Widmann's Lowen

Widmann's Lowen

Widmann's Lowen sits in Koenigsbronn, three kilometres out from the centre, near enough to walk to Nymphaea Zoo, Esslinger Burg and the Mercedes Benz Museum, but far enough that this is a base for wandering rather than a nightlife address. The front desk does not run around the clock here: arrive after 9pm and you are asked to flag it in advance, and check-in itself happens through a key safe, with the code sent by email before you get there. It suits someone who plans a little and does not need a lobby staffed at 2am, and it will frustrate anyone wanting a concierge on call. What sets it apart from the usual small-town three-star is the range packed into just 28 rooms, one of which is a Standard Double Bungalow with a garden view, a room type peers this size rarely bother stocking. There is a tennis court, a skiing area, bikes for rent and marked hiking routes straight from the property, plus a library and ping-pong table for the evenings, and a spa and massage room for the days you would rather not move. A conference hall covers work trips. The restaurant closes on Tuesdays, so time that dinner accordingly. Pets travel for a fee, an extra bed runs 80 EUR a night, staff speak English and German, and parking and Wi-Fi come free. It is not a hotel that performs hospitality at you. It is one that hands you a key code and gets out of the way. Widmann's Lowen in Koenigsbronn trades a 24-hour desk for a key-safe check-in and gives you a tennis court, ski area, bikes and a rare garden-view bungalow across just 28 rooms. Good for self-sufficient travellers based near hiking trails, not for those who want staff on hand at midnight.