REVIEW |Hotel Bayerischer Hof Lindau

Every year we plan a few big trips together, Timothy and I. When we heard ÖBB’s proposal to launch Nightjet service to Brussels in December 2019 we jumped on the occasion and included a ride back home from Austria to Belgium on the Nightjet after our autumn Berlin, Czechia and Slovakia trip. However as we all know in early 2020 an annoying new coronavirus, COVID-19, appearead and shook up travel all over the world. We changed our plans to an itinerary in ‘safe’ Germany including stops in Leipzig, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Munich, Lindau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen from where we would take a short train ride to Innsbruck to board our Nightjet back home.

After our busy visit of Munich we decided to go for a relaxing overnight in the quaint town of Lindau in Lake Constance. We selected to stay at one of the top hotels of the town, the famous Hotel Bayerischer Hof, just opposite the station and the harbour. As we were travelling during the Corona pandemic outbreak the hotel contacted us a few days prior to arrival to check whether we would still be staying at the hotel and be able to meet the new rules set for travellers from Belgium to Germany. This was a very proactive move and showed the hotel really cared about the corona rules, luckily we were able to reply positively to both request and thus able to enjoy our stay.

At check-in we were swiftly assisted by the friendly lady working the check-in counter and where lucky that our room was already available at noon. The room itself was slightly dated, in a typical 90’s hotel room style. It had two separate beds, which unfortunately had rather bad pillows.

Despite the room being relatively small it still had two lounge chairs to sit in around a coffee table, a small working desk as well as a closet (with bathrobes and slippers for both inside). There were no coffee and tea facilities (which I thought to be a standard for five-star hotels) but they did provide a complimentary bottle of water and a (payable) minibar.

The bathroom also screamed 90s but provided everything you needed. It was small but clean. The products used where branded by the hotel.

While the gym was only very basic with a few machines in a small attic room, the pool was much more impressive being divided over two floors. You had plenty of different nooks to be able to relax on some loungers and if the weather is nice you could also make use of the outdoor pool. The pool was clearly recently refurbished and had a nicer and more contemporary look and feel to it compared to the rest of the hotel, hopefully they will progressively refurbish the rest of the hotel in the same style.

As we booked a halfboard package, our dinner in the evening was also served at the hotel. As the hotel actually consists of three different hotels our dinner was served in the Reutemann portion of the hotel, at the opposite side of the building complex. The Reutemann hotel part of the building was clearly renovated more recently as it was in the same contemporary style as the swimming pool. We received a tasty yet slightly simple 4-course dinner. The service in the restaurant was good, yet slightly slow as they seemed a bit understaffed.

In the morning breakfast was served in the Bayerischer Hof restaurant, with a beautiful morning view over the harbour and Lake Constance. Still one of the better views I’ve had for breakfast so far, only in Sankt Moritz, Sydney and Budapest or on a cruise I’ve had similarly impressive views.

The buffet wasn’t as perfectly corona proof as you might expect. While the hot food and bread part of the buffet was now handled by a staff member plating the items for you, the rest of the buffet was just pick and choose as you would before corona. The only difference was that they asked you to use a different utensil every time, yet did not foresee a spot where to dispose of it. The taste and quality of the products was good however.

We had a nice stay at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Lindau. If you visit Lindau there most likely is not a hotel with a better location. The staff was also very friendly all the time.

The only downside is that the hotel is starting to show some signs of aging (which of course is not surprising for a hotel with such a long history) and could do with a refurbishment. Judging by the Reutemann restaurant and the 2 floor pool they might actually have embarked on such a programme, so I’m curious how it will turn out. In the meantime they are still an excellent place to stay if you ever visit Lindau.

Should hotels keep on innovating and updating or do you prefer a good classic hotel? Let us know in the comments below!