Birks Gasthaus

What People are saying

Murder Mystery Weekend

Becky Bon 11/10/2015 01:30

This was actually 21 years ago that we stayed here. It was our fifth anniversary. Is still to this day one of the funnest weekends we had. Meet so many fun people, they kept us entertained the entire time. Wonderful place to stay.

Lovely with room for improvement

Danedrion 25/10/2014 01:35

Birk's Gasthaus, now named Herzog Mansion, is cavernous. With high ceilings and lots of nooks and crannies, guests feel like they've walked into another decade.
We stayed in this old mansion as a quick weekend get-away. We had a lovely stay, but as I said in the title, there's room for improvement.
It is old and its age shows beyond charming vintage. The old girl needs a face lift, though it appears work is in progress. For example, around the back of the wrap around porch, we could tell a detailed repainting was in process.
We loved the game room with its soaring ceilings, pool table and poker table. That said, the paint needs a touch-up, the trim could use the same. The public bathroom off the room has modern conveniences, but it hasn't been restored to the same grandeur of the rest of the surroundings. The sink looks like it was a pick-up from the Dollar General and the carpet is perfect for a 12-story office building with none of the charm.
Our room was on the second floor. It had a king size bed, which many bed and breakfasts only offer queens or even doubles. (I guess that's how they rolled in the old days!) So the large, cozy bed was definitely an advantage.
I don't want to sound like one of those sheet snobs, but I will say, the sheets also seemed a shade rough compared to the elegance of the rest of the surroundings. I believe all of the bedrooms -- I think there are nine!! -- have their own bathrooms and king or queen-size beds. So that's a great touch at a bed and breakfast. There were four or five other bedrooms around a small common area on our floor. We stayed on the second floor, but there's a similar arrangement on the third floor, making it ideal for a couples group trip.
We were traveling alone, but there were other couples staying the same weekend we were there. I felt a little bit like I needed to whisper when we were in our room. I didn't want to wake or disturb others. So that's a bit of a minus.
Our host, Richard, was very kind and welcoming. He has tons of information about things to do in Hermann, which was helpful. And breakfast was very good. I will say, there's an amazing formal dining room, but sadly, guests eat breakfast in a room with industrial looking tables in a less formal room. Moving breakfast to the more formal room could be a nice touch, but both of our breakfasts at Herzog were very good. I especially liked this yogurt, granola concoction with fresh berries, and the individualized egg casserole. No complaints on the food at all.
We really enjoyed drinking a cup of coffee on the large wrap around porch, and the mansion is within an easy walk of downtown Hermann if guests don't want to buy access to the trolley every day of their stay.
We would definitely stay at Herzogg Mansion again, especially when traveling with a group. There's just so much space to accommodate everyone comfortably.

Great little piece of serenity

amandakay_2on 14/10/2014 16:52

My husband and I stayed for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary. The place was clean, nice, equip with everything we needed. Just like home. The owners where so nice and gracious. The breakfast every morning was fabulous. We had friends stay at other locations, and our breakfast was far better than anywhere. So much care and thought went in to our stay. It was so peaceful and relaxing sitting in the front pirach, or playing cards in the game room. We would stay here again and again.

Need some TLC but very charming old mansion!

skydiva28on 21/08/2014 14:48

l stayed at the Birksgasthaus -now Herzog Mansion B&B for two nights in July and had a great stay. The owner Rich is very nice and accommodating. My train came very late at night and the trolley wasn't running at that time, Rick came to picked me up. My bed was comfortable and the place is clean. I enjoyed sitting on the porch and relax. The breakfast was excellent. Rick makes everything from scratch and very conscious of his guests food allergies, something that most hotels that I have stayed at don't take in consideration. If you are looking for a place to stay that can accommodate you and your friends in a wedding party or for whatever reason, the place has 9 guestrooms. The price is about the same in this area. Also, the owner has an honor system when you make reservation. No credit card needed to book your room. You pay when you arrive. All that is required of you is to give Rick adequate notice if you are going to cancel.

In need of serious repair

Steve Won 15/08/2014 18:17

My wife and I stayed one night at this B&B. Nice owner and a good breakfast. The rooms are well appointed, but the house is in need of repair. Pretty much everywhere you look there is a reminder of why it is expensive to own a building like this 1896 mansion. For the price, I think we could have had more amenities and service elsewhere.