Friday: Hotel Lindenmühle, Bad Berneck
The journey north continued. We settled on the town of Bad Berneck, 15 km north of Bayreuth, and its 29-room Hotel Lindenmühle, a Michelin “Bib Hotel.” First, though, was a stop in Bodenmais, at the foot of the Grosser Arber, the Bayerischerwald’s highest point (4,777 feet). Daytrips to Prague leave the town center at 7:30am and include lunch for €28. Bodenmais is famous for its crystal and glassware, but our interest was to determine if the Hotel Adam-Bräu is still recommendable. The Adam is a Brauereigasthof, a hotel that also brews beer.  Probably the best-known establishment in this category is the Brauereigasthof Aying, in the town of Aying east of Munich.

A 20-minute tour of the Adam’s guestrooms and public spaces demonstrated the vitality of a successful business. Since our last visit, guestrooms have been added, restaurants enlarged, and new, rather extensive, wellness facilities built. Though a bit kitschy, and a couple of steps below luxury, the Adam is worthy of our recommendation, especially given the prices. A spacious double room with breakfast and dinner is €112. (Contact: Bahnhofstr. 51-53, D-94249, Bodenmais, tel. +49/09924/94000, fax 9400 100, hotel@adam-braeu.de, www.adam-braeu.de)

Bad Berneck follows the Weisser Main river as it winds through a steep ravine. At the end of the town’s main street sits the three-star, Hotel Hartls Lindenmühle, in a handsome, four-story, dull red building with white shuttered windows. Multicolored floor tiles in the open, airy reception area belie the stiffer, more traditional exterior. Among the advantages bestowed by buildings of this vintage are wide hallways and the high ceiling we found in our spacious double room. The hotel’s free wireless Internet access provided a chance to catch up on emails.

Gastronomically, the Lindenmühle was a step down in both price and quality from the cuisine of the past three nights. After being assured by the front desk that reservations were not needed, we were lucky to get the last table on a busy, noisy night. At €11.50, a juicy, fig-stuffed chicken breast on basil noodles, accompanied by crisp, flavorful sautéed vegetables — carrots, fennel and zucchini, took top honors. Less successful was a rather flat tasting Barbarie (Moscovy, female) duck breast (€16) with tiny gnocchi in tomato sauce. A fine local Franconian beer, Zwickl, was delivered in a ceramic mug.

With dinner at €37, sans beverages, and the room at €84, the total of $163 was well under our $200 per day goal.

While we wouldn’t recommend making a special journey, or even a detour, the Lindemühle is a better than adequate option if one happens to be in the region. The food was acceptable, the service friendly and helpful, and room Number 103 above average. Though the shower was a hand-held device over the tub, with just a partial glass panel to keep the splash under control, there were compensations; wireless Internet and a TV with a large screen.

• Contact: Hotel Hartls Lindenmühle, Kolonnadenweg 1, D-95460 Bad Berneck, tel. +49/09273/500 650, fax 500 65 15, info@lindenmuehle.de, www.lindenmuehle.de No rail service.
• Daily Rates: Singles €59-69, doubles €89-99
• Rating: Quality 12/20, Value 15/20
• Restaurant: Quality 11/20, Value 14/20