Jeremy Y.
Yelp
This was an amazing hotel to stay at with a family of 4(2 adults, 2 boys - 6 and 9). The room was cozy and Bavarian picturesque. We had room 16; 14-16 appear to have the best views. We could see the street below us and the Zugspitze and Garmisch ski areas in the distance. Absolutely stunning!
Check-in is a bit harder on a Tuesday as the restaurant below is not open and so staffing is minimal. Still, we had no issue coordinating with Barbara for our arrival. The staff are very direct yet also very caring and concerned. Barbara covered everything we needed to know for our stay.......And here comes the best part: You are staying above the best authentic Bavarian restaurant around. We ate both nights they were open. The food is nothing short of phenomenal. We had a lot of standard Bavarian fair - plenty of schnitzels, sauerkraut, and potatoes, but the menu is fairly extensive. Even better were the drinks. German Red wine from the Rhine region, beer, beer, more beer, and of course Schaps!(Don't Screw up and use 2 Ps in Germany!). The "Bier Liquore", is the drink of choice and it is addictive. The staff bring it out in a traditional shot serving board, while the accordion player sings a drinking song whenever a large group orders them.
And that brings us to the ambience and entertainment. The walls, ceilings, and tables are covered with Bavarian history. I challenge you to find a more Bavarian restaurant, outside of EPCOT(that's sarcasm). An accordion player belts out the oompah from 7-1030(or later). Bavarian Folk Dancers slap silly from 730 on. Tip both - don't be a putz. This appears to be a family run restaurant with Barbara at the helm. We noticed each evening there was a family table where Barbara and other staff, on breaks, would sit with their relatives and eat and drink. It was really nice to see this way of working, ensuring that people that work almost every evening still get time with family.
Breakfast is continental and a bit extra(I think 7 euros). Yes it's lacking hot eggs and bacon, but it's got everything else and then some. Highly recommend it.
I'm really happy we stayed at the Fraundorfer and will come back again for sure.
Tips for staying in Garmisch:
- Rent a car. It would have been a couple hundred bucks more to rent a car but because we skied everyday, use of the town busses added many hours to our trip. If you plan to go over to Fussen to see Neuschwanstein Castle, it's 3.5 hours by train, and the. Another 3.5 back to Munich airport. A car would take you 1 hour from Garmisch to Fussen and then 1hr40 to Munich airport(1hr20 if you like going "Loooooooodicrous speed" on the open parts of the autobahn". I know this because we ended up renting a car to get to Fussen - and yes I Pwned that sucker.
- Even if you don't ski, go to the top of the Zugspitze and down into the glacier. It's otherworldly.
- If you do ski - skiverleih is the best rental spot by far. We rented in the glacier and returned in town.
- Absorb and respect the culture and don't be American tourist putzes - I saw a few. The locals are happy to help you understand their ways. And 19% on the bottom of any bill is TAX, not a built-in tip. These people work hard!