Auberge du Cheval Blanc (Restaurant Koehler)

I’m admittedly not an expert in French cuisine but kitchen here left me and my family extremely delighted. The set menu was paired perfectly to the season and the duck with crispy skin was amazing. It’s a real gem that I hope to return to again next time we’re in town.

Nice little hotel in a very quiet place. The staff was very nice and helpful. The decoration of the place is well done and thought through. Lovely breakfast and breakfast area. Excelle t restaurant next door. Possibility to park just in front for free. Just the mattresses could be of better quality and the breakfast is a bit pricey but free for children though. We just wished we had been moved to a room of the same size when we had to charge. All in all a pleasant stay and we recommend it.

This is our fourth stay at the Auberge du Cheval Blanc over 8 years, so we knew what we were letting ourselves in for: a comfortable and clean room, with a good breakfast, great/friendly service and secure parking... not to mention a first-class restaurant. Why only four stars? Only because the rooms are a little tired now and the heating/air-conditioning unit rheumatic (ie noisy!). Will we stay again - yes, definitely!

On arrival we were a little disappointed that the reception was a little difficult as absolutely no English was spoken and our French was extremely limited from school lessons 60 years ago! Found the room eventually and were very pleased as it was very clean and comfortable. The bed was one of the most comfortable that we have ever slept in and had a wonderful nights sleep. The restaurant however was a bit of a disappointment. After we had originally booked the room and had it confirmed we were informed that on every Friday during November there would only be a set menu available. We reluctantly agreed to this although had been looking forward to a choice from the menu. The food was, however, very good but again the lack of English meant we were not sure what we were eating. Also the wines were included in the set menu and only one of four was to our taste. When we got the bill the following morning we felt that 79 Euro per head for food was a bit strong. We did not stay for breakfast. We know we were in France but if 'all languages spoken' is advertised we did expect a bit more communication skills than were evident.

Mixed feelings about the restaurant. The food was tasty and presentation was amazing, but for the price, portions were small and a couple of the courses were pretty basic. For $90 a person, I was hoping for a meal for the record books...that of which it didn’t make. It was excellent French cuisine, and if you’ve got money to burn and are looking for fancy, I’d say go for it. If you’re just looking for good food, there are better restaurants in the area where you can get better value.

A little disappointing is the general sentiment of our small family group gathered to celebrate a birthday. Don't get me wrong, not all is negative. Nice place, good helpful staff, excellent loos....but we did come for the food and there we left not very imprestsed. Perhaps we chose the wrong menu...the surprise menu...the surprise was 'the little on the plate'...The wine pairing was correct, even if a little too fresh....Considering the price paid....well we've had better locally elsewhere. Anyway the place was full and busy, so perhaps we were not lucky. Hope you are. Free car park opposite...

I confess I booked this stay at Auberge du Cheval Blanc by mistake. We have stayed at two other Cheval Blancs in the region in the past, and I meant to book one of those. When I set the sat nav for Westhalten I was shocked to find it was two hours south of where I had meant to be, and seriously considered cancelling our booking. I am so glad I didn't. Our spirit of adventure kicked in and we followed the sat nav. Westhalten itself is charming - an apparently sleepy, yet plainly quite prosperous village surrounded by vineyards. The Auberge is central, and has its own parking for the hotel: not obviously so when you arrive, but the receptionist told me to drive through a gateway and down to where the rooms are, and you can park securely right outside the building you will sleep in. Frankly I suspect you could leave your car unlocked, though that might be naive of me, because this village seems to me to be a good place. The decor in the hotel is a throwback to the late 1980s. I don't know if that is deliberate retro, or because there might have been a "re-looking" (as the French call it) in the 1980s and not again since, but it is certainly clean and in no way faded. The menu in the restaurant is a choice from set menus, though you can go a la carte if you wish. We had a set menu with locally sourced produce, and there were little treats by way of amuses-bouches as well. Everything we ate was delicious, and in no way formulaic. The chef has his own style, and it's a good one. My main course was monkfish in a creamy but amazingly light and aerated sauce, with morels and the merest hint of coffee in it! It was like eating fish with a kind of mushroom zabaglione (without the amaretto flavour!) which sounds wrong but was fantastic. We had some local wine by the glass, and the service was attentive and friendly. I don't know if any of the staff speak English, but they were all very helpful and polite. In the morning the lady who was in charge of the super breakfast buffet was very friendly and we chatted about where she lived, and what a nice commute to work she had. She told us what excellent amenities the village has, and what a great place to live the area is. Well, I will never live in Westhalten, but if I did the restaurant at l'Auberge du Cheval Blanc would be getting a lot of my custom. I'd definitely come back and stay again: on purpose this time!

At first, we were a bit put off by the orange/ pink decor of our room. However, it was spotlessly clean, with comfortable bed, quiet aircon, free Wifi and a little terrace. Very good breakfast, friendly service. Good restaurant ( owned by the same family ) next door.|Rouffach, the next village is very picturesque, and well worth a visit.