Hotel der Kräuterhof

We stopped at the restaurant on our way back from Wernigerode and had a really bad experience. The service was poor, the food quality was awful, and the staff didn’t seem to know how to serve even a glass of beer. I asked them to replace the first two glasses after noticing dirt or unusual sediment in them. They didn’t seem to know what it was either. The staff were unfriendly and not well trained. The schnitzel and Sauerfleisch were the worst I’ve had in Germany. There is a place for kids to spend time, which was the only positive. Even though the service had been poor, I decided to leave a tip. They wanted it in cash and didn’t want it included in the main bill. After I paid by card, I didn’t get a copy. It seemed their machine had failed, and when I asked about it, they became aggressive. Very unprofessional. Then there was a parking fee of 5 Euros. 😬😬😬 Avoid this restaurant attached to the hotel. You can find better places if you’re willing to drive a few more kilometers. Never again!!! 😡😡

The setting in Harz is lovely, and the natural surroundings are beautiful. We also appreciated the young part-time staff, who clearly did their best to make guests comfortable despite seeming overworked. One waiter told me they were only allowed to work twice a week as students. The hotel itself was clean enough to sleep in, and we stayed because we had two children and didn't want to start looking for another place. We'd booked at the last minute during a family trip through Germany. The room was a letdown for the price: the central heating didn't work in winter, the laminate flooring was torn up, and the curtains were dirty. Dinner looked fancy but wasn't tasty, and breakfast was okay apart from rotten oranges left on the table. When we checked out, my wife and I tried to share this feedback so the management could use it to improve quality. The administrator yelled at us and challenged us to do whatever we wanted. I tried speaking with her in German, but she seemed to get more irritated and aggressive, and just wanted us to leave. We couldn't understand that behavior. We paid, thanked the part-time workers, who seemed embarrassed by the administrator, and left. The hotel's management and its response to feedback can take away from an otherwise beautiful place. Dear owner of Kräuterhotel, I was at your hotel with my family on 26 December 2018. You should be able to find my wife's name in your book. Please expect a review of your hotel from us as well. Thank you for your time. We hope you can improve the problems at your hotel. We think it is in a very beautiful part of the country and would like to visit again.

We got there just after 2 pm, when they had closed, but they kindly opened up so we could have coffee and cake. There was a very good range of cakes, and all five of us enjoyed ours. Excellent service.

The food was good, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. Great hotel.