Strandhotel Plau am See

The breakfast had a good selection, and the staff were friendly throughout. The hotel is quiet and sits in a beautiful setting. As a solo traveler, I had a small double room with a bathroom under the eaves. The sloped ceiling made showering difficult, especially for anyone tall. We were on a retreat with lunch included. The fish was consistently good, but the sides were disappointing. To me, the lunch seemed to be all convenience food from a well-known brand. A shame. The friendly, attentive service made up for some of that, so thanks for that. I'd call this more of a 3-star-plus hotel. In my view it lacked several small amenities and a minibar in the room, things I'd expect from a 4-star place.

The food tasted good and the hotel looks nice, which makes the state of the room a real shame. The balcony and carpet had dirt, hair, and stains everywhere. Over our three days, nobody even emptied the trash, never mind cleaned the room. There also seemed to be too few staff working the morning service.

The location earns the one star. The buffet dinner was bland, overcooked, and uninspired, and breakfast items were slow to be refilled or missing altogether. On our last day there was no table for us because the adjoining room had been closed off for another event. Our complaints were ignored. The hotel felt neglected and dated from the start, with broken patio furniture and cigarette butts on the ground. The pool was broken and unusable, our room wasn't cleaned at all, and tables weren't cleared or even disinfected. Staff shortages were always given as the explanation. Why keep filling the hotel with guests, then?

The family room was spacious and generally clean, with a balcony, TV, kitchenette, and children's playroom. Staff were friendly, helpful, and good with kids. When we found the toilet flush was broken, it was fixed right away, though it would've been better if someone had caught that before we arrived. The pool was a definite plus. The hotel is right by the lake, in a lovely spot, but it's not close to town. Still, it's easy to take day trips by car around the area or even to the Baltic Sea. Breakfast and dinner buffets had enough choice and the food tasted good. The price felt fair, and we'd recommend it. We did miss having a small playground, since the beach wasn't open yet in April.