Villa Bello

“Good choice in BGD”

Villa Bello is a great choice for a relaxing overnight stay. Rooms are clean in traditional style with excellent view on the valley. Coffee and tea are free to drink at any time of the day in the lounge with a wonderful view. Location is a bit out of the town so you definitely need to have a car. T… more

Villa Bello is a great choice for a relaxing overnight stay. Rooms are clean in traditional style with excellent view on the valley. Coffee and tea are free to drink at any time of the day in the lounge with a wonderful view. Location is a bit out of the town so you definitely need to have a car. There are plenty of parking spaces around. Pool and sauna are great extras built into the price. Breakfast is a bit overpriced but more than enough in variety. Wifi is free which is good as there is only low level of signal around in this area.

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“Quaint, private stay-over 'tween Salzburg & Munich”

Pros: Was very reasonable and EXACTLY what you see online. Wonderful views. Clean, Neat. (Hooray for the in-room minibar!) More like a Bed & Breakfast than a typical hotel. Cons: Inferred from "spa" the large pool was fed by a warm spring, not the case. Our mistake but just need to make cleare… more

Pros: Was very reasonable and EXACTLY what you see online. Wonderful views. Clean, Neat. (Hooray for the in-room minibar!) More like a Bed & Breakfast than a typical hotel. Cons: Inferred from "spa" the large pool was fed by a warm spring, not the case. Our mistake but just need to make clearer. Also be warned about the narrow steep road leading to the hotel. Villa Bello doesn't have a bar or restaurant and not a lot nearby that's within walking distance. Driving up and down steep hill to little town below or to Berchtesgaden in the valley several miles below is challenging, especially at night and undoubtedly harder if snowing/icy. Overview -- On a recent driving vacation through Central Europe, we headed west from Salzburg en route to Munich and the flight home. I was interested in Berchtesgaden for visiting Eagle's Nest, but it was closed for season. I saw Villa Bello on TripAdvisor and was enchanted so we booked it for a single overnight stay. Visited mid-week and technically off-season (early December, no snow); practically had the place to ourselves. We arrived a bit late, but the very nice staff (only 2 people due to # of guests) welcomed us warmly and explained the accommodations thoroughly. We enjoyed a relaxing steam and a "brisk" dip in the pool (see pictured). The property had a 1960s "James Bond" movie minimalist decor (white rug, exposed blonde wood, spartan rooms, etc.) that was fun, but I chalked that up to being an alpine ski/spa. Unfortunately we weren't there for the skiing and arrived after dark, so we missed the sunset and a chance to check out the town during daylight. NOTE: Folks should be aware that Villa Bello is indeed located high up on a hillside. The narrow, twisting road can is barely wide enough for 2 passing cars and can be intimidating to drive (especially with a stick shift and at night as I found out). Lesson learned: Too bad we visited when Eagles Nest was closed for the season (late October to April), and before snow was on the ground. Also, we were one of only 2 couples in the entire hotel, so we pretty much had the run of the place. Nice if you want some couples privacy, or don't want a crowd in the pool, steam room, noise or rowdy guests. But not all that interesting if you are wanting to socialize with other guests, take in some local nightlife, or just have interesting conversation with other travelers. EAT DINNER BEFORE you get there or bring light food (or leftovers in doggy bags from elsewhere); keep inside the in-room refrigerator. Therefore: 1) Get there in the daylight if you can. The drive is not nearly as scary in the day. Because of the drive up, we feared to drive back down to go to dinner either in the little town or in the valley below. 2) There's not a restaurant in the hotel, so eat BEFORE you climb the mountain. (thank goodness for the minibar!) 3) ASK what your projected dates will be like (usually) in terms of weather, # of guests, activities going in nearby -- will have an impact on your experience. This place could have a completely different vibe and atmosphere if it was full or had a group staying. Decide what it is you are looking for. I hope to someday visit again knowing all this.

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“Fantastic views, but that's it.”

The views are wonderful but there was something slightly creepy about the hotel itself. Parts were professionally renovated but most of the hotel had a 1960s air about it. The receptionist only spoke Ukrainian and had to use a phone app to communicate. Of the three rooms we booked two had very poo… more

The views are wonderful but there was something slightly creepy about the hotel itself. Parts were professionally renovated but most of the hotel had a 1960s air about it. The receptionist only spoke Ukrainian and had to use a phone app to communicate. Of the three rooms we booked two had very poor bathrooms. There were only three breakfast tables for (I'm guessing) ten families. The breakfast was adequate, our bed was good and the grandchildren loved the indoor swimming pool.

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“1 night stay - ok”

Arrived at the hotel late afternoon (5pm ish), they only switched the heating on as they showed us the room, would have been nicer if the room was warm on arrival. The kids then went for a swim, pool was a bit chilly but I assume because end of season but they had it to themselves. Got back to the … more

Arrived at the hotel late afternoon (5pm ish), they only switched the heating on as they showed us the room, would have been nicer if the room was warm on arrival. The kids then went for a swim, pool was a bit chilly but I assume because end of season but they had it to themselves. Got back to the hotel about 8pm after eating dinner. Front door was locked but we had a key, got to our room and couldn't get the tv to work at all - there was no one around to ask for help, hotel was in complete darkness! Also turned out the kids bedroom only had one curtain which was a bit annoying. Beds also not that comfortable. Breakfast the next morning was very good. Lots of choices and sausages and eggs cooked fresh. Had a bit of a disagreement where they tried to charge us a higher rate than the one we had on our confirmation from booking.com When we complained about the tv not working we were told we should have asked as they were there all night. However no one had told us how to reach them, it turned out we should have gone round to the front of the hotel, where we would have seen the lights on above the garage, and we should have rung their bell! We were the only guests staying there, so maybe better in high season. But definately not worth what we paid for the night.

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