Beaches and Mountains: InterContinental Berchtesgaden

As the "... blog reader (who) visited last month...", let me expand briefly on the outstanding experience Ms. JMD001 and I had at the IC during the first 3 days of October. Like Lucky, we used a "a buy one get one free weekend night certificate" for the first two nights. This was a particularly good deal since the weekend rack rate was higher than the weekday rate rack rates around the time we were there. Then did an advance purchase for our third night (~25% savings).

As only a Platinum Ambassador, we did not get a Penthouse Suite, but were upgraded to a third-floor, outward-facing room with a FANTASTIC view. It was the same type of room that we had reserved, but on a higher floor with a better view. No balcony, but the floor-to-ceiling windows were unique in that they could open as doors (pivoting on the side like normal doors), or from the closed position, they could be pivoted at the bottom so it tilted into the room at the top.

The fact that the sky was cloudless and the temperatures near perfect during our whole stay certainly enhanced our experience.

The first night we ate dinner in the hotel in main dining room. Ms. JMD001's pasta dish was so good, she went back and had it for lunch our third day. Our second night, we were so tuckered out and full from lunch in Berchtesgaden that we just had drinks and bar food in the lobby bar for dinner. In short, the hotel food was superb ... even at hotel prices.

Our last night, we finally forced ourselves out of the hotel for dinner. Based on the concierge's recommendation, we went to the Holzkafer Cafe-Bistro, just a kilometer or two from the hotel. VERY reasonable in price with delicious Bavarian food and incredible atmosphere.

Like Lucky, I am reluctant to give the place too many more accolades. Don't want too much competition for a room the next time we go back!

Great report! I'll be in Munich next week, so I'm DEFINATELY going visit Berchtesgaden.

Quick question: With only one bed in the room, who got the bed? You or your friend?

Looks magnificent. And even though they said it was sold out, based on the photos, it appears that you guys had the place all to yourselves! I think I'll have to add this to my list of places to visit before I die.

@Moodz: Seriously?

I've been there in the winter, it is magical!

Bavaria is an awesome destination. While serving in the military in the 80's I was able to visit southern Germany many times. The best experiences of my life have been there - both then and also now with my spouse 😉

If you love this kind of setting, I would highly recommend visiting the Hakone area of Japan. The Hyatt is supurb (like you, I hesitate urges to gush about it, as I selfishly want to keep this gem to myself - but tourism is way down, so might as well share it!).

Since the location is associated with the words, "Hitler" and "Nazi" -- I'm wondering if there still is a stigma attached and that is why it is not well visited. Also, was the hotel itself used by Hitler at some point? Many would never stay in a place that Hitler regarded as "home" and "a place to conduct the Nazi war effort."

I think these questions are fair to raise in the context of a place you describe as one of the most beautiful.

Here's Wiki's entry:

The area of Obersalzberg was purchased by the Nazis in the 1920s for their senior leaders to enjoy. Hitler's mountain residence, the Berghof, was located here. Berchtesgaden and its environs (Stanggass) were fitted to serve as an outpost of the German Reichskanzlei office (Imperial Chancellery), which sealed the area's fate as a strategic objective for Allied forces in World War II. Some typical Third Reich buildings in Berchtesgaden include the railway station, that had a reception area for Hitler and his guests, and the post office next to the railway station. The Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel was a hotel where famous visitors stayed, such as Eva Braun, Erwin Rommel, Joseph Goebbels, and Heinrich Himmler, as well as Neville Chamberlain and David Lloyd George. The hotel was torn down in 2006. There is a museum on the spot now, called Haus der Berge.

[edit] The ObersalzbergA number of other relics of the Nazi era can still be found in the area, although only few of them are still well preserved. There is the Kehlsteinhaus (nicknamed "Eagle's Nest" by a French diplomat), which was built as a present for Hitler's 50th birthday in 1939. The remnants of homes of former Nazi leaders—such as Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, and Martin Bormann—were all demolished in the early postwar years.

The only remaining fully intact buildings are the former SS HQ at Hotel Zum Türken, Albert Speer's house and the Kehlsteinhaus. A small part of the Platterhof is also still there. The information centre on the mountain is the former guesthouse Höher Göll. It has an entrance to the Obersalzberg bunker system.

@ jmd001 -- Thanks for coming clean. 😉

@ Moodz -- One of the frustrations as a hotel elite is that you typically have the choice between a standard room with two beds or a suite with one bed. I'll always take the suite with one bed, even if traveling with a friend. Maybe it's the European in me, but I have no problem sharing a bed with a platonic friend. Just put a pillow in the middle and there's plenty of room for two people.

@ CDiddy -- Hah, now that I look at my pictures, I realize that with the exception of the third picture, not a single one has any person in it. It definitely never felt crowded, though not *that* empty.

@ tivoboy -- Must be amazing. Not sure I trust myself to drive up that hill in winter, but nice nonetheless. 😀

@ SAN Greg -- The region as a whole has probably become my favorite place on earth.

@ Michael -- Given that the hotel isn't very old, I doubt Hitler ever stayed there. If anything people flock to Berchtesgaden because of the Hitler association, since there's a lot of history in the region. I don't think there was any negative stigma associated with it. It's a popular tourist destination for Germans, though I just don't think very many people outside of Germany know about it.

Wish you had taken some pics of the restaurants in the hotel anyway...no buffet spread pics? Lucky, how could you! 😉

One thing I found interested about the bathroom was the mirrors on the windows...unusual, but kind of cool looking.

Berchtesgaden (and its neighbor Koenigssee) is one of my favorite places too. In fact I have been there twice in the past year. Started going in 1981 and fell in love with the place then. Plus, there is a bobsled track in the area, which is one of my favorite hobbies (to watch, though I have ridden in one too).

@ Lucky -- Given that there is an entire epsiode of Band of Brothers about the takeover of Berchtesgaden by Easy Company, it is not as much of secret as you think it is.

@lucky. When I was there I was an RA and they picked us up at the rail station in a G-wagen. I wondered why they wanted my train arrival information.

Hurry up and post some more content on this blog so that this post gets buried! Save Berchtesgaden! 😛

Ben,

While I have not been to Berchtesgaden, this trip report still brings back good memories of the stunning Alps!
I spent a week at a the Schloss Mittersill (the hotel rooms inside aren't as posh as an InterContinental, but come on-it's a freakin' 900-yr old castle on a hill--you should check it out sometime), in the Austrian Alps.
Anyways, I know what you mean about the stunning views and fresh air, it's certainly very tough to beat! The Alps certainly have some of the most breathtaking views on Earth!

Lucky- You speak German, but how would the trip and area be for a non-German speaker?

@Paul -- Ms. JMD001 and I probably don't know more than a dozen or so basic civility words/phrases in German (e.g., Guten Tag, Danke, Bitte) and had NO problem in the hotel, the town, or the area attractions.

23 degree gradient or 23 percent? The former is almost double the latter -- 23º is about 42% , and 23% is about 13º.

I couldn't agree with you more about this InterContinental! We got "snowed in" during an October visit, I have photos taken off the balcony so gorgeous that I could publish them. Three nights of absolute heaven, and the weather moderated enough so we could go out every day for a few hours. This is truly a marvelous hotel, I only wish I had tried the pool.