Fine Dining At BollAnts

Great food and a good bottle of wine were made for each other. Both can be found at the one star Michelin rated Jungborn restaurant at BollAnts Spa im Park, on the banks of the Nahe river in the village of Bad Sobernheim, Germany, just an hour’s drive from the Frankfurt Airport

Whether a casual traveler or an avid globetrotter, long travel days can get the best of us. When flying into Frankfurt, Germany, my husband and I like to spend the first two nights recovering from jet lag at BollAnts Spa Im Park. BollAnts lies on the banks of the Nahe river in the village of Bad Sobernheim, a pleasant off the tourist track destination where you can wander, take a few photos and relax. It is a pretty part of Germany, between the Mosel and Rhine rivers, covered with orchards and steep slopes of stepped vineyards yet very few travelers are familiar with this region that is known for great Rieslings.

Happy with our last stay at this family run hotel, we reserved the same large, modern room we had previously. Located in the contemporary Halenberg guest house, the room has a living area, bedroom, large bathroom and a nice dressing room closet. What we especially like about staying in the Halenberg building is that has direct access to the restaurants and spa. The spa has many relaxation rooms and cozy corners where you can curl up with a book or take a nap. There are also multiple saunas and steam baths, an outdoor jacuzzi and swimming pool in the hotel’s pretty park as well as a roof top pool.

One change that had taken place since our previous stay is that the small Fireside bar has been turned into a contemporary new bar. Named after the huge linden tree in the centre of the park, the Linden bar and lounge serves cocktails, beer and wine as well as small plates such as tarte flambé, wraps and salads. We enjoyed a light lunch there while we waited until we could check into our room.

BollAnts has three restaurants, the Villa which is included in the half board room rate, and the a la carte Hermannshof and Jungborn, The Hermannshof and Jungborn restaurants are located side by side in atmospheric arched sandstone cellars. While the Hermannshof has a relaxed and cozy Mediterranean feel, the gourmet Jungborn restaurant has a lovely elegant atmosphere.

For a slight additional charge, we chose to have an early evening meal with a good bottle of wine in the Hermannshof on our first night and I must say the food was excellent. After an exhausting travel day going through airports and flying for hours, an early dinner and a good night’s sleep helped us start to recover from our jet lag.

For our second night’s dinner, we had reservations in the one star Michelin rated Jungborn restaurant. We had enjoyed an outstanding meal in the restaurant during our last visit and we were looking forward to having another during this stay at BollAnts. Once again, we were welcomed and professionally served by the outgoing and knowledgeable Jonas Berg. After going over the menu, Jonas suggested that we pair our multi course dinner with wines from the Nahe region. As each course was presented, Jonas explained the dish in detail. He also shared his knowledge about the character of each of the excellent wines that were poured and why they chosen for each course

Chef Philipp Helzel’s imaginative dishes were beautifully presented and tasted as good as they looked. He uses herbs from the restaurant’s herb garden, seasonal heirloom varieties of vegetables from organic farmers and regional products as much as possible. At the end of the evening, my husband and I agreed that the creative meal that chef Helzel prepared for us will more than likely be one of the highlights of our trip.

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When traveling long distances through various time zones, it is a good idea to take it slow for a couple of days. When we arrived at BollAnts, we were exhausted from our oversea’s flight. After a short two night relaxing stay, along with excellent food and delicious wines, we could say “goodbye” to our jet lag and look forward to our much anticipated holiday driving through Germany and Austria.