Ketschauer Hof

The garden at Ketschauer Hof is fantastic, and the breakfast magnificent. If you're there on a weekend, it's a good idea to book a table at one of the hotel's own restaurants. They're closed on Mondays, as are most fine dining restaurants in Europe. The hotel is beautiful and romantic, fully refurbished within old buildings in Deidesheim, in the Bad Dürkheim district of Rheinland-Pfalz. It's one of the most beautiful hotels I've visited, in wonderful surroundings in Germany's best wine region, south of the Rhine and Mosel valleys. The area also has dozens of Michelin and Bib Gourmand rated restaurants per kilometer, so you can pick according to the experience, cuisine and budget you want. It's just southwest of the old town of Koblenz and close to Trier, Germany's oldest present city, with its Roman history.

We ended up with a room down the street from the hotel, which was a bit odd. They provided umbrellas, but since we had to walk to the hotel for dinner in the rain, we decided to eat in town instead. Same rain, more choice. We found a great place just 100 meters from our off-site sleeping block. Was that our gain and the hotel's loss?

We had trouble getting into our room after arriving late because the key didn't work. Still, the lovely service at breakfast the next morning made up for it. Beautiful location, and I'd definitely return.

The Wi-Fi was the standout for me: 192 Mbit/s, free and unlimited. I'd never seen such a lightning-fast connection. The hotel itself is good, with modern rooms and contemporary decor, especially in the bathrooms, though maybe a little overpriced. Breakfast is à la carte, which I prefer to the open buffet most hotels have. Parking is free in a public lot about 50 meters away. There is no swimming pool, but still, five stars.