Berghotel Habbel

We visited berghotel Habbel with our family, including two children aged 9. Arriving on Friday, we had booked a two nights stay with an extended "late checkout" on Sunday. The village of Cobbenrode is a typical Sauerland style of town. it seems to be a mainly quiet village: most of the buildings are houses. There is a church, 2 small banks, 1 very small grocery store and a community hall... that seems to be it. The hotel is located just outside the village, on a hillside, with beautifull vieuws! That is really one of the best features of the hotel. Berghotel Habbel is a hotel which has a very nice family-feeling to it, and although by the look of it, it must have a lot of rooms, still breathes a cosy family-friendly atmosphere. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a very frienldy owner, mr. Ralf Habbel, who showed us to our familyroom. This was a very very big room on the second floor! It has a super large bathroom with three mirrors (yoohoo!), two sinks, a big bath/shower, and seperate WC. Our children had a lovely seperate room. Our doublebeds were situated in a large room, complete with balcony, overlooking the West. It also contains a sitting area, large closets, a large tv and a writing desk. The room was extraordinary clean. As all rooms in German hotels, ours had lovely duvets which kept us warm all night. Unfortunately, this was necessary... Our room was so big, the heating system couldn't keep up with the cold temperatures outside... Ofcourse, temperatures were -10°C at night. But the hotel should be prepared for this, we believe. We had the feeling that the attic, above our heads, was not insulated at all. The cold seemed to come from above. We had hoped to be able to spend some time in our room after diner, with the children or watching tv. But the cold made us go to bed at 9pm... because ofcourse, diner had already ended by that time. Again, this wouldn't have been that bad if we would have been able to spend some time in the bar after diner. The bar looks really cosy! Unfortunately, this was made impossible for us, as the hotel (for some very incomprehensible reason) still allows people to smoke in there!! In most countries this is not allowed any more, and being used to that, we found it really annoying that Berghotel Habbel still allowes its clients to smoke in there! Really people, this is soooo not done anymore! This made us flee to our room, instead of having another wine, or whiskey at your bar which we were actually looking forward to as they do have a large selection of schnaps, liquers and whisky!! We would have spend some extra cash in there ... Please think of that, it was a bummer... More than this: during the day we could smell cigarettesmoke as far as the second floor, where our room was situated. Unacceptable, really! Well, having said that, the rest of our stay was wonderfull!! Diner was lovely, with excellent choices, nice dishes and wonderfull wines. Service is amicable and swift at the same time. Everyone at the hotel tries to make your stay as nice as possible. Our children were treated very well and had enough choice for diner as we had. A complement for that. Ofcourse, in regard to their age, the rate for diner was the same as an adult. But, nevertheless, there was nothing to complain about. The pool/wellnes area is very nice as well! It is kept very clean and our children were allowed to use it as well. There is a Finnish sauna and a Sanarium, a Steambath, and an Infraredcabin. Two showers plus a special shower with moodlights, two lavatories and enough room to change clothes. The deckchairs were new and comfortabel (new cushions), and there is lots of space to sit. You also get a lovely view of the countryside as a bonus. We did miss some water to drink, or tea facilities, but this should be considered as a tip for future guests, not as a complaint. The jacuzzi is wonderful and the pool just the right size for a little swim as a cooling-down after the sauna. Just don't expect to maintain your daily swimroutine in it... :-) The hotel offers a 3/4 pension, which includes a nice breakfast buffet. We did miss the bacon and scrambled eggs (although the eggs could be made on request), the sausages and other "würstchen" were not to our liking. A nice glass of sekt is also at hand. There is enough choice in cheese, meat, fruit, bread, etc... At noon, you can go to the bar for a little soup. In the afternoon, you can choose between 3 or 4 gateau's that are offered to guests. We think this formula was perfect for us! Again, the smoking in the bar during lunch and cake-time, did put us of. That was the only downside of it. There are beautifull trips to be made in the area. Near the hotel, a couple of nice hikingpaths start, but the entire community of Cobbenrode and Elslohe offer wonderfull footpaths. It is a lovely hilly area for hikers! Also, the skiing area of Winterberg is nearby (only 30km to the east). There is also an indoor playroom for little children in the hotel itself, although there is no outdoor playground. We didn't miss that, but for families with younger children, this should be noted. In summer the terras has to be a very nice place to have a drink: overlooking the valley in the sunshine... We would certainly recommend this hotel to everyone but would please urge the hotelowners to make the entire building smoke-free. We would totally come back if that were the case.