Brenners Park Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden, Germany

Driving through the Black Forest on our way to Baden-Baden, top down in the Ferrari 488 Spider, is an incredible experience. You go as fast as that car can take out, winding in and around dense trees and slower moving cars, taking in the magnificent scenery while not taking your eyes off the road. Exhilarating, to say the least.

As I rolled up on the Brenners Park Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, the adrenaline began to subside, and I could breathe a bit more easily once again… as exhilarating as the drive was, equally elating was the fact the car didn’t have a scratch on it and I arrived safe and sound to such a relaxation destinations.

The Brenners Park Hotel & Spa was 5-star all around. Old world hotel meets contemporary renovation coupled with over-the-top service – excellent choice by our guide, Josh, for the first true night of our trip.

With less than 20 hours to enjoy the town and area, we all decided to meet down at the hotel’s restaurant for a bite to eat and refreshments, before wading in the pool and exploring the town.

Total relaxation in the Black Forest – waves of blissful peace washed over us as we reminisced about the drive and soaked up the moment.

At €33 and a list of ingredients only in German, I couldn’t pass up the Brenners Club Sandwich… I just assumed it would only add to this moment of zen. We all ordered and waited patiently for our food to arrive. I decided to pair my meal with an espresso martini – with the adrenaline starting to wear off and tranquility taking over, it felt like the beverage of choice to carry me into the late afternoon sun.

Self-titled, this club did not exude the old world charisma coupled with contemporary flare that the Brenners Park Hotel did. I used google translate to understand I was meant to be eating “juicy” turkey breast, but sadly it was a bit dry. The “crispy” bacon, as google translate described, was almost non-existent. For a region specializing in Black Forest ham, I was hoping for something more unique with this protein. The fried egg was average and the iceberg lettuce truly added nothing. I was at a loss for what made this €33 – even the side salad was simply that, some greens dressed up in a vinaigrette. The French fries were solid, however, and I filled up on them while sipping my espresso martini and sharing laughs with the group.

We had an incredible stay at Brenners Park Hotel, and absolutely loved Baden-Baden. A late evening at the local casino was the best way to top off the experience. But it was all short lived – after enjoying an absolutely fantastic breakfast at the hotel, we hopped in our cars and headed for Strasbourg, France, for lunch, before making out way to Zurich for the night…