Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Germany / Bad Saarow / Villa Contessa
Villa Contessa
Bad Saarow, Germany · Independent · High Luxury
On the lakeside at Bad Saarow, Villa Contessa occupies a pair of French Riviera-style villas on the Scharmützelsee, 13 rooms in total, a setting that earned MICHELIN Two Keys recognition and a fine restaurant in a spa town less than an hour southeast of Berlin.
- 13 rooms
- Opened 1998
- Rooms from 237 sq ft (22 m²)
About Villa Contessa
- The villa was built in 1910 on Lake Scharmutzelsee as a summer residence for fashionable Berlin society, including film stars, industrialists, writers, and artists whose 1920s terrace parties became legendary.
- After WWII, Soviet forces seized the villa as a commandant's residence and did not leave until 1994.
- Marina Runge and her husband discovered the boarded-up villa and opened it as a small hotel around 1998, once billed as the 'smallest first-class hotel in Germany' with just 8 rooms.
- Following renovation from February 2016, it reopened December 1, 2017, as a five-star property spanning the Villa Contessa and the Grand Villa, and now holds MICHELIN Two Keys.
- Michelin-starred chef Rainer Wolter once cooked at the property, which is named for the unmarried daughter of a count encountered on a Tuscany seminar.
History
Villa Contessa sits on the shore of Lake Scharmutzelsee in the spa town of Bad Saarow, Brandenburg, in a villa built in 1910 as an exclusive summer residence for fashionable Berlin society - film stars, industrialists, writers, and artists - whose 1920s terrace parties became legendary. After WWII, Soviet forces seized the villa as a commandant's residence, leaving only in 1994.
Marina Runge and her husband discovered the boarded-up villa and opened it as a small hotel around 1998, growing it into a luxury spa retreat. Following an extensive renovation from February 2016, it reopened on 1 December 2017 as a five-star property comprising the Villa Contessa and the Grand Villa.
The setting
11 km from medieval Storkow Castle.
Restaurants and bars
- Villa Contessa Restaurant — Restaurant · Modern Fine Cuisine
Experiences
- Lakeside lounge terrace — Lounge terrace with a fantastic lake view, for enjoying a chilled rosé while watching the light on the water.
- Restaurant evenings with modern fine cuisine — Daily changing dinner menu of modern fine cuisine with exquisite wines, served from 18:00 by reservation.
- First Class Golf at Bad Saarow Golf Club — Golf courses of the Bad Saarow Golf Club, about 5 km from the hotel, suited to players of every skill level.
Amenities
- Spa
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Tennis
- Fine dining
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
Open Villa Contessa in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.