Pension Strandnest

You’re only a short walk from the sea, which is a fantastic spot. The guesthouse itself feels dated, though a few small fixes could make a real difference. Breakfast had what you’d need and was fine, and the waiter was especially friendly and attentive.

Breakfast was the best part: fresh rolls, boiled eggs, cold cuts and cheese, fresh egg salad, and orange juice, with coffee and tea brought to the table. Without it, this place wouldn’t even get one star from me. We’d been looking forward to the vacation, but it wasn’t worth what we paid. The Baltic coast is expensive, sure, but this was too much. The website had advertised a modern guesthouse with Wi-Fi near the beach for €79 a night including breakfast, plus €5 a day for parking, so we booked. The beach really was close, just across a path, but the building and grounds looked as if nobody had touched them in 40 years. Inside, it smelled musty, and they charged us as soon as we arrived. Our room was nowhere near modern: the worn furniture included a bed that squeaked and creaked and was terribly uncomfortable. The room smelled like my great-grandmother’s old laundry room. Opening the window for fresh air barely helped. The toilet hardly flushed, so we had to refill it by hand. On a rainy day I tried watching TV, but the picture was shaky and blurry, and there were only six channels: ARD, ZDF, RTL, KIKA, Sportschau 1, and Super RTL. We switched it off quickly. There was no Wi-Fi either. One evening we got back late and tried to open the gate. My girlfriend lifted the top latch, but it snapped back down and cut her finger. It kept dropping even when we didn’t touch anything else on the gate.

I’ll stick to one story, since this isn’t meant to be a novel. I work as a traveling arborist, so guesthouses and hotels are a normal part of my work. That’s how I ended up at Strandnest guesthouse. From outside it looked neglected, and I thought a few simple touches could make it quite nice. I figured the inside and the host would count more, but that turned out to be another surprise. The key and parking pass were handed over quickly. My double room cost €75 and was about 8 square meters. At first I thought of summer camp, then noticed the awful smell. I opened the window, but fresh air didn’t do much. I regretted looking behind the bed for the source: the chair beside it was covered in spiderwebs, with spiders all over it. I tried to sleep with the window open, but the stink kept bothering me, and the old bed frame pressed into my back. The TV wasn’t a useful distraction either. It had an analog two-channel setup. Channels one and two were blurry, and the football players looked like colored blobs; the other channels just flickered and shimmered. I woke up exhausted after drifting between being awake and half-asleep all night, and started the day in a bad mood. At 7:30 I was standing outside the locked dining room, asking about coffee. As I remember it, the staff member said breakfast was at 8:00. She said they’d leave a packed lunch in my room that evening for the next day, and make two packs for the day after that. I pointed out there was no refrigerator in the room, so butter would melt and I didn’t even want to think about the sausage. She said they always did it that way. I asked if, instead of the breakfast I’d booked, they were going to leave lunch made from leftovers in my warm room overnight. After going over this several times, she finally agreed to put it in her refrigerator that evening. At least it would be chilled leftover food from the day before. But that never happened, because my client found other accommodation with clean rooms and breakfast from 7:00 a.m. The way guests are treated here really took me aback. The Baltic Sea area is known for being expensive, and the Mecklenburg way of life isn’t for everyone, but my hosts in the region have always been genuinely kind before this. I see it as an isolated incident that doesn’t reflect well on Mecklenburg. Anyone used to a 4-star double room for €75 will be bitterly disappointed at Strandnest guesthouse in Markgrafenheide.

The beach is right behind the dunes, and nearby restaurants are good. The guesthouse is very basic but clean, with furnishings from the 90s. There’s no hairdryer or bath towel, and no dinner; the café shuts at 6 pm. Breakfast starts at 8 am and is good.