The Hotel Alsace & Spa

Wow I don’t know what the previous posters were expecting but Laura and I found this little hotel to be charming and wonderful our beds were super comfortable the place was clean the staff was wonderful and our entire to days very very enjoyable. Located on top of a hill so the views from your rooms are fantastic if you enjoy the Texas Hill Country you’ll enjoy the views and watching the beautiful city of Castroville grow. They even have it set up so that you can have an absolutely beautiful wedding the even have it setup so that you can have an absolutely beautiful wedding overlooking the beautiful views from him top of the hill.

Quick points: mediocre breakfast, nice rooms. The dinner was good two years ago, but I haven’t had it since.
The rooms have a nice view of the fields and the creak nearby. Very scenic. However, the rooms’ balconies are not separated with privacy walls/​separations, so you can see your next door neighbor if you are both out on the balconies. That might be fun if you are attending a wedding any everyone is in the same party, but otherwise maybe not. The hotel rooms are kind of older, but that adds to their charm a bit.
Also, the spa is nice. They offer massages, pedicures, manicures, and other spa services.
Honestly, if this location did not have the restaurant, I could honestly give this location four or five stars. The spa and the hotel rooms put it at a high ranking, but then the restaurant brings it down a bit.

I stayed at the hotel two weeks ago and we would never stay here again. Our room was not clean — dusty, spilled brown liquid on bedside stand, no duvet covers on the beds, exterior has visible mold growing on deck railing. The breakfast bar was substandard.
We are not complainers, but wanted to warn others. The price is far too high for the quality. The sole positive was that the pool was clean and nice.

AVOID THE RESTAURANT!
Should have been warned off by the negative reviews, but we really wanted to eat German-​type food in Castroville and this was apparently the only game in town. So we passed up the restaurant recommended by the docent at one of the little museums, and headed out here. They were obviously getting ready for a wedding later in the day and the building would, yes, be a lovely setting for a wedding. The view goes on forever, and on a sunny day like today it leaves you feeling peaceful just to look at it.
That gives them one of the two stars.
The other star — ukk. The lowest rating I can give for our lunch. As you arrive, you are walked past the buffet, and the server opens each of the steamtable covers (leaving them open) describing what they contain. Clearly the stuff had been there for a while — we spent about 50 minutes on our lunch and only one table ate from the buffet during that time.
Server brought a small, round loaf of soft, multigrained bread that had obviously been microwave heated. This was served with an interesting mixture of what seemed like parsley, garlic and olive oil — not quite a pesto, but tasty. Unfortunately this mixture raised my expectations.
Spouse ordered Castroville sausage (Alsatian-​type dry sausage), cooked to death and buried under about 1 ½ cups of sauerkraut. It came with one tiny roasted potato, some nicely cooked but cold carrots, and a good-​sized portion of tasteless, also cold, red cabbage. Do you get the idea he didn’t like it?
I ordered the German pork loin, a generous portion of desperately over-​cooked, barely warm, pork loin so tough I had to use a steak knife. The remainder of my plate — 1 ½ cups sauerkraut, cold carrots, cold cabbage, teeny potato — was identical to Spouse’s. Oh yes, he got a teeny cup of very good sweet-​hot mustard.
We were hungry, so we ate. I wanted a glass of Alsatian wine — the server had no idea, so she brought me the wine list. Sadly, they do carry one Alsatian wine but only by the bottle. I substituted a glass of German Reisling which almost made the pork loin palatable. Thank you, Spouse, for eating half my pork — yes, I know it was to get the taste of the sausage out of your mouth, but I appreciated it all the same.

The hotel room itself was great. Although from the moment we checked in I was already put-​off. I reserved a king bed on the second floor, and somehow we got put in a bottom floor with two queen beds. I overheard someone in the lobby say they were all booked up for the weekend so I didn’t bother to ask if they had another room… the room I had initially reserved. Oh well. I’d definitely recommend pushing for the second floor because the floor/​ceiling sound barrier was about as muffling as a piece of paper. I’m sure the above guests weren’t intentionally stomping but it sure sounded like it.
The beds were clean and comfy but the pillows felt like they cost $ 3 from Walmart. Please invest in nice pillows, they make such a difference! The room was very clean and smelled faintly like bleach. The porch was nice too, two chairs to sit in and enjoy the fresh air.
The restaurant was TERRIBLE. Since we were staying at the hotel overnight, we ate our Valentine’s Day dinner there, which was such a disappointment. The service was awful, we waited 20 minutes after being seated just to be acknowledged and order drinks, which then took another 10 minutes to arrive. The water tasted like straight up tap water from a bathtub with a gross aftertaste, forcing us to buy iced tea instead. I asked one girl how much a certain bottled beer was, she said she didn’t know and never came back to tell me.
We ordered the house platter for our appetizer and it wasn’t bad, aside from the weird pile of raw onions on top. For dinner I ordered the fried catfish which was really tasty, just a shame that it was placed on top of a pile of undercooked crunchy rice. My spouse ordered the German style pork tenderloin and it was very overcooked and yet cold somehow. To my knowledge there wasn’t a dessert menu but we didn’t care to stick around any longer to wait and ask.
We ate from the continental breakfast buffet the next morning and that wasn’t bad although we had both made our own waffles, which is pretty hard to mess up. As far as continental breakfasts at hotels go, this one was fine.
The lunch buffet on the other hand was a joke. A bad joke. We tried the meatless lasagna, spicy chicken pasta, Italian meatballs, and the little smokies sausages. Can you believe that they were ALL cold, lukewarm at best? We left three plates on our table, all practically untouched (due to the coldness) and our waitress said nothing. Didn’t ask how we were doing, didn’t ask how we were enjoying our food, nothing. She came by only two times: to drop off our iced teas and then the check. We paid and left with disappointed frowns on our faces. I wish the manager would have looked around and noticed that all the other patrons had the same unhappy look on their faces too.

I would rather be put into a fiery liquid of hell and be tarred and feathered than have anything to do with this establishment ever again. I have never been so disgusted and disrespected in my life by Guremo!!! What a disgrace!!! Stay away from this venue and their HORRENDOUS customer service and organization skills — And that’s putting it nicely!!! You should be ashamed of yourself!

My beau and I LOVED our stay at Hotel Alsace! We purchased a Groupon and excitedly headed south for some time off the grid. The moment you turn off of the interstate, your enveloped in green hills topped with beautiful homes. Before we knew it, the GPS said we’d arrived at our destination and we slipped into a windy driveway and quite lobby. The lady at the desk was fantastic and even had some great tips for our rundown AC that had given out on the way in. She gave us a recommendation for a local repair shop as well as a dinner must-​have. We quickly settled into our modest second floor room. Don’t expect the Ritz — this is a one horse town and Alsace has the market cornered. But the room was clean and felt homey! Day 2, we spent at the spa and pool. I wish they had better poolside lounging furniture since the town is pretty quiet and there’s not a whole lot else to do. But, we made do and it was a nice break from the hot car we’d endured the day before! We tried for lunch but the buffet was meh. The food at the table’s next to us looked great and we decided we should’ve ordered off the menu. Our bad! I’d stay again in a heartbeat and we’ve even recommended it to our friends and family who are looking for a local getaway. Don’t let the haters get you down — as long as you know what you’re walking into, you’ll enjoy your time!

The town of Castroville is very friendly, has some small shops and antique stores.
Loved the Castroville Café for lunch and Château Lafayette for sausage and cheeses. However, the Hotel Alsace is a bit of a disappointment. Rooms are dated, sparse and bedding substandard. Pool area is nice and restaurant on Fridays Catfish night was good. Continental breakfast included with the room is poor with styrofoam cups for coffee, etc. Will not stay here again and can not recommend it to others. Near the road is another disadvantage. Ashamed since the website made it look so much like a spa resort and the reality is not anything near that.

Used a Groupon to stay here; now we know why.
— Suited for senior citizens and very cheap weddings — not one person under the age of 45 stayed there.
— The pillows were exceptionally terrible /​lumpy.
— Bathtub is narrow and had hair (pubic and otherwise) all over it.
— Furniture is spartan, flimsy and chintzy.
— Skeleton crew; felt abandoned at times.
— Be sure to look at their lengthy list «amenities»… these are bare minimum items that even the cheapest hotels should provide. This place is very good at making very little look like very much. But make no mistake, it’s very little.
— Lunch was lackluster; all notices say that the buffet closes at 2:00p but it actually closed at 1:30p.
— The rooms and breakfast are nothing more than a glorified Motel 6.
— Almost everything in the area is closed from Mon — Wed. LITERALLY the only good things in the area are:
— Taqueria San Juan (1012 U.S. 90, Castroville, TX 78 009) Note: This place doesn’t have a sign with their name but it’s SOOOO worth eating there, very inexpensive and very good!
— Haby’s Alsatian Bakery (207 Old US Highway 90 E, Castroville, TX 78 009)
Felt like we were baited here then trapped. If the room is great, we can enjoy our time there. If the area is great, we can deal with a substandard room. But both? We feel scammed.

Halloween Night, 2013, we stayed in this very affordable, hometown place. Our Pets were welcomed with open arms and there is lots of outside space for pet romping! Our room was very modern, beds were comfortable. The Staff here were very accomodating. We dined for dinner at the Hotel Restaurant, the dinner was fantastic! Very authentic German/​Alsatian offerings. The only downside was that the next morning the Restaurant was reserved for a Wedding Reception and Guests were rushed through the buffet and limited on seating. The buffet itself was «Continental». There are nice deck patios where you can sit and enjoy some peace and quiet, and smoke if you like. The Hotel cable provider is heavy on Spanish channels, but the familiar cable/​satellite channels are available as well. Overall, this is one of the best hotel experiences we’ve had and we will for sure return!

The book in the room lists all sorts of food but when my husband got there… There was only OJ, cereal, waffles, biscuits and oatmeal. NOT what was listed!

This review is for the Spa at the Hotel Alsace. We didn’t stay at the hotel or eat at the restaurant, but my best friend and I sprung for the relaxation package (30 min. massage & 30 min. facial for $ 80). Sure, it was a little pricey, but I don’t regret a single dime. The massage I got from Teressa was the best I’ve ever had, and the facial from Jana was not only divine, but came with an education about my skin and how to care for it. Both of us left feeling completely relaxed and 100% satisfied with the experience. Highly recommend!

Wandering through Castroville last on a summer’s evening found me in need of lodging. Unilocal brought me to Alsace. Yeah, it’s a bit dated, but no biggie. The mgr was super friendly on check in. The view from the upstairs balcony was excellent. I sipped a beer and took it all in. A herd of 20 deer wandered up right under my feet. I love non-​chain establishments like this. I’ll make this place a normal stop on the way to Garner.

Bought a groupon for a two night stay and a $ 50 spa credit. Took my mom there for her bday for some rest and relaxation. We had a really nice time. The hotel was clean and Ambrose at the desk was more than helpful. I booked a salt scrub (45 mins) and an 80 minute massage. When I arrived at the spa the therapist was in the treatment room still preparing the scrub. I finally got on the table 20 mins after my appt time (10:20 am). After the scrub I showered off for 5 mins and returned for the massage. The massage was great! One of the best i have had and I work in a spa so I have had a ton of them. She stopped my service at 12 pm. So I actually got a 60 minute massage and paid for an 80. If I was late for the appointment I would understand losing table time. I asked her about it and she said it was 80 mins. I gave up and left.

This looks to be an older highway motel that has been redone. It’s a tad outdated, but clean none the less. All if the staff members were helpful & accommodating to any requests we had. The view is spectacular if you get a good room, the pool was decent it was clean & seemed to be well kept.
Thanks to the groupon we purchased I got a massage while there which was nice, but the ladies in the spa were less than friendly. Trying to talk to one in particular was like pulling teeth, it was almost to the point of rude.
One major downfall was the restaurant — it is horrible & I would not recommend it! Head into town and eat at Cora’s instead!

I stayed here on the Friday before Mother’s Day with My GF, her daughter, and her daughter’s husband. We got two rooms.
The rooms were fine, despite old plumbing fixtures. The A/​C kept the room cold, and the beds were comfortable.
Since I live in Castroville, I’ve had the opportunity to visit this place a few times to eat. The food is hit or miss. Sometimes you get a decent meal, other times it’s «meh.» The service is most always veeerrrrry slow. Mother’s Day weekend was no exception, neither was today at lunch.
The shining moment out of all the times I’ve been to this place to eat, and the one time I stayed in a room was this past weekend — Two weeks after our stay on Mother’s Day weekend. I’d left a T-​shirt I bought in Vermont in the closet of our room. I only realized it this past Saturday. So I emailed them and asked if they’d found it. They had, and it was waiting for me when I went to lunch there today! That simple bit of honesty goes a long way in my book. Thank you!

I’ve stayed in worse places but new tile on the floor doesn’t make up for the antiquated bathroom fixtures with no stopper for the tub and only a rubber one for the sink. Furniture was sparse, unattractive, uncomfortable, needed repair or replacing, and the bed was just OK. Could not get their wireless to work with my Mac but worked on my iPhone. The room was reasonably clean but after observing its general condition, I certainly will not be trying their spa facility and services. Will stay here again, but only if I have to.

Surprised my husband for our 15 year anniversary with a little getaway and stayed at the Hotel Alsace in Castroville which I’ve always wanted to try out and I’m so glad we finally did. The room was great — both clean and big with a nice little patio and beautiful view. Jenny in the front office was very sweet and helpful! They even were willing to discount our price a little because they couldn’t get us exactly the kind of room we wanted. Great staff, gorgeous little place — we’ll definitely be back. Perfect place for a 20 year renewal of vows party! :)

Best place to stay in town. And nice — especially the pool and view.

Stayed here over weekend for wedding. Enjoyed this place. Clean and nice. Probably the best place to stay in or near castroville.