Lake Tegernsee is not just a weekend playground for stereotypical Munich residents but a chic vacation destination: think traditional lakeside brewery inns serving beer and dumplings, and five-star hotels with Michelin-starred restaurants. But in Gmund, a pretty little village at the north end of the lake, a few locals have created something truly unusual: if the rest of the lake is Manhattan, this is Williamsburg.
The hotel
The hotel sits on a busy road, but its large park shields it well from the traffic. Enter the majestic grounds and you see the yellow main building, a stately villa from the 1890s. Inside: a new kind of cool, pared-back and simple yet instantly cozy. Music drifts through the corridors from small speakers, and a bartender asks what you would like to drink. Speaking of the bar: you and it will soon be the best of friends.
You will warm to the simple furnishings, too. A typical hotel lobby with the charm of an airline lounge? Not here. A word of praise at this point to architect Veronika Weiss who lives next door.
The rooms
We stayed in one of the suites, No. 22, on the second floor. Not much to say except fantastic: a historic parlor with wooden floors, magnificent original painted stucco on the ceiling and a view of the garden, with its sauna house and a smart glasshouse, the Backhaus (bakehouse), which hosts pizza nights and workshops. There are 13 rooms in the main building and 16 more in an annex. The loveliest are the lake-view suites on the same floor (Nos. 24 and 25), well worth the small surcharge.
The restaurant
The Blyb.’s founders understand what hospitality is all about: the heart of a hotel should be its restaurant. This is where people meet and where you feel the energy of a place. So the Blyb. welcomes outside diners, too, and the result is a colorful mix of locals and visitors who, judging by their clothes and interests, are clearly like-minded.
It helps that the food is nothing short of spectacular. When we visited, chef Jacques Thull and his young team were creating refined local dishes such as Bavarian sashimi, burrata with colorful beets and vegan braised pointed cabbage with smoked carrot sauce and confit potatoes. Everything was first-class, especially the sourdough bread, which you would love to curl up in (frowned upon, probably).
Dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday and lunch daily, as is breakfast, which is excellent, very regional and also available in a vegan version.
The Founders
This is not the founders’ first rodeo. Florian Zibert is a TEDx organizer, curator and communications expert, while Moritz Meyn and Wolfgang Hingerl made their name in Munich with the Michelin-starred Mural and the Mural Farmhouse, and were named Restaurateurs of the Year by Rolling Pin magazine in 2022.
Wellness
Ideal for the late afternoon after a hike: a visit to the sauna house in the garden. Or a dip in the fantastic lake of course.
Specials
The Blyb. is, simply put, a place to meet. Besides big dinners, there are workshops of all kinds, and the yoga platform is suitable for retreats. In summer, guests play bocce and head out to the lake, up the mountains and to the many neighboring villages. Once a month there is a karaoke night. You can find all the events here.
Surrounding
At Lake Tegernsee, there is something new to discover every day. Top hikes: from the hotel up to the Neureuth, or from Rottach-Egern to the Tegernseer Hütte. Have a meal at the relaxed Haubentaucher in Rottach-Egern and, of course, a beer at the Bräustüberl in Tegernsee. Or go for a swim right in front of the hotel at the Gmund lido.
In winter: skiing at Spitzingsee or a little farther away at Sudelfeld, a ski tour up the Hirschberg, sledding within easy reach, ice swimming at the lido and winter walks by the lake.
Prices
Doubles from 140 to 320 euros including breakfast.
Combine with
We recommend combining three days at the Blyb. with three days at the Lermooser in Lermoos. The two are very different but share the same vibe. Also great for food lovers: three days at the Blyb., then on to South Tyrol and the 1477 Reichhalter.
Booking & Contact
Blyb.
Tegernseer Straße 41
83703 Gmund
Germany
