We decided to visit the Bavarian Alps prior to attending Oktoberfest in Munich. We planned a two night stay at the Das Graseck hotel - my only regret is that we did not have the time to stay longer!
Before I begin my review, I must mention some logistical aspects of getting to the hotel that we were unaware of (and this may very well be mentioned in prior reviews):
- First of all, we drove from the Munich airport to the hotel on a Saturday, which should have only taken about an hour and a half. However, traffic was quite bad, so it ended up taking a little over 2 hours (possibly 2.5 hours, I can't recall), so be prepared for high traffic times during the weekend.
- Our navigation erroneously kept taking us on a path that is NOT supposed to be driven on. It is a pedestrian path that parallels the train tracks in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We learned (after about 5 trips of driving on the road and one very angry local man yelling at us at length) that this is NOT THE DRIVING PATH TO THE HOTEL. Make sure to stick on the main road and follow it around - if you cross a train track, you're on the wrong road.
- That being said, the main road up to the hotel does have a lot of pedestrian traffic and horse-drawn carriages. Despite what we thought, this WAS a road that allows cars. Quite confusing.
- You need to take a cable car to the top of the hotel. The cable car operator will have your name on a list at the bottom of the mountain and you will need to pack your luggage and yourselves into that tiny cable car to take the ride up (which only takes a few moments). Park your car at the bottom of the mountain in the designated "Das Graseck" parking lot right next to the cable car station (there will be a large sign with quite a few cars). We were unsure where to park initially as we missed the sign, so if in doubt, ask the cable car operator and he can direct you.
OK, so! On to the review....
An absolutely excellent hotel. Clean, quiet, and the views are unbeatable. There are roaming cows and sheep on the property, which just makes it feel even more remote and relaxing. The rooms are clean and very nicely furnished. We had a room with a patio, which put us on the bottom floor. The room was huge and very comfortable - however, I don't prefer being on the bottom floor and it also wasn't very private as there is a path right in front of the room that leads to the hiking trails. People were walking by very frequently, so we had our drapes drawn most of the time. Next time we will probably spring for a room with a mountain view on a higher floor with a balcony and forego the patio altogether.
Breakfast and dinner are included in the room rate because the cable cars stop operating at a certain time, so getting back from being out to dinner away from the hotel is nearly impossible. We loved this though because it was super easy to enjoy a wonderful meal with a great view, then simply walk back to our room for the night. The food was absolutely excellent -- there is a four course or seven course option. We enjoyed the four course, but wished we had done the seven.
We didn't have much time, so in lieu of hiking we visited the Zugspitze (highest point in Germany) which was only about a 10/15 minute drive from the base of the mountain on which the hotel sat. However, we heard the waterfalls and hiking were not to be missed so if you have time, do both!
Would not hesitate for one moment to stay here again. Hoping we have the opportunity in the future to do so!