Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa

Baden-Baden is well-known as a spa, resort and convention town, and since 1872 Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa has been its finest hotel. This is a side of Germany that is often overlooked: here, at the edge of the Black Forest, one may indulge in all the finest creature comforts life has to offer, from the French-inflected cuisine to the healing effects of the thermal baths.

Of course the Spa at Brenners Park goes beyond mere baths — practically any treatment imaginable is available here, European, Asian, or otherwise, and all in a refined Black Forest style. This is the best spa in one of Europe's most celebrated spa towns, which is a bit like being the best restaurant in Paris, or the best museum in Florence. And there is no shortage of athletic and other leisure pursuits, whether your tastes run to golf, tennis, riding, or biking, and the Black Forest offers a wealth of opportunities for climbers, hunters, and other outdoor types.

None of this, though, is enough to overshadow the hotel, itself one of the most luxurious in all of Europe. The buliding is located amidst idyllic parkland, alongside the Oos river, and overlooks Lichtentaler Allee, a charming old-fashioned tree-lined road. The architecture and decor are all sumptuous 19th-century luxury, with authentic antique furnishings, and the rooms are opulent and impossibly comfortable, all featuring private terraces and palatial modern bathrooms (marble, inevitably).

The Black Forest is enchanting, and Baden-Baden no less so — it would be easy (with the proper funds) to imagine yourself one of the royals who once made their summer homes here. The city is spectacular, and the casino is world-famous, but connoisseurs of unique hotels may well find Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa to be the main attraction.

How to get there: Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa is approximately a 15-minute drive from Baden Airport (FKB).