Most theme park hotels are massive, impersonal affairs, with lobbies filled with screaming…read morechildren, indifferent employees, and sterile rooms. Not so at Hotel El Andaluz. Europa-Park gets it right by making their hotels just a little smaller than most, to keep that personal, almost boutique feel.
Our room was clean, comfortable, and had a nice view. A little lacking in closet/storage space, but probably adequate for most travelers. (We were staying for two nights at the end of a 10-day business trip, so had a lot of luggage.)
As my German is virtually non-existent, I was pleased at how well the staff speaks English here. Not everyone was fluent, but everyone spoke enough to communicate what needed to be said.
The breakfast buffet (included in the room cost) was solid. Definitely a step up from the average hotel buffet, but not quite at the level of amazing. A hearty selection of meats, cheeses, grains, juices and pastries.
Parking was free, easy and self-service. No hassles and no crowds. They have a clever system to stop people who are not staying at the hotel from parking for free and trying to get into the park, so kudos to them for treating their guests like grown-ups.
I would stay at Hotel Andaluz, or any on-park property, again in a heartbeat. I debated only giving four stars, because it is not a luxury/pampering hotel by any means, but really, I can't ding them for not being the Four Seasons, at only about $200/night.