Waldhotel Stein

We were in the room 65, a room in one of the severa dispersed buildings that compose the hotel. The room and the building that hosts it were last renovated probably more than 30 years ago. Furniture and windows are 70´s style (not vintage, just old). No minibar, no bottle of water, no water boiler, not even reading lights on the bed side . Several spider webs in the room showed that the room was not used nor cleaned since quite a while. Tried to contact the reception to inform them about our need to make an early check-out: nobody replied the phone and reception door was locked. The hotel is quite far from the city center, not reachable with public transportation and definitely not by bike (very steep roads - 18%). The hotel is very isolated, so you will need a taxi to go anywhere (café, shops, restaurants, ...). 160€/night for a room that would probably not qualify as 2-stars. We were too tired after a bike tour and did not complain about the room - but definitely should have done that. I have heard / read that apparently famous politicians used to sleep in this hotel; if that is really the case, this is either many many years ago, or maybe in a completely different building from where we have been sleeping.

I would say this hotel is very quiet and comfortable, absolutely no noise at night as it is located in the countryside, about 15km away from town. I had a deckchair on the lawn just in front of my room. the hotel staff is friendly and your food is served when you come back after the opera at about 11pm for the longest such as Meistersinger from Nurnberg. They also provide a shuttle service to go to the opera but you have to come back by taxi. All is at a reasonable price for this time of the season, I recommend this hotel for staying during the festival

If it’s a good night’s sleep you are after during the activity of the Wagner Festival, then Waldhotel Stein is a serious option with its woodland setting, minimal external light and quiet location. At first we found the simplicity of the rooms disconcerting, with its chunky pine furniture and the only outlook being by conventional height windows, so you couldn’t see out from the chairs or the bed. But we slept very soundly every night, ate well at breakfast and the cleanliness of the rooms could not be faulted. Being out of town suited people like us who wanted to spend our days hiking or visiting other places. A car (or bikes) are necessary for getting to and from performances but that was fine for us. Parking onsite was never a problem. Things I wished: 1. That there had been a kettle in our room to make ourselves a tisane at the end of the evening, while winding down after a performance. 2. That we’d booked direct rather than via a booking service since that meant we paid for our breakfast. 3. That we didn’t have so many steps from where parked to where our room was. For hiking, we’d especially recommend the nearby Alexander von Humboldt trail, through medieval silver mines and forests. If we're lucky enough to get festival tickets another time, we'd certainly look at staying here again.

Frau Stein was a gracious hostess while we stayed with her to hear Wagner's Ring in Bayreuth. Our room was very nice, large, with the usual amenities. She provided an excellent breakfast buffet. There were many kinds of meat and cheese, delicious, as well as fruit and cereal. It was lovely to stay out in the country as a change form the city. We had a car, so used that to get to Bayreuth for the operas. We also had various lunches and dinners which were quite tasty. We would definitely stay here again for the music in Bayreuth.

I stayed here with a group of friends during the bicentennial Wagner festival last summer. All in all, the stay was a very pleasant one, despite a few (mostly minor) problems. The setting is particularly nice. The hotel is wonderfully located with a nice garden area, and is in the middle of the beautiful Upper Franconian countryside. Alongside the hotel is a forest and a golf course, with a lovely walking path. Several mornings I went for long walks having been guided by the very friendly owner, Frau Stein. She was one of the main reasons why the stay was so pleasant. The service was very good and friendly. The buffet breakfast also good, and was served until quite late. The rooms (cottages mainly) are a little dated and quite eccentrically decorated. A sort of 1970s kitsch meets German countryside!! But the rooms are clean, and housekeeping services were good. The few times we dined in, each time in the garden area, both the food and the service was fine. On the last day, the phone lines were down, but Frau Stein was very accommodating and accepted our credit on good faith. Some of us had cash to pay but the others paid our dues when we arrived back home by electronic transfer. Generally, a good and pleasant stay, and I will definitely stay here again when I visit Bayreuth.