Everything You Need To Know For The Perfect Edelweiss Lodge Vacation in Garmisch, Germany

I think every military family stationed in Germany knows of the famous Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch. We finally decided to take the plunge and stay for a weekend this Summer! Despite all our preparations, there were still quite a few surprises we were not expecting upon check-in. Read all about our experience below so that you can be prepared for the perfect vacation in Garmisch.

Booking Your Trip

If you have never stayed at a military hotel before, here are a few things you should probably know:

• The price you pay is determined by the service member’s rank. When booking a room, you will be placed into a pay grade category by the hotel. This category determines your nightly rate at the hotel. Why is there no set rate? This is to ensure that each military affiliated guest is paying a fair price per their income.
• The reservation must be placed under the military member or their dependent(s). If your parents wish to stay at the hotel, the room must be placed in the name of the service member or their dependent(s) and you must be present.
• You must bring your military ID. You will need this to enter the property and check into the hotel.

What To Expect Upon Arrival

As this is a military hotel, you will need to enter through a security gate. At the gate, your military ID will be scanned for entry (as well as everyone else in the vehicle). Make sure no one forgets their ID! Tip: No pictures or filming of the security gate is allowed.

After entering the property, drive straight ahead to the hotel entrance where you will check-in. You can park your car at the front entrance during check-in. I recommend loading all your baggage onto a trolley while you are parked there as it will make transitioning to your room easier. If you are traveling with a pet, please note that pets are not allowed in the lobby (there are various signs all over the entryway). See ‘visiting with dogs’ section below for more information.

COVID-19 Specific Information: Currently, you will need to provide a negative test or proof you are fully vaccinated to stay at the hotel. After presenting our vaccination card, we were free to take off our masks for the remainder of our stay on property.

Parking

Once you are ready to park, you will have two options: indoor or outdoor parking. At check-in, we were told to park wherever we wanted. You will see numbers on some parking spaces, but we were informed that we should ignore the numbers and park where we please.

Tip: If you are traveling with a dog, I recommend parking outside. If you park inside, you will be walking through the hotel to reach your room. As dogs are not allowed to walk inside the lobby or any area of the hotel (outside of the one pet hallway that your room is on), you will be asked to walk outside to reach your room. Save yourself the extra walk and park outside.

The Rooms

We reserved a standard room with two queen beds for our stay. Overall, I would say we were satisfied with our accommodations, but here are a few things to note before you book your stay:

• There is no air conditioning in the rooms. We stayed during Summer and this was something we had not accounted for. Our first night, we were sweating trying to fall asleep. If you have a fluffy dog, this is something to make note of. Jasper has a short coat, but was still laying on the bathroom tile in an attempt to cool down. Luckily, our second night was cooler.
• The bed sheets were a bit scratchy. I don’t know if this was just us because we were hot from the lack of air conditioning, but the sheets in our room were very scratchy/rough. We luckily brought a few blankets in our car and ended up using these instead. If you are able to, I recommend bringing a blanket or two just in case.
• Heating is available in the rooms. This is a great feature for the Winter. We plan to come back during the holidays and see how the heating holds up for us.
• The rooms have a mini-fridge. If you have ever booked a hotel in Europe, you know that this is an amenity. Most hotels in Germany will not come with a fridge in the room, which can make packing meals for the weekend difficult.

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• The rooms have a fan. Despite the lack of air conditioning, our room did come with a fan. It was just a table top fan, but it was better than nothing.
• The rooms have a safe. This is always a feature we like to have for peace of mind during our travels.
• The bathroom is spacious. Our bathroom had a bathtub, adjustable showerhead and two sinks. It was the perfect size for the two of us!
• Cleaning services are upon request currently. Due to COVID-19, if you would like your room cleaned or you need additional towels, etc. you will need to arrange this with the front desk.

Would we stay here again? Yes, but probably only in the Winter time for us.

Visiting with Dogs

Great news for pet owners, this hotel does allow dogs. There are quite a few things you should know before deciding to bring your dog, however.

The first thing you should know is that the hotel has a limited number of pet rooms. When you are making your reservation online, you must ensure you are booking a pet friendly room, not a regular room. If you do not book a pet friendly room, your dog will not be able to stay at the hotel.

If you are wondering about the difference between a regular room and a pet room, here are a few details you should know:

• All Pet rooms are on the first floor and on the same hallway. This is important to note if you have a reactive dog because all your neighbors will likely have pets in their room and the outdoor grassy area is shared, not separated.
• There is not a grand view from the pet rooms. We were very disappointed to find out that all pet rooms have the same view, a giant green hedge. Yes, you read that right. Your view will not be of the mountains, but rather a very tall green hedge.
• There is a pet fee. If you bring your pet, be prepared to pay the pet fee for their stay.
• Your dog is not allowed inside the lobby, even during check-in. If you bring a dog, be aware that the only area of the hotel they are allowed in is the hallway your room is on (the pet friendly hallway). This means you are not able to enter the hotel with your dog to reach your room. One person from your party will need to walk through the grass, with the dog, to reach your room. Additionally, someone from your party will need to be inside the room to let you enter. This is because the glass door you will enter your room through does not open via key card. Honestly, this was a very annoying process and would be quite difficult to manage if you are traveling solo.
• Benefit of the pet rooms: Easy access to the grass for potty time. This is very useful if you have a senior dog.

Additional Information: If you have a service dog, like myself, you will still be provided a pet room (not a normal room).

Related Blog: During our stay, Jasper ended up COVERED in ticks. The ticks in this area of Germany can carry Lyme Disease and/or TBE (tick-borne encephalitis). Click here to read our blog about Lyme Disease in dogs to keep your pet safe.

Pools & Putt-Putt

If you are looking to swim, take the elevator one floor down from the lobby to reach the pool area! Once you reach this floor, you will walk through the gift shop to enter the pool area.

There are two pool areas. Indoors, you will see the main pool. If this area is too busy, come back during the designated adult-only hours for a more relaxed experience. Outside, you will find a small pool and the hot tub. Be sure to check the pool hours before you head down!

Tip: The fitness center is right next to the pool gift shop. Please note that there are additional rules for using the guy due to COVID-19.

If you are looking to stay on property, there is a putt-putt area not far from lodging. You can rent your gear from the gift shop near the front desk and then just follow their simple directions to the putt-putt area!

Restaurants

There are three on property restaurants: Pullman Café, Market Station and Zuggy’s Base Camp. During our stay, we dined at Pullman Café and Zuggy’s Base Camp.

Pullman Café was a great option for grabbing a quick snack or meal on the go. Located on the first floor, it was an easy pit stop on our way in or out of the hotel. We can confirm that everything was tasty! For lunch, we generally picked up some sandwiches and chips, but there were salads as well as hot meals offered too.

If you have a sweet tooth, have no fear! The café always had a variety of desserts on display! My husband was a big fan of their cupcakes while I was partial to their jumbo cookies.

As I mentioned, there were also hot meals offered. We decided to try the curry and while it was not my favorite meal ever, it was yummy and filled us up for the afternoon.

Tip: Try this local beer which is brewed by MONKS! We purchased ours at Pullman Café.

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During the evening, Pullman café closes and Zuggy’s Base Camp opens for business. You can find this restaurant below the lobby, on the same floor as the pool.

Our favorite items were the fried chicken sandwich, pizza and alcohol-free strawberry daiquiri (seriously, this drink was AMAZING).

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Although we did not eat at Market Station, the breakfast buffet looked like it had a good selection. You can find this restaurant on the first floor, next to Pullman café.

Don’t want to eat on property? There are quite a few restaurants in town. Many of the local restaurants also close early (especially on Sundays).

Commissary

If you do not want to utilize the restaurants, there is a commissary nearby. This is a cheaper alternative to stock up on snacks and drinks for your room. If you need directions, the front desk is very helpful!

Nearby Attractions

I will be making another blog to give you detailed tips and tricks for maximizing your trip to Garmisch. For now, here are a few of the top local attractions:

• Alpine Coaster
• Zugspitze
• Lake Eibsee
• Partnach Gorge
• Olympic Ski Jump

Have questions or concerns about your trip? Feel free to comment down below!

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