had a really good, recharging Kurzurlaub. In January, 2-3 days felt like enough. The setting is very wild, with only a small Ort nearby. Edeka and Netto are about 10 minutes away by car, and I have no idea how you'd get there without a car. Parking costs 2€/day. It's a really nice place with a special atmosphere, old fashioned and deep in the forest, far from civilization. WiFi is weak in some areas. Great if you want to chill, but worth knowing if you have to work over the weekend. The food was quite tasty, with a pretty good choice on the weekend. Friday breakfast, though, was way too limited, with no fried eggs or sausages. The sauna is tiny, maximum 4 people, but clean and cosy, and available for free Nachmittags.

The hotel is around 3 km from the center of Ellrich. I loved the quiet, natural surroundings, and the outside of the hotel looks really beautiful. Our room had been renovated, I think. It was clean, and breakfast was sufficient. The main difficulty was the lack of English information. The flyers were only in German, and the friendly women at reception didn't speak English. The bathroom towels for showering were very small. I also didn't know I had to pick them up at reception and pay a 10 euro deposit, since that information was in German.