Penzion u Tomčalů

The guesthouse sits quietly among the vineyards, outside the village. Our room was cool and clean, and I appreciated having nets on the windows. Breakfast was standard, but dinner's goulash was excellent. We also tried a tasting with Mr. Hradil, who was absolutely great. The wines were worth trying, and I tasted liqueurs I'd never had before. Big thanks to the hostess and Mr. Tomčal for their hospitality and willingness to help.

We were very happy with our stay. The owners were lovely and made it feel like a family place. There was plenty to choose from at breakfast, dinner was really tasty, and the wine from their cellar was excellent.

The second dinner was just a plate of sausage and cheese, apparently prepared in the morning so the owner wouldn't have to stay long. We can put up with a lot, but we hadn't experienced anything like this. For that money, it was a real disappointment and felt like a rip-off. If this can even be called a guesthouse, avoid it. The trouble started when we arrived for our weekend stay. We had accommodation from 12:00, but got there at 14:30 and the owner said there was no hot water yet because he hadn't expected us so early 😂. At first we thought the place was closed, then found him hiding in the kitchen. The room had a dead fly on the pillow and insects crawling everywhere. In the bathroom, the dispenser by the sink had water instead of soap, that's how they make money!!! The mirror was stained, and even though we had the best room with a jacuzzi, there was still dirt from the last swim. There was mold and dirt on the headrests, and the broken lock was covered with insulating tape. No fridge in the room either, only a shared one in the hallway 🙈. Heating was by electric direct heater. I don't understand how they can offer half board when they don't cook there. The owner made goulash for dinner and asked if we liked goulash?! The only choice was with or without onions. I thought he was joking, but he WASN'T! I would've had a draft beer, but the pipes weren't clean 😂, and he didn't have beer anyway. There was a pub a short distance away in Terezín! The tasting we'd paid for was held standing in the cellar, not in the cellar meant for it, and there were no refreshments, that would've cost money! We've been to a few tastings, and this was the worst, though at least the wine was good. Sad for the money!

The owners are helpful and always around, and the rooms are clean. The owner has a great sense of humor, which made the tasting fun as well as interesting, with wine samples and other goodies. We had a lot of laughs, and the owners let us stay seated on the ground floor for as long as we wanted. Half board is homemade, tasty, and enough. For picky eaters, I recommend keeping the cookies in your pocket :-) :-D. Pension Tomčala is near Terezín and Čejče, with Hovorany a short ride through the vineyards. We took advantage of that to join Hovoranské vinohrady, a lovely walk through the vineyards starting from the pension, with a glass of wine in hand. It was a great experience on the second weekend in May, and I recommend it. There's secure bike storage on site. A nice bonus was that the Long-eared Woodpecker nested in the pine trees around the pension, which you don't find at every accommodation. B-). A solid price.