Berg & Spa Hotel Gabelbach

“Lovely renovated hotel on the wooded slopes of the Kickelhahn.”

Located in beautiful Thuringia, this renovated 1911 hotel is a great find. It stands in the wooded slopes of the Kickelhahn, on a 7 hectare estate. It is perfect for hiking with many trails, including the 20 mins one up to the hunting cabin (Goethe's cottage) where Goethe wrote one of his most fam… more

Located in beautiful Thuringia, this renovated 1911 hotel is a great find. It stands in the wooded slopes of the Kickelhahn, on a 7 hectare estate. It is perfect for hiking with many trails, including the 20 mins one up to the hunting cabin (Goethe's cottage) where Goethe wrote one of his most famous poems, Wanderer's Nightsong, on the wall, on the night from 6 to 7th September 1783. For those looking for relaxation, the garden is a wonderful sanctuary and the hotel's spa, perfect. The rooms are good and the breakfast also. There is a bar and a restaurant so there is no need to drive to Ilmenau for dinner. In the grounds, near the hotel, stands the Jagdhaus Museum Gabelbach. A little jewel definitely worth a visit. It is one of the best value for money hotels I have stayed at recently. ps don't expect to communicate very much in english!!

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“Wonderful located, what we expected, but with some debasement”

First of all the hotel is located in a nice area for hiking and outdoor activities in the so called "Thüringer Wald". There are only short distances to enter famous hiking routes and it seems that in winter the trails for skiing start right in front of the hotel doors. The modern parts of the hotel… more

First of all the hotel is located in a nice area for hiking and outdoor activities in the so called "Thüringer Wald". There are only short distances to enter famous hiking routes and it seems that in winter the trails for skiing start right in front of the hotel doors. The modern parts of the hotel with the spa and the wellness area are just great. It is without doubt excellent. But the room we lived in for two days had seen better days an was a bit rustic and old fashioned. The dinner we had at the first evening was in buffet style and ok with some typical regional food, so was the breakfast. At the first night we had a wonderful evening at the bar with a very competent and friendly lady. The second evening was frustrating. The barkeeper was arrogant, unfriendly and seemed already drunk. Anyhow we enjoyed our stay but next time we would try another place when we go hiking in the forests there.

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“Oh, if only we were part of the two wedding parties that distracted the entire hotel staff!”

The location of this hotel is high up above the neighboring towns which makes it rather exciting as a "hunter's lodge" or just a place to stay. The Goethe walks and other pathways inspire people to breath the fresh air and relax. Unfortunately, the hotel didn't match the grandeur of the surroundi… more

The location of this hotel is high up above the neighboring towns which makes it rather exciting as a "hunter's lodge" or just a place to stay. The Goethe walks and other pathways inspire people to breath the fresh air and relax. Unfortunately, the hotel didn't match the grandeur of the surrounding forest lands. Our room was on the "more expensive" range during our trip but overlooked the rear of the hotel and its gravel parking lot. It was a basic room with nothing special. Maybe because we should have been outside! The hotel restaurant was promising but was tainted by a large wedding party in the adjoining event space who became louder and louder as we tried to dine and they celebrated a new couple. Add to that a very strange older gentleman, an employee of the restaurant who insisted on fawning all over my mother-in-law and my wife before disappearing. In fact, at some point in the dinner, all the staff in the restaurant disappeared to take care of the wedding party, requiring us to chase down someone so we could pay the bill. My wife came to the lobby to ask for two coffee packets for our room. The hotel staffer at the desk literally threw and handful of packets on the counter for her before walking off. Note that my wife speaks fluent German so I'm not sure why she was treated this way. The next morning, the breakfast was very good and it was a sunny day so we decided to go for a walk, following Goethe's steps. (after checking out of the room of course) When we returned for to use the lobby bathroom once more before a long drive,we encountered wedding guests #2 and a hotel employee who questioned why we were there. Of course,we were underdressed but didn't plan to attending the wedding party. Hotels shouldn't alienate guests in favor of large catered parties like this.

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“A bit disappointing”

This is a pretty nice property, although our 2 connecting rooms was pretty dated, they were well kept and slightly upgraded. There is a very nice modern pool and sauna "landscape", either very new or recently upgraded. So, we might have been expecting more modern rooms, but our biggest issue with t… more

This is a pretty nice property, although our 2 connecting rooms was pretty dated, they were well kept and slightly upgraded. There is a very nice modern pool and sauna "landscape", either very new or recently upgraded. So, we might have been expecting more modern rooms, but our biggest issue with this place is the level of service... First of all, hardly any of the staff seemed to speak any english at all, even in the reception they did not understand much english. I did not expect language being a problem on a 4 star hotel like this, but with a few german phrases and a bit of hand signaling we managed to communicate. Second, several of the staff seemed very uninterested in their jobs. Both breakfast and reception staff was quite slow and bordering on unfriendly..... Pretty disappointing and unacceptable for the price.

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