Höllentalangerhütte — Attraction in Grainau

I stayed here for one night for 29€ in the Matratzenlager, which was comfortable but you are packed like a sardine when it's full. You're supposed to bring a special thin Schlafsack with no filling in order to prevent bed bugs, which I did, but it wasn't necessary as I was plenty warm using the two blankets and pillow they provided. However, maybe they don't wash the blankets well, so it's for your own hygiene (not that I think I thin sheet of cotton will protect much). They don't check if you bring a Schlafsack, but I think everyone did.

The hot shower costs 5€ for 4 minutes and cannot be paused. I took a cold shower.

They have free drinking water and don't recommend drinking from the river because of Schafkakke, which is kakke because there's millions of litres of fresh water running through that river so anything unhealthy would be severely diluted. I did not get ill from drinking it.

They don't stock meat here, so everything is bio and vegetarian. I went for the 4 course dinner which was served at about 6pm because the normal menu stops being served at around 5pm. The dinner was okay, fancy for a hut, but for me lacked enough carbs or enough umami taste (which often comes from cheese or meat) that I enjoy after hiking. Given how expensive the dinner is, I'd say skip it and order something normal off the menu. It's not that I was left hungry. Maybe I felt ambushed by the question about a costly dinner when I'd just arrived from hiking and just wanted to see my bed before making any decisions that require a mortgage.

The breakfast (06:30 - 08:00am) was pretty good, but I think it also cost about 25€ and it was a buffet of müsli, bread, cheese and jams, unlimited tea and coffee. Worth it in my opinion. Some egg would've been appreciated though.

It would be greatly appreciated if they could improve the website so you can figure out exactly what you're booking.

I recommend staying here, the staff are all friendly, and the wooden hut is beautiful and has much more soul to it than the modern Knorr...

Our group of five (3 adults, 2 kids) stayed at the Höllentalanger Hut for two nights from July 3rd to 5th, 2023. It was a really nice experience. The Höllentalklamm (Hell's Valley Gorge) on the way there is a must-see. The trail goes through a narrow gorge with man-made tunnels and beautiful waterfalls. Take a raincoat because water is dripping everywhere. The staff on the hut is super friendly. My sunglasses broke on the way to the hut. I asked for a glue to repair them. They did not have any, but gave me a pair of sunglasses instead. We booked five places in the Lager (many-bed room), but they gave us an 8-bed room just for ourselves. Plenty of room, good mattresses, clean blankets, modern showers. Food was delicious, I highly recommend the half-pension. There is no need to carry a power bank, there are chargers plus USB cables. Just be careful when you order beer. When they ask you "small or large", say "small" unless you want a 1-liter beer. 1/2 liter beers are "baby beers" there. A small negative is that they only accept cash. We went to Alpspitze on the first day (4 hours) and to Zugspitze on the second day. That Klettersteig to Zugspitze is not hard, but long and exposed at places. Harness is a must, and good physical shape + prior experience are recommended. The hike includes crossing approx. 400-500 meters of a glacier. There are no crevasses, and there is no risk of falling into an abyss, but one could still slide and suffer an injury. Carrying an ice ax is recommended. Crampons won't be of much help in the slushy snow. I secured my kids with a rope, and we did not carry ice axes or crampons. Be ready for rain. We had rain and hail for the last hour of the climb. The restaurant on top of Zugspitze has very good food. We took the cabin down, and the ticket was valid for the train back to our car in Grainau/Hammersbach, which we found...

Good location and view, nice rooms, clean showers, prices for overnight stays are standard / reasonable, prices for hot water in the showers are very reasonable.

However, the food prices are off the charts. We ended up playing "guess the price" after we saw "cheese bread" for 14.50€. I've never seen such prices at this altitude and with easily accessible material lifts. Only high up above 3,000m where they are only delivered to via helicopter.

Sure, it's just one night, maybe I'm being stingy here, but for me it's a matter of principal. I believe these huts should be a shelter for mountaineers (especially paying DAV members) first, and a business second. Other huts won't turn a profit and they get DAV support. Why does this one have to turn a profit so badly that bread and cheese is 14.50€?

I'll be passing the hut the next times I'm here. Water refill is possible at the stream anyway, and food for one day should really not...