InterContinental Resort Berchtesgaden - Berchtesgaden, Germany     

The Intercontinental hotel is truly a spectacular property in a gorgeous setting. The consequence for this beauty is it's remoteness. It is located about 35 minutes from Salzburg by taxi on a very steep/narrow mountain road. You may have problems getting a taxi if the car isn't properly equiped for the conditions. The hotel is very contemporary and cosmopolitan in both design and clientel. Most of the hotel staff are able to communicate to a degree in english so not such a problem. The rooms were spacious and extremely well maintained. The SPA and pool facitlities are fantastic with an absolutely gorgeous view of the mountains from the outdoor heated pool. So what was the downside of our stay...the hotel is very limited in dining options. The only casual dining is the hotel bar with a very...very limited menu and extremely long wait times. The bar staff were friendly but the drinks overpriced and who would have expected to see mice run across the lounge literally...ok so they were from the forest and kind of cute....but really at a five star hotel? The breakfast charge was outrageous $50 per person...and there is literally no store of any kind that sells toiletries and essentials. If not for the remoteness I would rate much higher.

This hotel is absolutely great! The service is impeccable, the furnishings and decor are modern, clean and comfortable, the accommodation is comfortable, large, stylish and spotless, the food is good and overall, the hotel is fantastic. I received a phone call the day before I was due to check in telling me that the Duplex suite I had booked was unavailable as there were technical problems in the bathroom, I was told that the hotel would give me two nights for the price of one. Upon check in, the hotel apologised again for the problems and invited my wife and I to have dinner in the hotel's restaurant that evening complements of the hotel. In our room, there was a handwritten note from the manager wishing us a pleasent stay. The TVs are all wall mounted flatscreens, and have the usual BBC World and BBC Prime/CNN fare for English speakers. The location of the hotel is STUNNING -there was snow on the ground when we were there, making the area (surrounded by mountain peaks) seem even more surreal -it really is a mountain retreat. The wasabi nuts in the minibar are powerful, although I liked them, people in my office back in the UK who I was offering them to were less keen! Overall, this hotel is great, and writing another 1,000 words would not do it justice. In short, every aspect of the service we enountered was 100% satisfactory -breakfast was super, swimming pool (Outdoor and indoor!) were clean and huge, and as I say, the staff make the hotel feel even more luxurious.