A question that easily gets lost when booking a hotel and then runs through the whole holiday: how does dinner work? For many a side issue. For someone who is out and active during the day and wants to arrive in the evening, it's one of the most noticeable differences between two hotels that otherwise look the same.
The good news first: with us you don't have to decide between one or the other. There's a half-board buffet for hotel guests - and anyone who prefers to choose eats à la carte. Plus a coffee house for in between. This article explains how that fits together and which option is right for whom.
The half-board buffet for hotel guests
If you book half board with us, you get a buffet from our own kitchen in the evening - regional, with choice, without having to order and wait. For many, that's exactly the relaxed part: go in, take what you fancy, and not have to worry about anything. A buffet has its purpose, and we do it gladly and well.
But a buffet also has a time window - it's served within a certain period in the evening. For most guests that's no problem. For someone who only gets back late from a long tour, it can get tight. That's exactly what the second option is for.
If you prefer more flexibility: à la carte
You don't have to take the buffet. If you'd rather choose from the menu, you eat à la carte - freshly cooked for you, whenever you sit down. That's the option for everyone who doesn't want to arrange their evening around a fixed window.
In practice: you come back from the tour, let the day wind down, perhaps go down to the lake briefly, shower in peace. When you're hungry, you sit down - on the lakeside terrace if the weather plays along, otherwise inside - order what you fancy that evening, have a glass of wine with it and stay as long as you like. Our own kitchen also means: food is actually cooked, not kept warm. What lands on your plate is freshly prepared.
A coffee house for in between
Food with us isn't only breakfast and dinner. During the day there's coffee, homemade cake and ice cream - on the terrace above the water, for the break after the bike tour or the quiet afternoon by the lake. A little something in between is possible this way too, without waiting for the evening. That makes the day more flexible than a rigid meal schedule allows: you eat when it fits your day, not the other way round.
Why this suits active couples in particular
An active holiday follows its own logic. Tours can't be planned to the minute - the weather, the mood, the refreshment stop, the headwind on the way back quickly shift your return by half an hour. If you then only had a fixed buffet window, you'd have to arrange your day around it. Because with us there's a choice, you don't have to.
Then there's the atmosphere. After a quiet day in the mountains or by the lake, you want to arrive, not walk into a busy operation. The lakeside terrace right on Lake Brennsee, a glass of wine, the mountains in the evening light, no noise - that's the evening you want after an active day. And if your dog is with you, it simply lies next to you.
Breakfast that fits a flexible day
What applies in the evening applies in the morning too. An active day doesn't start the same for everyone. One wants to leave early because the tour will be long and the cool morning hours beckon. The other takes it easy because their day at the lake has no start time anyway. A good breakfast is the foundation for an active day - with what you need for the tour, and at a pace that doesn't rush you.
Which option suits whom
To keep it fair: neither option is "better". They suit different guests.
The half-board buffet is ideal if you value maximum choice, like to put your own plate together and don't want to worry about anything in the evening. À la carte is the choice if you want to stay flexible, eat in peace with freshly cooked food and set the pace of your evening yourself. Many of our guests use both - the buffet one evening, the menu the next.
We're a small, quiet house by the lake where active couples have their own rhythm. If you're looking for a big, lively family hotel with buffet-only service, you'll find that in the region too - the choice begins with knowing what you really want in the evening.
If you're travelling actively as a couple, we've described in the article Active holidays without the family bustle why a small adults-only house works better for you. How the whole active holiday on Lake Brennsee fits together is on our overview page Active holidays on Lake Brennsee.
If you'd like to know whether your preferred dates are free, the best thing is to check availability directly - or write and tell us what you have in mind.