B42

Yes sorry, only the penthouse suites in the West Wing have Watzmann view.

price123

Thanks for info. I booked a standard deluxe and have printed off the email saying I should get a suite. We will be driving from Munich but only staying 2 nights. We plan to have a look around the area and relax in the hotel. Any recommendations for what we shouldn't miss. Also has anyone used the couples suite in the spa - are treatments worth having?

Thanks for all your help

bigbuy

Just below the Intercontinetal Hotel is Hotel Zum Turken, still owned by the same family as when Hitler was in power. His home was just below the Zum Turken and you can see the ruins of the retaining walls etc. You can take a self guided tour of Hitler's bunker system for 3 euros I think with the entrance located at the Zum Turken, which is a short walk from the Intercontinental. If there is an old lady taking the money, she is the daughter of the original owners. The hotel was used as housing for Hitler's guards and SS during the war. The family had to fight both Germany and the United States to regain control of what was rightfully theirs.

lemieux66

The couple suites are great and treatments are very relaxing.
We just had treatments once here, really wonderful experiences but etraordinary high prices.

Things to do:
of course there are plenty of hiking possibilities, some trails start directly at the hotel. On weekends the property offers leaded torch tours through the forrest at night.
Another nice activity: salt mining tours nearby the hotel.

lemieux66

oh, forgot another option: Skiing at the Jenner Ski resort at the Konigssee or at the Rossfeld resort (smaller resort) 10min drive from the hotel.
Ski rental station within the hotel.
Of course this depends on when you are travelling and on the snow situation.

szg

Greater Ski Areas are within a 40 minute drive by car to Salzburg/Austria.

B42

-The concierge can provide you a map and can show you the walking routes in the area.
-There is an Adlergehege right across the hotel/Hintereck 9.
-The WW2 documentation center near the hotel is worth a visit (especially the bunker area) but be aware it can be confronting.
You can combine the Zum Turken and a walk to the remains of the Berghof.
-The Graflhöhe windbeutelbaron has a super view and when it's sunny you can sit on the terrace. We sat there with 5C and it was lovely.
The walk down/up is steep though. I's a short drive from the hotel. Try a Windbeutel together when you're hungry.
- Don't miss Berchtesgaden town. New hotel Edelweiss has a very nice terrace on top of their hotel, check if it's open.
- Oh there are so many things in the area Königssee/Salzburg/Bad Reichenhall for the shops etc. etc.. Just make sure you are back in time
to sit in the outside pool. : )
-The rooms on the Kehlsteinhaus side also have a very nice view so don't worry if these are the only onces available.
- In this hotel you can pick something from the menu and if you cannot find anything just say what you like. If they don't have it then
they will make it for you the next day.

Enjoy your trip!

Raffles

I thought I'd post a few pictures from our 5 nights last week. This is not a full trip report, I'll just flag the key stuff.

Flights - nearest airport is Salzburg. For Brits, BA flies from LGW twice a week, Fri and Sun. Alternative is Air Berlin from Stansted. Taxi from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden is c 50-60 Euros and takes 30 minutes. Salzburg Airport is amazingly small with no lounge (you get a Euro 10 catering voucher) - even turning up 90 mins before departure was far too early. There isn't even a newsagent airside!

This is a nice side view of the hotel:



We took a Penthouse Suite at E381 (Friends & Family). This is big (150 sqm plus balcony) but doesn't actually feel so huge. It is a duplex and the space on the ground floor isn't really used much, although it was handy for us to stick the buggy etc. We booked this room directly and were not upgraded despite my AMB status (Pres Suite would have been the only option). In the photo above, the Penthouse suites comprise the roof level (mainly hidden in the picture) plus the floor below.

Amenities in the suite inc 2 full bathrooms, 3 TV's, ipod deck, nespresso machine, kettle, and 2 balconies. Standard rooms don't have nespresso or the dock. All rooms get free minibar (food and drink) but no alcohol in there!







View from roof terrace:



Sadly I don't have any photos of the 35 degree outside pool, which was fantastic. (The indoor pool is kept disturbingly cold and was generally not used.)

Food - breakfast is Euro 28 but good, price includes cooked eggs inc Eggs Benedict, plus all the prosecco you can drink! However, we skipped it twice on days when we went out - there is a cafe bakery in the bus and train station (change there for Salzburg or Jenner) that fed the 4 of us (nanny came too) for Euro 8.65 in total, an improvement on the Euro 84.00 for 3 adults in the hotel ....!

The big issue is the restaurants. The good news is that the hotel has 4 (5 if you include bar food). The bad news is that 2 are closed Sun-Thu which is the exact time we were there, we also skipped the Michelin starred one. We ended up in the main restaurant 3 nights, which is itself pricey - mains are Euro 25-27, for eg. The weekend restaurants (tapas and a Bavarian style) are cheaper. You can take taxis to local restaurants, which we did twice - the Euro 15 each-way taxi bill is eaten up by the far cheaper prices! May-October you would also be able to walk to the Eagles Nest restaurant.

Note that the hotel is NOT walkable to the town. You need a taxi (11-14 Euro) or the bus (free, with your guest card) but the service is never more frequent than once an hour. However, it was 100% punctual and the hotel has its own bus stop.

You can easily fill 5 nights here. We did:

1. Berchtesgaden trip, inc the small palace tour
2. The salt mine. This is truly fantastic and worth going to BG just for this! You take a train 650m into the mountain and then take huge slides into the heart of the works! Tour is in German but there are English signs. http://www.salzzeitreise.de/en/globa...tesgaden0.html
3. Salzburg, done on the bus (1 change) although also taxi-able if you wish for Euro 100 return. Probably also trainable, although not direct from BG.
4. The Jenner ski area

You can get to the Jenner lifts for Euro 20 in a taxi, or free on the bus (1 change). We didn't ski but just went up the lifts. Skiing isn't great (the snow machines were working overtime at the bottom of the slope) but looks like it does the job. You could easily stay at the IC and drive to the lift each day, the hotel has a ski room.

Overall, this is a very impressive property for an IC. There are service issues (erratic housekeeping, esp with minibar and toiletry replacement, a wrong meal delivered to me in the restaurant, a waiter who poured about 20% of my Euro 11 decanted wine glass onto the floor and offered no compensation or replacement!!) but generally it is very good. Hotel in general is spotless.

Snow-wise, the hotel is too low (1200m) for permanent snow. It seems to get a dump every 3 weeks or so which then takes an age to melt, so there is always some about. The hotel has free sledges for children to borrow (and a Segway!) and there is a small outdoor playground, so it is fairly family friendly. Peak tourist season is Summer, for hiking, I am told.

youhavebeenupgraded

Stayed in a studio room on the 1st floor (with terrace).

Here some pics:
http://youhavebeenupgraded.blogspot....htesgaden.html

Sweet Willie

we will be in Munich for 5 days at the end of November, while I'm a skier, Mrs Sweet Willie isn't.

Would Berchtesgaden be worth a drive out for a single night stay at the time of year we are going?

Raffles

Difficult to see why you'd want to drive 120km (isn't it?) each way for one night up a hill, especially given the risk of heavy snow in November. For 2 nights, I'd give it a go though.

Chinatrvl

There isn't a "great" skiing area nearby. Obersalzberg consists of 4 lifts and is boring except for beginners; Jenner is also small - better skiing areas (Dachstein, Flachau etc.) are 1 hour drive away. Moreover, I think you'll need a good amount of luck that there's enough snow at all at the end of November, particularily in the Berchtesgaden area.

Considering that it's a 1.5 h drive from Munich and you get early check-in and late check-out it can be worth it for a night. Two nights are always better, though

Sweet Willie

Thanks Raffles & Chinatrvl, our vaca home is 500+km and I drive that on a regular basis for a single night stay so 120 should be a cakewalk (unless snow hits).

SanDiego1K

Hitler's Eagle's Nest is very close by and fascinating to visit. However, I am not sure whether it is open in late November. I see that the website says it is currently closed for the winter.

Chinatrvl

Closes mid/late October, re-opens not before April.

Very close = walking distance (tourist bus station, discount with your guest card), or a 2-3 hour hike up the mountain (great route for tobogganing, too, btw.)