Romantik Hotel Friederikenhof outside Lübeck - Perfect start to your road trip

There are hotels next to the autobahn where you just sleep. Practical. Simple. Convenient. Then there are hotels where you feel your shoulders drop a few centimeters even in the parking lot. Romantik Hotel Friederikenhof, just south of Lübeck, definitely belongs to the latter category.

Amidst cornfields and forest groves in a small village, lies an old farmhouse that has existed since the 16th century. In the 1990s, the farm was given a whole new lease of life when barns, cowsheds and piggeries were converted into a hotel and restaurant. The result? A rural hotel where the beautiful brick buildings with their steep roofs speak of the farm's long life.

For those who come by car to Romantik Hotel Friederikenhof – which most people do – there are plenty of free parking spaces and also charging facilities for electric cars.

Room number 1 – literally

We checked in and were given room number 1. It was modern, fresh and tastefully decorated, while still retaining the charm of the old farm. The bathroom was newly renovated with a rain shower, hairdryer and toiletries. The large double bed was very inviting after the day's driving.

There was also a desk, wardrobe and a comfortable armchair. Since the room was on the ground floor, we also had our own little patio with furniture – perfect for morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. Functional, fresh and just as uncomplicated as you want it to be.

An extra plus: dogs are welcome for a small fee. For those of us who traveled with a dog, it was a bit difficult to keep the patio door open, as the little one could easily have slipped out.

When the easiest choice also became the best

After a day on the road, we couldn't even think about looking for a restaurant in Lübeck. We made it comfortable for ourselves and settled in the hotel restaurant. It turned out to be a very wise decision.

The kitchen works primarily with local produce and is also part of the prestigious Schleswig-Holstein Gourmet Festival – an annual event where some of the region’s top chefs showcase local cuisine. The a la carte dishes were priced between 25 and 40 euros. But then we saw an offer that was hard to resist: a four-course menu for two people for 89 euros. It took us about three seconds to make up our minds.

A four-course dinner that set the bar high

The menu began with au gratin lettuce hearts with pecorino, root vegetables and bresaola. This was followed by an elegant salmon tartare, served with cold cucumber soup and dill sour cream.

The main course was a perfectly cooked guinea fowl with wild cauliflower, confit tomatoes, creamy risotto Milanese and a rich Madeira sauce. The dessert ended the dinner with a fresh dessert consisting of lemon tarte, limoncello sorbet and candied blood orange.

The dishes were generous and wonderfully fresh. After two servings, I started to wonder if it was really possible to finish two more dishes. But you don't want to give up when the finish line is so close. With a few strategic breaks and a little mental pep talk, I managed to get through the main course and dessert. This was a decent start to the holiday.

In addition, dogs are allowed into the restaurant, something that is appreciated by those of us who like to travel with four-legged family members.

A breakfast worth waking up to

The next morning, a breakfast buffet awaited with everything you could wish for. Freshly baked bread, lots of cheese and cold cuts (as befits Germany) as well as juice, yogurt, fresh fruit, bircher muesli, eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages and salmon. And for those who think that a vacation is not a vacation without a silver lining, there was also sparkling wine to start the day with.

We sat out on the terrace. The sky was grey, but the temperature was perfect. I would have liked to have seen the sun come out so that the view of the rolling fields would have been even more beautiful, just like it was the night before. But sometimes silence, birdsong and a really good cup of coffee are enough.

So what was the rating?

Romantik Hotel Friederikenhof is one of those hotels that does exactly what you hope for on a road trip through Europe. It's cozy without being pretentious, comfortable without feeling impersonal, and the restaurant is much better than you might expect out in the countryside. Add affordable rooms, good food, a dog-friendly atmosphere, and a perfect location just outside Lübeck, and you have a stopover that's hard to dislike. We'll be staying here again!

How do I get to the hotel?

The hotel is located south of Lübeck in northern Germany. It takes 1 hour and 20 minutes from Puttgarten to the hotel by car and 25 minutes from the center of Lübeck. The hotel price when we stayed there (2026) was 125 euros for one night including breakfast.

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Would you like to read more tips about attractions in Lübeck? Check out my Lübeck page.
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