Ramada Hotel Baren, Goslar

...the shape of the Treff Ramada which we managed to book direct for only 53 euros per night room only.


The hotel is situated outside of the old town (1.5km), but it's pretty easy to find as it's only a few junctions from the main highway and well signposted in any case.
It lies within a residential area, but is relatively private as it's set in its own, wooded grounds.

It's not the most attractive building ...
...Square and squat, it's laid out in 3, 3-floored buildings - the wings fanning out from the reception area which opened out into an internal, triangular courtyard affair which was bathed in light from the glass roof.
The restaurant and bar were on one side of the ground floor, while the swimming pool on another. the courtyard area itself was well catered for in the leather sofa and occasional table department, while glass cabinets displayed ... more

While touring Germany last year, we wanted to break our journey from Berlin at a convenient spot. But we wanted somewhere we could spend a couple of days and have enough to do. After a bit of research we decided on Goslar, in the Harz mountains.
Rather than staying in an hotel on the old town with some historic character, and ricketty floors, we opted for something more modern in the shape of the Treff Ramada which we managed to book direct for only 53 euros per night room only.

The hotel is situated outside of the old town (1.5km), but it's pretty easy to find as it's only a few junctions from the main highway and well signposted in any case.
It lies within a residential area, but is relatively private as it's set in its own, wooded grounds.

It's not the most attractive building around (what was going on with architects in the 1960s?). Square and squat, it's laid out in 3, 3-floored buildings - the wings fanning out from the reception area which opened out into an internal, triangular courtyard affair which was bathed in light from the glass roof.
The restaurant and bar were on one side of the ground floor, while the swimming pool on another. the courtyard area itself was well catered for in the leather sofa and occasional table department, while glass cabinets displayed some of the local crafts.

Checking-in was quick and simple, the staff being pleasant and efficient. We did have a slight problem with the room as we had booked twin beds and were allocated a small double. However, this was quickly resolved.

We took the elevator to the first floor (even without luggage this was the preferred option as access to our room via the stairs meant walking the length of the corridor just to walk back the length of it again to our room!
The corridors were big and wide but had a somewhat spooky feel - I couldn't help thinking that this hotel had been around since the DDR days (although Goslar was most definitely in the west) and the corridors certainly had the atmosphere associated with totalitarianism...if you know what I mean - stark and soulless.
Still, it's not as if I was planning to sleep in the corridor...at least not if I kept on the good side of Mrs P.

Our room, though not large, was certainly spacious enough. The carpet was a steely grey/blue colour and the walls were white, but to break it up there was beech-wood panelling covering the lower three feet or so all the way around. There were also a few pictures to help give a more homely look. We had firm and comfortable twin beds with a central bedside cabinet between them but individual, moveable, reading lamps either side.

There was a coffee table and chairs, plenty of open-plan shelving and hanger space and a large desk with enclosed cupboards either end - again, all in beech-wood. On top of the desk sat the large TV with around 20 channels as well as pay-movies. There was also another lamp on the desk.
The window took up all of one wall with a door leading onto a decent-sized balcony which was fairly private and overlooked mostly wooded gardens.

The bathroom had a tiled floor and mock marble panelling with a corner vanity unit. The toiletries were pretty basic, the usual itsy-bitsy soap bars etc, but the towels were large and soft. There was a 3-sided mirror above the basin which was well-lit, a hair-drier, and a decent enough shower, although the pressure wasn't quite what it could've been. No tub, but everything was clean and in good condition.

As for amenities, the hotel had a bar and restaurant - neither of which we tried, a sauna, solarium and indoor swimming pool (never tried those either!). They have various conference rooms which, yes, you've guessed, we didn't make use of.
They also did outside catering, a fact we can only too readily attest too!

A wedding reception was held on the Saturday we were there and this meant that, along with the hotel being very busy, there were a great number of people whooping it up in the hotel grounds. It didn't make for a peaceful night's rest on the Saturday, but I have to say the previous night had been fine.

In conclusion, this was a decent hotel. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary, in fact just what you'd expect from a chain. Everything was clean as a whistle (and almost as noisy!), in a good state of repair and it's hard to find any fault with it. Perhaps it was a bit noisy, but to be fair, the partying didn't go on too late.
The hotel's location had plus and minus points too. While it was convenient for getting to and from the main roads leading in and out of town, it was just a little bit too distant from Goslar's old town and the walk back to the hotel was a little on the steep side.
Minor grumbles.
All in all, I'd recommend this hotel.

©proxam2006
 

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