We booked our trip to the Hotel Weizer in Graz through lidl-reisen.at, which is the travel arm of the German Lidl market chain. We happened to see one of their flyers in a Lidl market near where we live in Austria. Two nights in a 4-star hotel for 79 euros per person, with breakfast buffet, sounded like a good deal to us. And, in fact, it turned out to be a very good deal.
We had read a few not so complimentary reviews about the Weizer, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect when we arrived there. However, starting with the initial warm greeting from the young lady at the reception, and ending with a cheery Auf Wiedersehen from that same young lady on our departure, our experience was nothing but positive.
After accepting the proferred coupons for a free Gluehwein in the hotel bar (part of our Lidl package), my wife and I made our way to our second-floor room (admittedly a bit tricky the first time, as the hotel is a rabbit warren of hallways and little stairways). Ours was what the hotel calls their “Casual” room; and as we were here on a bargain offer, we kind of expected it might be pretty basic. However, to our surprise the room was spacious and featured a flat-panel TV, minibar, and a double bed with two separate mattresses, spotlessly clean down quilts—and two of the dreamiest feather pillows we have ever slept on. The bathroom was large, immaculately clean, and with its full-length mirror and countertop reminded us more of one you might find in a better hotel in Las Vegas. As an aside, the unusually shaped chrome towel rack mounted at the back of the combination shower/tub looked like it could have been an exhibit at a museum of modern design. The only problem we experienced was with the shower “door.” It consisted of a transparent panel of glass that covered only half the length of the tub. As a result, unless you were very careful with the placement of the wall-mounted shower attachment, you ended up with a mini-deluge of water on the bathroom’s tile floor. Fortunately, there were plenty of towels to soak up the errant spray. And on our second morning, we got the “hang” of the shower attachment pretty much down pat.
With apologies to Hemingway, the room was simply a “clean, well-lighted place.” In fact, when we came back after a day in Graz’s picturesque old town, the room looked exactly as it had when we entered it the day before; that is to say, spotlessly clean. Also, when we booked our trip, we had specified a non-smoking room, as well as one with a view on the courtyard (to help ensure a quiet night’s sleep). Both wishes were granted, which is not always the case on a bargain stay such as ours. Another nice touch: when we first came into our room, the TV monitor was lit up with a big “Welcome” and our name, something we hadn’t seen before in our travels.
As I mentioned, our trip included a breakfast buffet—and what a buffet. My wife and I have stayed in quite a few hotels and B&B’s; however, short of in Las Vegas, we’d never seen one this abundant. There was a spectacular assortment of cold cuts, cheeses, and eggs (both scrambled and hard-boiled) as well as waffles and omelets. There were also the typical Austrian Semmeln, various whole grain rolls (the pumpkin seed ones were especially good) and a delicious Striezel (sweet bread with raisins). There were all sorts of jams, bowls of fruit cocktail, fresh fruit, cereals, more bowls filled with walnuts and raisins—and the best homemade Muesli we had ever tasted (and that includes the one made by my wife’s Swiss aunt!). The breakfast room itself is another clean, well-lighted place, with wood floors, well-spaced tables, and a little fountain at one end. All in all, a very enjoyable early-morning experience for the hungry traveler.
We didn’t have a chance to sample the hotel’s own restaurant or its café, although both looked inviting. However, we can recommend two places to eat in Graz. The first is called the Altsteirische Schmankerlstube. They have a separate Stube for smokers and non-smokers, and feature a large variety of typical Austrian dishes—including a number of vegetarian ones. The other place is a cafeteria. It’s called Mangolds and is a two minute walk from the Weizer. It’s all-vegetarian and has some forty different salads, along with a large number of warm entrees.
