REGIOHOTEL Am Brocken

There's plenty of parking and a supermarket close by, and the staff are friendly. The breakfast buffet is great, though the rooms could be a bit bigger. Schierke is technically part of Wernigerode, but it's a 20-30 minute drive from Wernigerode-proper, where most of my stay was focused. If you don't mind that drive, this is a perfect hotel, with hiking tours starting right in Schierke.

The room was spacious and good, and breakfast was good too, but the assistance was terrible. Nobody was at reception when I arrived at night, so I had to ask a man there for help. He called the hotel manager, and they unlocked an emergency key room for me. At checkout the next day, reception was empty again, so there was no one to hand the key to. They also charge for towels. If that's required, Expedia should say so. I don't recommend this hotel.

Breakfast had a great, wide selection, and the rooms were a good size with comfortable beds. The pillows were flat as pancakes, so I had to use the ones from the sofa. Bring your own washcloths, or you'll be showering with soap and your hands. Check whether nearby restaurants have availability before you go. Most require reservations, and several turned us away because we didn't have one.

They promised at reception before check-in, when I was settling the bill, that they'd store our luggage the next day. The room brochure mentioned it too. But the next morning they refused, with an excuse I couldn't make sense of. At least half a dozen other cyclists were caught out by the same broken promise. We'd planned to cycle up the Brocken before lunch and collect our panniers on the way down, so we had to carry the extra weight the whole way. Cyclists and hikers should not book this hotel. There are plenty of other places to stay in Schierke if you're planning to climb the Brocken.