Best Adventure Hotels in Germany
It boasts some of the coolest cities around, with creative street art, quirky flotation spas, unique brutalist architecture and risque nightlife. But it’s also home to chocolate-box villages, fairytale castles, Hansel and Gretel forests, classy seaside resorts and majestic mountain ranges. Germany’s Christmas markets and Alpine snowscapes make it a go-to winter break. Yet with warm (but not uncomfortably hot) temperatures, abundant alfresco culinary culture, sandy beaches and lake-swimming opportunities, it’s also a superb alternative summer holiday destination for travellers. And with convenient air and rail transport links, making a trip here is stress-free.
Bavaria, Grassau
Das Achental
(5 stars)Immerse in nature when you stay at this Bavarian-style property, a former equestrian centre set among the Chiemgau Alps. While its midcentury exterior is traditional, the design-forward interiors of this hotel boast brushed wood finishings, soft leather furnishings, burnished brass hardware from a local blacksmith and pieces from B&B Italia. There are three restaurants; the White Stag, the Hubertushütte and the artful two Michelin-starred es:senz by Chef Edip Sigl. Das Achental hosts one of the Leading Golf Clubs of Germany and a 2,000 square-metre wellness area with reclaimed wood, slate stone and Austrian stone pine saunas, and a classic steam bath.
Bavaria, Elmau
Schloss Elmau
(5 stars)A longtime haven for artists and writers, this castle (a National Monument) was erected in 1916. Since then it has hosted a G7 summit as well as 220 annual concerts and literary events. The food offer is Michelin-starred with French and Japanese dining courtesy of chef Christoph Rainer at Luce D’Oro and many other eateries dotted around the expansive site. Deep in the Elmau Valley, Schloss Elmau now includes a newer wing, accommodating many of the suites, a spa, a yoga pavilion and a library. There’s also a kids club and a huge bookshop.
Brandenburg, Berlin, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Hotel Zoo Berlin
(5 stars)Unwinding on the rooftop terrace while sipping a cool cocktail is a popular activity among both hotel guests and residents of Berlin. There are plenty of imaginative and inspiring touches throughout the hotel that just beg to be admired such as the seventy-foot-long jade carpeted catwalk and the iconic Living Room with its huge fireplace and wing chairs. Luxury lovers who truly want to splurge should secure one of the two Penthouse Suites that can be found on the sixth floor, where they will be treated to a double-sided fireplace and a large array of beauty products in the elegant bathroom.