“Wherever you go, Brenner’s is best” – Frank Sinatra
Location
Thankfully remaining relatively untouched by the second world war and just a stones throw from France, Baden-Baden possesses Belle Epoque charm whilst serving as the gateway to the Black Forest. Home to the Fabergé Museum, a storied casino, opera house and a racecourse just beyond the town, it is a meeting point of culture and nature. The River Oos flows just in front of the hotel, creating a natural divide from the Lichtentaler Allee Park.
Atmosphere
Despite the recent, meticulous renovation, Brenner’s still possesses an air of grandeur and etiquette. However, one feels at ease wafting through its palatial corridors in just a robe and slippers. The service is very German: precise and matter of fact with warmth and humour, and the staff are young and excited to put their learned expertise into practice, ensuring your name is rarely forgotten during your stay. There are moments of ceremony woven throughout which feels natural given the setting; nowhere more so than in between courses at The Wintergarten, where the beef tartare is enthusiastically prepared table-side using an abundance of silverware, ingredients and flair.
Design
Like many Oetker properties, Brenner’s balances glamour with an ease that feels wonderfully lived in, shaped by more than a century and a half of hospitality. Houses arranged in a row, following the river, the buildings interconnect via the Main House’s first floor. Inside is as though a doll’s house has been brought to life. The generous interiors allow one to feel wondrously small and the communal areas are curated with polished and patinated antiques. Rich tones and patterns are spread over the walls, furnishings and floors, culminating in the cigar lounge and billiards room, where the essence is more of a quiet sophisticated gentleman’s club. The halls have been carefully decorated with prints and posters of the town’s pastimes from bygone eras. There is a slight English influence, hinted via the occasional print of equestrian hunts. The fifth floor corridor is home to a selection of works by the hotel’s notable guests including a handful of Hockney drawings and a doodle by Bono.
In comparison, the Spa and fitness centre feel appropriately light and refined, with moments of modernity and colour. The indoor swimming pool carries a distinctly Roman air to it. It is set within a temple-esque building with stately proportions. The walls are painted with mosaic-like murals and lined with heated marble benches, while in the summer months vast sliding glass doors open directly onto the gardens.
Rooms & Suites
The spacious rooms and suites are wonderfully analog, with flicking light switches and curtains that ask to be hand drawn. You won’t see any touchscreen controls here and each room is complete with antique furniture, patterned wallpaper and desks thoughtfully placed facing towards the view from the vast windows. Perhaps it is the roomy walk-in wardrobe, the interconnecting layout or the balcony that allows one to feel completely content with spending most of their stay in their suite.
Villa Stephanie’s suites are centred around wellness and recovery. A button can be found on the bedside tables, disconnecting the wifi from the suite and blocking all external network signals from your phone, allowing a total detox from technology.
Dining
Tucked away on the ground floor, Fritz & Felix serves regional dishes in a stylish, roaring twenties-inspired setting, with signature plates prepared in the open kitchen over a Galician charcoal grill, while breakfast is also served here each morning.
Recently receiving another ‘Award of Excellence’ from Wine Spectator, The Wintergarten revives vintage recipes with a relaxed silver service. The beef tartare and ice cream soufflé, a 100 year old recipe, both arrive table side for a ceremonious preparation. Dine in the conservatory or in the warmer months, outside on the Park terrace for views of the cherry-blossomed garden and the Oos. The adjacent lounge serves afternoon tea, with delicate sandwiches and pastries created by the Brenner’s patisserie and in the evening, warms up with live piano music and drinks from the Oleander Bar. Perfect for an aperitif or a digestif by its crackling fire before heading into the cigar lounge.
Connected to the spa and medical clinic, Villa Stephanie’s Le Salon offers a more secluded dining spot and serves light health-focused dishes such as power poke bowls and a Thai green curry, with a choice of dining inside by the fire or on the open-air but private terrace. It is particularly suited to guests undergoing treatments, offering a more private dining experience during their recovery, away from the still relatively small crowds of the Main House. Each day, a new smoothie is readily available to swig from the refreshment station.
Wellness
Led by chief physician Dr. Harry König, the clinic located in Haus Julius specialises in preventative healthcare and longevity-focused programmes, combining diagnostics, detoxification, physiotherapy, nutrition, dermatology and aesthetic medicine under one roof. Guests can undertake extensive inpatient programmes tailored to everything from stress recovery and sleep optimisation to metabolic health and post-burnout restoration, supported by a team of onsite physicians and specialists. Villa Stéphanie acts as a quiet counterpart to the clinic, its rooms specifically designed for those undergoing treatments and recovery. Directly connected to the spa and medical facilities, it offers an added level of privacy and discretion, with Dr. König’s medical team able to visit guests in-room, interpreters included where needed.
Closing
Whether you are here for clinical reasons or simply to unwind, the important thing is that you are here. Somehow, following a years-long restoration, it emerges with even more heart and soul than before, which is a true rarity. Days are spent on your balcony listening to the Oos, afternoons in the Black Forest, evenings with chips down at the casino, mornings just reflecting. Brenner’s Park has only ever been a hotel and, crises aside, it should always remain one – a reminder of how beautifully analogue life can be.
Photography courtesy of Brenner’s Park-Hotel & Spa
