I read the ratings only after I reserved a room in Grüner Baum and I was little bit anxious - but I had very positive experiences with the hotel and the staff. We had a junior suite with huge balcony and breathtaking sea view. We could check-in only after 3pm. The location of the hotel is great, we could park our car next to the building free of charge. We had a good dinner in the hotel - nothing special, but since it was low season there were not many possibilities. I have to mention that the waitress was really very nice. We had a good sleep, no bells ringing from the chrurches, as we expected from the previous ratings and the breakfast was also very good despite of the opinions I read - large selection and the morning view of the lake was unforgettable. Whenever I get back to Hallstatt I will definitely choose this hotel.

We were there for 2 nights as part of an InnTravel hiking vacation. They cater more leisurely crowd but it was great for us. We only had the breakfasts there & the were fantastic, with a table overlooking the lake. And our room was awesome, nice bedroom, separate sitting room with great views (although it was called a 'church view' we did have partial views of the lake & the rest of the town). And while we were on the 3rd floor (4th floor in Canadian terms) and every floorboard squeaked, that added to the charm for us (but I got the impression it caused others to cringe).

The service was top notch. The only quirk was that the WiFi was only available in the restaurant & lobby, it didn't reach to the rooms ... but no one should be going to Hallstatt to spend the day online.

We took the boat from the train station (beside the hiking trail) across the lake from Hallstatt to the town, before we got to the Grüner Baum (~20m from where the boat docks) my wife had fallen in love with Hallstatt & said we would be coming back, the second we walked into our room at the Grüner Baum she said she wanted that room again when we get back there.

First impressions were very good. We had a junior suite (I think room 103) and it was very big, which was a pleasant feeling after being in tiny european hotel rooms for the past 3 weeks. The terrace as well was huge and the view is lovely.

However, after these great first impressions, we found some negatives:
- there wasn't a fridge
- the plumbing ran down the cavity in our bedroom wall and everytime someone in the rooms above went to the toilet or had a shower, it sounded like there was a waterfall beside our bed.
- The foyer on the first floor was always dark and it was quite dangerous walking down the dark staircase
- as its a very old house, there was a lot of creaking on the wooden floors and the walls were very thin.

Nestled between the town square and the lake, this hotel could not be more picturesque. Both sides of the hotel have wonderful views. The rooms are large, most with separate living and bedrooms. Expect to wake up at 6:00 am when the bells of the Protestant church next door go crazy, followed by the bells of the Catholic church down the street. Otherwise, the rooms are very quiet. The hotel houses a fine restaurant for dinner, and the included breakfast is above average.

Say hello to Rocky, the house cat.