I would stay here again. Our room was nice, but we were very confused on our arrival. There is a separate part of the hotel, in another rather non-descript building across a small courtyard, and this is where we were initially taken. This building had none of the charm of the main hotel, and seemed deserted. When I asked if anyone else was staying there, I was told no. After we were shown to our room, we decided we were not pleased, so I went back over to reception and told the attendant we were unhappy with our room, and that we wanted to stay in the main hotel, if possible. He showed me two different rooms, and we took one of them. I have no idea why we were stuck in that other building at first, because the main hotel seemed to be almost totally unoccupied. Things worked out OK, but it was a very strange and rather disconcerting beginning.

The restaurant was a very lively place, the food was good, but the service was lacking. The breakfast buffet was very nice.

The staff was very friendly, and at checkout gave us a "goody bag", with several nice things in it. There is no elevator, but the young man at the desk carried our luggage up the steps for us, even going back and retrieving them from the first room.

Bamberg downtown is pretty quiet at night, so you will get a good night's sleep here. The rate was absurdly high. Forget it! Plus there is no lift to the second floor, so you have to tote your bags yourself. A steep climb in a narrow staircase. The restaurant staff and the hotel staff are the same, so if the restaurant is busy, be prepared to wait 15 minutes (I did), as the diners have top priority. Actually, there isn't enough wait staff either, so be prepared to wait while dining as well. Internet connection is extra. Parking is at the city underground lot at 12 euro/24 hours (your time resets each time you leave. Look elsewhere.

It would be hard to find a more conveniently located hotel in beautiful Bamberg. It would also be hard to find a hotel in the city with a more charming setting. Backing onto the river, the hotel sits very close to the famous and highly impressive Bamberg Rathaus and right beside a quaint, flower-lined wooden footbridge across the water. The hotel is in the old town, close to the fabulous Dom and very near to the city's numerous and wonderful brauhaus. For us, it was a perfect base. The breakfast buffet was also very good and the room was modern and comfortable.

That was the wonderful. Now for the weird...

The staff were confused and at sea when we arrived, and our room smelt strongly of roasting hamhock when we entered it. We also raised an eyebrow when we saw one member of staff applying clingfilm to the hotel stairs and another applying tinfoil to the walls of a makeshift kitchen at the front of the building. Thankfully there was an expanation for these intricisies: Brudermeuhle was readying for Bamberg's enormous annual beer festival, which (sadly) began the day we left.

The hotel is family run and friendly and due to its location, we wouldn't hesitate to recomend it. However, the location comes at a price. Our two nights at Berdermeuhle cost more than three nights at the exceptional hotel we stayed at just before in Garmisch-Partenkichen.

A tip for anyone booking - ask for a room overlooking the river. Our room overlooked the front, which meant that when we opened our windows, we were over-powered by the smell of food from below.

We stayed here in June after booking a triple room with an extra bed and extra baby cot. However, our reservation on booking.com turned out to be for a triple room with a baby cot only. As it turns out, triple rooms can only accommodate one extra bed, nothing more. I am pretty sure booking.com's website says max 2 extra beds allowed - in our experience, not so. Therefore we had to get an extra room (120 euro extra) in addition to our 155 euro triple room.

The rooms are recently renovated, bathrooms (albeit small) also renovated with Yves Rocher lotion and shower gel/shampoo. Free wireless is available throughout the hotel. The parking is relatively far - across the bridge - and pricey (12 euro/day), although an on-site 4 euro/day parking option is advertised (but none was available). The staff is nice, friendly and accommodating, but the reception desk is often not attended. Not very safe or convenient if you're in a hurry trying to get your room key. The on-site restaurant is very good, for both breakfast and dinner (didn't try the lunch). The hotel/restaurant are both kid-friendly, even if some of the customers are less so.

Overall, a nice experience and we did enjoy Bamberg. The inconsistencies between booking details requested and what the hotel can offer should be resolved.