We loved Gerte at Gastehaus plank. It is the only place we would ever stay in Graz! Lovely people, wonderful breakfast, immaculately clean, took care of us even with my horrible German! I highly reccomend this place! Go for it it is GREAT! Bus is a downhill walk takes about 10 minutes to get into downtown Graz on easy transit system. (although and uphill trek coming back ha!)

Given the prices of accommodation in Graz, Gastehaus Plank offers great value for money. It's located in Mariatrost, a hilly, green neighbourhood in the north part of Graz, full of beautiful houses. The only attraction in Mariatrost is its wonderful Basilica perched on top of a hill and overlooking the entire neighbourhood. In fact, most rooms at Gastehaus Plank offer a stunning view of the Basilica. The location of the Gastehaus has both a positive and a negative aspect: on one hand, you're removed from the bustle of the centre of town and staying in a quiet, picturesque residential area, but on the other, you're quite far away from downtown Graz.

Luckily, we had wheels and GPS navigation, so finding the place the first time and getting around Graz wasn't a problem, but I can't imagine finding the location easily without those two - you'd have to have a detailed map of Graz and very good instructions from the owners. The area is serviced by a regular bus route, though, and it takes approx. 15-20 minutes to get to downtown Graz by bus. The Gastehaus' website claims that there is a tram line, as well, but not near the house itself - there is a line connecting the Main Square with Mariatrost, but we didn't see the terminal, so I suppose it's located somewhere off the main thoroughfare Mariatrosterstrasse.

The Gastehaus itself consists of two buildings, the main one at the front which contains most of the rooms available to guests, and a second, brand new house located behind the first one in the huge back garden. As there were four of us, two were given a room in the main building, nice and cosy with en-suite bathroom, while my partner and I stayed in a room on the ground floor of the second house. Our room was part of a soon-to-be apartment with living room, kitchen and bathroom, which is currently a work in progress, so we shared it with another person, whom we never saw, though, so sharing the bathroom was not a problem. Our room was nicely appointed, large enough for two people to feel comfortable, spotlessly clean, with a TV set, and with a stunning view of the Basilica from the window which communicated with the outside terrace, where there was a bench on which you could sit to enjoy the view and perhaps smoke a cigarette (as there was an ashtray supplied). No smoking in the rooms though! The bathroom was incredibly huge, and also wonderfully appointed and spotlessly clean.

The manager, Frau Plank, is one of the genuinely kindest persons we've ever met. She is attentive to everyone's needs, approachable, and a great communicator. She speaks a little English. She'll serve you herself at breakfast, and you can order extra food from her that's not on display at the buffet table - eggs, tea, coffee, fruit, and she'll even make you a sandwich for the road if you need one.

Speaking of breakfast, it's part of the wonderful experience at Gastehaus Plank. It's served in a cosy, wonderfully appointed room in the main building, with big windows on all sides and great views. The choice of food is ample, and it tastes very good. The coffee Frau Plank made us was horrid, though, and that was the only minus for me, but there is also an espresso machine at the breakfast table which probably offers better coffee.

There is parking space in the courtyard by the main building, which was also decorated with taste and sports an artificial little pond with red and gold fish. Frau Plank shared with us that her husband is a carpenter and that he made all the carpentry work himself in both the houses. You can really tell that everything is either brand new or recently refurbished in both houses.

Graz itself, despite being the second-largest city in Austria, doesn't feel big at all, and is still quite provincial in some aspects (streets deserted after the shops close, not much of a nightlife), but offers nevertheless quite a lot of cultural tourism (great museums!) and great shopping opportunities. Definitely recommended for a short weekend break, and so is Gastehaus Plank.

Delightful gem of a place, sparkling clean, ultra-friendly and welcoming!
We spent nine days at the wonderful Gastehaus Plank in the lovely Mariatrost area of Graz (and we did not want to leave!). This wonderful guesthouse ('bed & breakfast') was a truly memorable part of our stay. It is immaculately and tastefully decorated and really sparkling clean. The double rooms are large and very comfortable with TV, table and chairs, mini bar etc. There are also apartments for more people. The prices are very reasonable.

Frau Gerti Plank, the owner, is wonderful. She is a really friendly and welcoming host and cannot help her guests enough, making brilliant suggestions for places to eat or to visit and printing transport timetables off her computer for you. She claims her English isn’t so good, but it is! Her breakfasts are out of this world - a huge buffet of delicious local produce including hams, salamis and bratwurst, cheeses, breads, fruits, cakes, yoghurts, cereals, juices and fresh coffee. Then on top of that you are offered something warm too, such as ham and eggs! The large, sunny and pretty breakfast room has views of the stunning basilica ‘Mariatrost’.

The location of the guesthouse was a real strong point for us, as it is on the outskirts yet just at the terminus of a tramline (10 mins walk to tram and trams every 10 minutes). It feels like a countryside setting, yet it’s just a convenient 20 mins to the historic Graz city centre by tram – the tram ride is interesting and pleasureable too. So you can have a city and countryside stay at the same time!

For meals Graz centre has hundreds of amazing places; there are a couple of excellent restaurants next to the basilica Mariatrost itself (15 minutes walk, part uphill) and several wonderful places just a short taxi ride from the Gastehaus, including a Buschenschank (traditional tavern serving local wine, cider and tasty home produce) where we spent a memorable evening!

Also just near the Gastehaus is a bus stop (20 mins ride) to a fantastic attraction, the Schockl Mountain with cablecar ascent, breathtaking views and lovely inns at the summit.

We would definitely stay at Gastehaus Plank again on our next trip to Graz.