My husband and I stayed at the Lippischer Hof hotel in Bad Salzuflen for a little over 3 weeks in November while he was working on a project with a nearby company. Based on the length of our stay, we got a really good feel for the hotel, the restaurant and the town...

The Town: Bad Salzuflen is a fantastic (and cute) little village. It is a "recuperative" town, something akin to a "spa town" but with a more medical aspect to it. We were told by my husband's co-workers in Germany (locals) that if "Bad" precedes a town name, it genreally denotes a nice area with either hot springs, or some sort of recuperative/spa/rehabilitation industry. As such, Bad Salzuflen is very quaint and picturesque, and very quiet. When walking through town, as I did most days, I would say the median age is above 50. The town square is all cobblestone and a river runs through the main section. There are shops lining the main avenues in the town center, and many are the old German style with carvings and decorations. The post office and a supermarket are right there are well. Both the bus and train stations are right near the center of town (right near the hotel) too. As you have probaly gathered by now, this is not the town for nightlife at all. Most shops were closed by 6PM and restaurants by 9PM or 10PM. That may be extended in the summer. The closest "big" city to Bad Salzuflen is Hannover (closest "big" airport anyway). The drive is about 45min to 1 hour. The autobahn is fun to drive, but we were somewhat surpised by the amount of traffic we encountered. (We drove to Brugge, Prague and down to Bavaria on weekend trips and my husband commuted to nearby Lohne).

The Hotel: The location is excellent. It is about a block from town center and the post office and supermarket and shops. It is also very close to the train and bus stations. The rooms (we saw a few because other co-workers came and went while we were there), were mostly good-sized. Average amenities and decoration.

We stayed in the Kunsler Suite (Rm 291) which was on the top floor and was huge. (I think it was bigger than some of my apartments in college). The showers are very small though. It had a little kitchen, dining room and a full living room and patios. It had a ncie view into town. I would love to say that our stay was absolutely great, but to be honest , "challenging" is probably a better word.

We're definitely not picky, and we stay in all sorts of hotels (5-star to low-end to huts on a beach) and we try to look at the postiives of anywhere we stay...

..And the Lippischer Hof does have positives: great location, good onsite restaurant, sauna and pool (FYI: the locals swim nude), underground parking (5 Euro a night), and once you get to know them, many of the employees are very, very nice (and about 1/2 speak English too, which was nice for us). In fact, as they got to know us, most of the employees were very friendly and went out of their way to be helpful. The free breakfast buffet in the morning is ok (sometimes good), and generally the hotel is pretty nice, and a pleasant place to stay.

That said, the negatives kept it from being a really enjoyable stay: One issue was that the internet access was spotty at best. Which, if you're on vacation only, isn't that big a deal, but I was working remotely, and ended up having to talk to them often about the connection. One week, it was down for 5 out of 7 days. When we (very nicely) told them that we had picked the Lippischer Hof, in part, because of internet access, they suggested we go to the local internet cafe (which due to the time difference would have been no help anyway). When we told them that the only reason it was so important to us was because we had to work, they said "Yes, sorry about that, it is bad for us not to have the internet either". (Of course, they weren't paying for it and not getting it)... Yep- to top if off, they tried to charge us for internet access for all the days). :-(

We also had some problems with a few things in the room. Some were big things: ie. the heaters. The first week we were there, the heaters didn't work at all. I understand when things break but usually things get fixed pretty quickly. We were freeezing the first week we were there. They brought up one extra blanket during that time- all they had. Only when we had enough and were going to check out, did it get finally resolved quickly. (BTW, the Hotel Arminuis (Romantik chain) is right across the town square and we've heard great things about that hotel).

The thing that bothered us most was that when issues would come up, they acted sort of "annoyed" that we would say something. (Although they did end up apologizing about the heat too). There were a lot of things we just didn't even bother to mention. I've heard that Germans aren't neccessarily known for a "customer service" mentality and that was sort of the case during our stay. Or at least some of the people. Some were very nice.

Lastly, they charged us 40 Euro more per night on the bill than what they quoted (over the course of 3 weeks that adds up). My husband's company was paying for it, but still.

The restaurant: Good food, good beer, fun atmosphere (lots of smoking though- although I heard a new law may change that). Be ready for meat, meat, meat and sauce entrees (just like most of Germany). My husband really enjoyed all the variety of meats.

The bottom line (after that huge novel of a review!) : The Lippischer Hof is a pretty nice place to stay. It is located right where you would want to be in town, and I think they try to make it a nice environment. I think we'd probably try the other hotel nearby on our next visit, but might be open to someday staying at the Lippischer Hof again.

PS. The hotel dog is named "Paulina" (a big St. Bernard) and she's a sweetie. She sometimes hangs out in the lobby, and she made the feel of the hotel a little wam and home-y. :-)

I have stayed at the Lippischer Hof several times. It is a good hotel - although a bit pricey for what you get. It is in an excellent location, just off of the main pedistrian zone / downtown shopping area of Bad Salzuflen.

The restaurant is absoultely one of my favorites in Germany. It is simple and affordable, but very good. Service is excellent. If going with more than a couple of people, I would recommend getting reservations.

If this is your first time to Germany, or are traveling with someone who has not travelled much in Germany I would stay here. You get a good feel for the charm and hospitality of the small hotels.

Overall a good place.