Berg & Spa Hotel Gabelbach

The room was humid and stuffy when we arrived, though opening the windows and waving a towel around helped. It would be a good idea to air it out before check-in. The food at breakfast and in the restaurant was delicious, and the service was great throughout, especially in the SPA. Nadine and Carsten were always kind and helpful. Highly recommended.

We had a great time hiking in the beautiful surrounding area. Definitely head up to “Gaststatte Kickelhahn” for lunch and the spectacular view from the watchtower. The spa was top class, and the pool was one of the best I’ve seen, clean natural water with no chlorine, though it isn’t very deep. Our top-floor room had a modern feel, a very comfortable bed, and a nice bathroom with good water pressure. The building itself is beautiful and classic, with an antique-style dining room. Both breakfast and dinner were exquisite. We didn’t try lunch at the hotel. I’d recommend it to anyone after a high-quality, relaxing getaway.

The woods around here are lovely for walks and hikes with a dog, which makes the restaurant’s dog ban especially disappointing. It’s the only restaurant I know in Germany that has refused to let my dog dine indoors. I travel all over Europe with her and have never been turned away elsewhere. She’s 4kg, doesn’t shed, and stays in her bag inside buildings. I can even take her on a plane as a “pet in cabin.” The hotel and restaurant used to be dog friendly, but that’s no longer the case. I can understand a hotel having that rule, even if I don’t like it, but the sign saying dogs aren’t allowed inside the restaurant is a real letdown in this location. Since my dog isn’t welcome, I won’t visit the restaurant either.

The location is wonderful, the spa is well thought out, and dinner was pretty nice, though service was slow. But we had no water from 5pm until checkout, so there was no showering or flushing. Things happen, but the way it was handled was utterly unprofessional. Why not call ahead so guests can make an informed decision? Water was eventually provided, but I had to ask for it. It should have been sent to all the rooms right away. There was no proactive effort to make up for the disruption. Offering dinner or massages would be basic hospitality and could have earned a lot of goodwill. I understand Germany isn’t exactly known for customer friendliness, but helpless looks and passivity didn’t improve things. To be fair, they did comp my dinner, but only after I escalated it to a manager. I felt terrible having to ask employees who couldn’t do anything about what was really a management and training problem.