RheinRiver Guesthouse - Direkt am Rhein

I liked the spacious room, its river view, and the atmospheric antique decor. It was clean and fresh, and the guest house had left several kinds of fruit, tea, coffee, a kettle, a fridge, plus little extras like a toothbrush and toothpaste. Those touches helped make up for the sight and noise of construction outside. The owners suggest closing half the window if you want to look out at the river. The room’s soundproofing is poor. People upstairs laughed and talked late into the night, keeping us awake until 3am, and in the morning we could hear everyone heading to breakfast. We didn’t try the breakfast. At 14 €, it seemed expensive, and we wouldn’t be able to eat that much. Wi-Fi didn’t work on some sites. Getting around is awkward too: the ferry doesn’t go across to the bus stop, and without a car you can’t really get anywhere.

Breakfast was great, and the staff were very service-minded. It’s a nice guesthouse in a perfect spot by the Rhen river. Out back there were lots of rabbits and guinea pigs, along with different birds in cages.

The courtyard is delightfully odd, with peacocks, rabbits, doves, budgies, and love birds. I’d never seen anything like it, and our room looked over it. The birdsong started at dawn, though ear plugs were provided just in case. The hotel has no bar or restaurant, and breakfast was a standard continental spread, which was fine. Our room was spacious and full of character, with a huge bed. We paid extra for a bathtub. There was tea and coffee in the room, plus a well stocked minibar with reasonable prices, including €2.50 for 0.5l Kolch beer. The staff were friendly and helpful. It’s a beautiful old building overlooking the Rhine in the pleasant Hitdorf area of Leverkusen. Cologne city centre is about 10km north, and it takes around 40 minutes by bus and rail. A Kölncard costs €9/€18 for 24/48 hours of unlimited public transport. We really enjoyed our stay.

I came to the area over the Easter weekend to explore, and really enjoyed how beautiful this place is. There are lots of art paintings, and the staff are friendly :)