Schwarzwaldgasthaus Salenhof

We were looking to stay in the Black Forest close to the amenities of Lake Titisee. It was our third trip to the area, but the first in the summer. We were promised temperatures in the mid to late 20s and we were not disappointed. Making our reservation was a challenge. I have no German and any email communication in English led to no response. We tried again, via Google translate and were more successful. They had a room for 3 and a room for 1 - all at a price far more affordable than if we were right on the lake itself. Half board was offered for an extra EU14-17 per person per night, which we planned to do. On arrival, we were greeted with blank expressions. I started panicking that we hadn't reconfirmed our reservation in the week before. Happily, our names were in the reservation book and we were shown to our rooms. Both rooms were large and airy. They were traditionally decorated and had multilingual satellite TV too. The bathrooms were en-suite; we had balconies with a side on view of the valley below. I would call it the equivalent of 3*. There was a barbecue on the first night. On subsequent nights, there was a choice of al-la carte or set menu. We actually went al-la carte throughout. The main courses are substantial and we often were satisfied with that alone. This was paired with delicious local beer and finished off with some schnapps or some German wine. It is unpretentious fare and exactly what we wanted. The staff are busy, friendly and attentive. You can tell that this is a local hot spot as the diners were not restricted to being hotel guests. We ate in for all of our four nights - I think that if we were staying any longer we would have ventured a bit further to avoid repetition, though we hadn't exhausted the menu. Most of the local sights are within an hour's drive of the guesthouse. The lake is 10 minutes away. There is also a bus stop just outside but, I'm not sure how much sightseeing you would get done without a car or a motorbike. Also, there is no lift, so this venue is not ideal for the disabled. The only other warning is that the wifi and mobile phone access is very limited. We loved it and will be back for another summer holiday in the future.