La Dolce Villa

A brilliant spot for a couple of nights in Bad Ems.

From yesterday until November 6th, 2020, was how long I was booked to stay. I couldn’t find a single drawer that locked, and even the wardrobe doors had been taken off. No room with a key. The owner seemed very focused on money and even called my previous hotel to ask how I’d paid. It felt incredibly greedy and nosy. I set up a camera to see if anyone was snooping around the apartment, and she didn’t like it. I had to hand the key back that same afternoon. That’s when I realized she’d breached the contract within four hours. Unbelievable. At midday, she said in front of a witness that she was going out for a glass of wine. She lives in the attic. In the evening, she demanded the key back without explaining why, and smelled terrible. Is no one else allowed to have a camera in their living area? This is absolutely unacceptable. I’ll file a complaint for breach of contract. Bad Ems must be protected from such people.

The location worked perfectly for us, with a supermarket right next door and most sights easy to reach on foot. Emser Therme spa is practically next door too, like stepping into paradise. Our apartment was clean and spacious, and would suit two couples well. We had a truly wonderful stay and are already looking forward to coming back.

The location is fantastic, almost in the center of Bad Ems and about 80 meters from the Bad Ems thermal baths. There’s Wi-Fi, the upper apartment has two small balconies, and the bathrooms are nice and modern. Guest toilets are available too. The apartments can sleep up to four people, but the Italian style was a real culture shock for me. It felt kitschy, cramped, and cluttered, with ostentatious antique furniture. There was hardly room to change in the bedrooms, and the closets were full of cobwebs. The tourist tax made no sense to me, as the main tenant had to pay more than the other tenants. The steep stairs also make access difficult for people with mobility issues. It’s a very unusually decorated vacation apartment in a great spot, but for me the style is too much to handle beyond one weekend. Three stars.