Arrival

After a cozy (one and a half hour) drive through the Black Forest we arrived at Tanne Tonbach, a lovely little hotel, completely surrounded by nature. The hotel lies directly at the edge of Baiersbronn, a famous vacation spot in the Tonbach valley, and is only a few steps away from the Black Forest National Park. It's the perfect area to start your adventure in the Black Forest region of Germany!

After parking our car and unpacking our bags, we make our way to the hotel's reception desk. The road to the hotel is direct, but it's also calm and quite. You won't find any loud traffic to distract from the beauty of the forest or to disrupt a good night’s sleep.

As the friendly receptionist prepares our room keys for us, we take a seat in the lounge area and enjoy a lovely welcome drink.  We are then informed of the various meal times and of the additional services we'd booked. We also received a Schwarzwald Plus Card. This card, which is included when one books at least a 2 night stay, allows us the option of visiting various recreational facilities in the area for free or at a reduced price.

Our Room.

We take the elevator to our two-room “Almsuite” which has everything you could ever hope for.  Complete with two bathrooms, a shower, a balcony, two flat screen TV’s, a safe, a living room area and, of course, the appropriate décor, the natural lighting, log furnishings and forested theme will make you feel as though you've stepped into a Bavarian mountain cabin.

All of the rooms or suites at the hotel are individually decorated, and they come with free Wi-Fi. We decided to stay at one of the hotel’s more luxurious suites, but there are other, more economical rooms available.

Wellness.

Now it's time for some relaxation, so we take the elevator down to the wellness area.

The first thing you'll see is a lovely indoor pool, with plenty of places to lounge, and a small Bistro nearby (who doesn't love having easy access to snacks?). The water in the pool shimmers brightly, thanks to color changing LED lights, and the pool is also equipped with a smooth current allowing you to swim some laps if you'd like.

Next, we enter the sauna area at the edge of the Black Forest. The absolute highlight here is the outdoor tree-house sauna. This sauna stands 10 meters off the ground, on top of a sturdy tree with thick branches. It's a wonderful place to relax, shower, or simply enjoy the beautiful panoramic view. Inside the hotel, you'll find various other saunas: Köhler, Pine-Biosauna, a Tepidarium and a steam room. The main area is made to look like a market, and there are plenty of places to hang back and relax. In the center of the 'market' you'll find a fountain offering you fresh “Grander” water. A few more steps and you'll reach the „coal mines“--here the plastic stones look real, and you can let off some steam in a 'mining shaft.' This area is also home to the hotel's steam baths, where you can rub yourself in with bath salts and simply let all your cares, worries, and dead skin cells float away.

Massages are also offered, we'd recommend booking a massage in the “Monk's Room” --a wonderful experience. The pools inside of the Monk's Room are also particularly noteworthy. The “Beer” bath is something you don't want to miss and you'll never forget it.

Don't miss out: You can also relax in large hot tubs (the outdoor variety being made out of hollowed out tree trunks) with hops, herbs and various other sensational additions. Add in a lovely little neck massage and fresh servings of fruit or the beer of your choice… simply heavenly.

Restaurant.

Even relaxing all day can cause you to work up an appetite, so afterwards we made our way to the hotel’s restaurant where an all-inclusive, four-course meal awaited. Service was fast and friendly, and the meals were not only tastefully presented but lacked nothing in flavor.

The next night we received a romantic candle light dinner in the vaulted cellar (which was included in our hotel package). We were accompanied down into the cellar (the way is paved with tea lights). A large table awaited us; we had the room completely to ourselves and soft music underlines the ambience. A lovely six-course meal was served (complete with a surprise). Our waitress provided us with privacy, but came by occasionally to make sure that we didn’t need anything. The outside world is forgotten; we are floating on cloud nine.

The quality of the food, the service, and the atmosphere cannot be praised enough.

Bar.

Alas, all days must end, but before this one does we made our way to the hotel bar for an evening cocktail. As per usual, fine lighting is provided, and seating was available not only at the bar itself, but throughout the room.  The best part of the bar: the beer carousel! The beer carousel is just what it sounds like; in the center of the table you'll find a beer tap which the seats can spin around. Fun for everyone over 18. Cocktails at the bar are also quite tasty and come exceptionally well decorated!

Breakfast.        

Breakfast at the hotel was fantastic and lovingly prepared. Fresh eggs, sausage, cheeses, salmon and different arrangements of cereal were provided along with freshly squeezed juices and a wonderful selection of breads and fresh fruits.

Overall

Tanne Tonbach is an amazing wellness hotel that has a lot to offer. All of the personnel was friendly and helpful, and the hotel's excellent service cannot be overlooked.

While you're there, we'd recommend traveling to the nearby town of Freudenstadt, a great place to buy souvenirs! The hotel is also just a short hour drive to Strasbourg—which we think is a wonderful idea for a day trip.

Happy Travels