Chuck (Charbown)

Chuck (Charbown@aol.com) served in the US Army in Germany in the early 50's (two sons have also served there in the Army) and then spent another seven years in Germany working for the U.S. government before he retired in '74. He has visited Germany every year for the past three decades (minus one year) and his favorite areas are Franken and the Allgäu. Chuck has volunteered (with a little prodding) to share some of his favorite accommodations with Ben's Bauernhof. The following are all recommended by Chuck and his family...

Best Western Hotel am Drechselsgarten
Am Drechselsgarten 1
91522 Ansbach
Tel - 981/89020 ~ Fax - 981/8902605
Email - info@drechselsgarten.bestwestern.de

Ansbach has many good hotels but I have settled on the Drechselsgarten. It sits on a hill and overlooks the city with great panoramic views. Very good restaurant and the rooms are very modern. Recently joined the Best Western chain but still family owned.

Hotel Pfälzer Wald
Kurtalstraße 77
76887 Bad Bergzabern
Tel - 6343/1056 ~ Fax - 6343/4893
Email - hotel@hotel-pfaelzer-wald.de

Very nice hotel in a lovely setting. They have their own grounds which are beautiful in the warm months. Very good restaurant and rooms are also very nice. Staff are one of the best. This whole area is worth a visit.

Romantik Hotel Goldene Traube
Am Viktoriabrunnen 2
96450 Coburg
Tel - 9561/8760
Email - info@goldenetraube.com

I like to stay at the Goldene Traube which is only a few minutes walk from the Marktplatz. The hotel is very well run and the restaurant excellent. The castle (Veste Coburg) is a great treat to visit and sits on a hill overlooking the town. Martin Luther was a "Guest" here while his trial was going on in Augsburg. This is my favorite town in Germany and I visit here each year.

Hotel Bären
Lange Straße 33
72250 Freudenstadt
Tel - 7441/2729 ~ Fax - 7441/2887
Email - info@hotel-baeren-freudenstadt.de

While not the most modern hotel around this place has real character and is near the town square. Rooms are very clean and the staff friendly. Good choice while in Freudenstadt.

Hotel Wittelsbacher Hof
Von-Brug Strasse 24
82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Tel - 8821/53096 ~ Fax - 8821/57312
Email - info@wittelsbacher-hof.com

One of my favorite hotels in Germany. Grand old hotel with a fine restaurant. Excellent breakfast buffet with eggs to order. Rooms are very nice and modern. Close to everything including the casino. The staff are outstanding and the views from most rooms are very scenic.

Hotel Restaurant "Zum Lamm"
Schlossstraße 25-27
74831 Gundelsheim/Neckar
Tel - 6269/42020
Email - info@lamm-gundelsheim.de

Great old hotel in the heart of this village which is famous for its pickles. The owner and chef is very well known in Germany and is a real character. Food great and the rooms very clean. The town is on the Neckar between Heilbronn and Heidelberg.

Romantik Hotel Schwarzer Adler
Kaiserjagerstrasse 2
6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Tel - 512/587109
Email - info@deradler.com

A couple of blocks from the center of the Altstadt, this hotel is a great. Good restaurant and a nice pub downstairs. Next door is a lively Irish pub. A great place to stay while seeing the sights of Innsbruck.

Landgasthof Hotel zum Stern
Hauptstrasse 60
91459 Linden
Tel - 9106/891 ~ Fax - 9106/6666

A small village between Markt Erlbach and Bad Windsheim where I stay at the Landgasthof zum Stern which is owned and operated by the Knorr family. The food is very good and the rooms very clean. I have had the pleasure of knowing four generations of this family over the many years and think of them as my extended family. Matilda and George who ran the gasthhof for many years have recently retired and their son Jurgen and his wife now run it. Matilda and George plan an extensive vacation in the States in 2012 and plan to visit me while here.

Gasthof Hotel Post
Hauptstrasse 25
87484 Nesselwang
Tel - 8361/30910 ~ Fax - 8361/30973
Email - info@hotel-post-nesselwang.de

Good rooms - Good food - and Good Bier. What more can one ask for. We have stayed here for many years and enjoyed each stay. Great place to anchor at and day trip from.

Hotel - Restaurant Schloss Ort
Ort 11
94032 Passau
Tel - 851/3407273 ~ Fax - 851/31817
Email - info@schlosshotel-passau.de

A little hard to get to but well worth the effort. Located at the confluence of 3 rivers with wonderful scenery. Well managed with a very good restaurant. Rooms are very well kept and large. The town is a jewel and the surrounding area some of the best in Germany.

Berggasthof Weingarten
Weingarten 1-4
83253 Rimsting/Ratzinger Höhe
Tel - 8051/1775
Email - info@gasthof-weingarten.de

The hotel is on a hill outside Rimsting with a great view of Lake Chiemsee and the surrounding area. The food is very good and the owners and service staff very good. We had the largest Schnitzel I think I have ever had there. Only a few minutes from the ferry at Prien which takes you to King Ludwigs castle on Herren Insel.

Brühl´s Hotel Trapp
Kirchstraße 7
65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein
Tel - 6722/91140
Email - info@hotel-trapp.de

While there are many good hotels in Rüdesheim I have settled on the Trapp for many years now. The family who own the hotel are wonderful and the restaurant very good. The rooms are first rate. Somehow they always seem to be able to squeeze me in even when I make last minute reservations.

Fischerstüberl am See
Seestraße 51
83684 Tegernsee
Tel - 8022/919890 ~ Fax - 8022/9198950
Email - hotlfisch@t-online.de

Nice hotel on the Lake close to the old castle and Hofbräuhaus. Good rooms and food and the staff are very friendly and helpful. My old hotel The Guggemos closed several years ago and now I stay here.

Hotel Krone Riesling
Moselpromenade 9
54349 Trittenheim
Tel - 6507/92630 ~ Fax - 6507/926340
Email - info@krone-riesling.de

Great old house on the banks of the Mosel. Very good restaurant and a great place to just sit and sip a bottle of the local wine and watch the river flow by. The town is full of vinters with little wine taverns to sample some of the best wine made along the Mosel. My wife's favorite town.

Hotel Gasthof Paulanerstuben
Marienplatz 9
83512 Wasserburg/Inn
Tel - 8071/3903
Email - info@paulanerstuben-wasserburg.de

Good hotel located on the Inn river. When entering doesn't look like much but the good restaurant is in the back and a veranda overlooks the river. The sidewalk cafe out front is across the street from city hall and a great place to people watch. It is a nice village and well worth a stay.

Hotel Schmidbräu
Marktplatz 5
93449 Waldmünchen
Tel - 9972/942411

I have stayed at the Hotel Schmidbräu a number of times in recent years. It was recently bought out by a gentleman from Prague and a couple from there manage it for him. Very nice people. The food is good and the rooms nice. The town is a typical Bavarian town with a number of cafes and restaurants.

Hotel zum Schiff
Bismarckplatz 5
88709 Meersburg
Tel - 7532/45000
Email - info@hotelschiff.de

I enjoy staying in this touristy little town and spend a lot of time at the outdoor cafes people watching. I stay at the Hotel zum Schiff which is on the lake at the promenade and has its own boat for a run out to the Mainau island. Food is very good and the family that owns and runs the hotel are terrific. Rooms are modern and very clean.

Landgasthof Zum Wolfsberg
Riedenburger Straße 1
92345 Dietfurt/Mühlbach a.d. Altmühltal
Tel - 8464/601726
Email - info@zum-wolfsberg.com

This tiny town in the Altmühltal is a lovely place to relax. I stay at the Landgasthof Zum Wolfsberg. My friends who owned it until three years ago went bankrupt and had to sell due to the failing economy. It was bought by a contractor from Dietfurt and they have almost completely remodeled the hotel. They were still working on it when I stayed there in 2011. In the past I usually ate in Dietfurt but this year I ate at the Wolfsberg and the food was good and the new staff pleasant.

Insel Hotel Heilbronn
Willy-Mayer-Brücke
74072 Heilbronn am Neckar
Tel - 7131/6300
Email - insel@insel-hotel.de

When in the Heilbronn area I always stay in the Insel Hotel, which is located in the middle of the Neckar river. The owner, who passed away a couple of years back, originally owned two hotels across from the Bahnhof when I first arrived in Germany. The first one I stayed in was the Vaterland and it still had a large part of it blown away from one of our air raids. He later bought the Insel which was (and still is in my opinion) the best hotel in Heilbronn. Great Swabian food and a great outside area where you can sit and enjoy terrific bakery products and sip a Bier and people watch.

Hotel Drei Könige
Bahnhofstraße 1
54470 Bernkastel-Kues
Tel - 6531/2035 ~ Fax - 6531/7815

Hotel Binz
Am Markt 1
54470 Bernkastel-Kues
Tel - 6532/2225 ~ 6532/7103
Email - info@Hotel-Binz.com

I have two favorites in these touristy wein towns (one on each side of the Mosel), the Hotel Drei Könige and the Hotel Binz. Both are well worth the stay. Both have good restaurants and are very clean. The Drei Könige (in Kues) has a great wein cellar and is by the river and the Binz is on the square in the city center (in Bernkastel).

Hotel Augustin
Schwabthal 3
96231 Bad Staffelstein
Tel - 9573/96970 ~ Fax - 9573/969739
Email - post@hotel-augustin.de

Very good hotel in this little German tourist area. Good food and the staff are very friendly.

Gasthof Pension Müller
Kloster-Banz-Str. 4
96215 Lichtenfels/Reundorf
Tel - 9571/95780

Very quiet typically Franken Gasthaus with good rooms and restaurant. Friendly staff. Great place from which to visit Kloster Banz and the beautiful Viersehnheilingen church.

Gästehaus Kraft
Nordheimer Straße 50
74348 Lauffen am Neckar
Tel - 7133/98250 ~ Fax - 7133/982523
Email - info@gaestehaus-kraft.de

A winery in the middle of the vinyards which has a few rooms for rent. Lovely people, good rooms but only breakfast (and Wein) served.

Der Fürstenhof
Rathausplatz 8
87435 Kempten
Tel - 831/25360 ~ Fax - 831/2536120
Email - info@fuerstenhof-kempten.de

A fine old hotel on the square in Kempten. It has changed since I first stayed there in 1950 but I still enjoy it. Good rooms and near everything. Very good breakfast.

Hotel Goldene Rose
Dorfstraße 2
A-6600 Reutte/Lechaschau
Tel - 5672/62411
Email - info@hotel-goldene-rose.at

Very good hotel with large rooms and a excellent restaurant. The owner and staff are exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Pinger Hotel
Geschwister-Scholl-Str. 1
53424 Remagen
Tel - 2642/93840
Email - info@pingerhotels.de

Good hotel not far from the center of town. Good restaurant and nice bar. Very good staff. Visit the bridge museum while here.

Hotel Deutsches Haus
Weinmarkt 3
91550 Dinkelsbühl
Tel - 9851/6058 ~ Fax - 9851/7911
Email - info@deutsches-haus-dkb.de

Fine old hotel with antiques scattered around in the hallways. Very good restaurant. In the center of town near everything. I prefer Dinkelsbühl over Rothenburg as it is just as scenic and not as crowded.

Hotel Schwarzer Adler
Lange Straße 52
39590 Tangermünde
Tel - 39322/960 ~ Fax - 39322/3642
Email - TangermuendeAdler@ringhotels.de

Lovely hotel in the center of this lovely town. Good restaurant and the rooms are very good. Very friendly staff. When we first visited a month after the "wall" came down I think we were the first Americans to visit since the wall went up. The town is located at the mouth of the Tanger river where it flows into the Elbe. Very good floating restaurant anchored close by.

Landhotel Sonnenblick
Ützingerstrasse 10
96231 Bad Staffelstein/Schwabthal
Tel - 9573/9240 ~ Fax - 9573/31389
Email - sonnenblick-schwabthal@t-online.de

Good hotel and a nice little town. Mostly German tourists stay here. I like to sit at the downstairs bar and people watch. Very good breakfast. Not far from Coburg.

Romantik Jugendstilhotel Bellevue
An der Mosel 11
56841 Traben-Trarbach
Tel - 6541/7030 ~ Tel - 6541/703400
Email - info@bellevue-hotel.de

Grand old hotel on the Mosel. Margie and I have stayed here many times and really enjoy it. Good Restaurant, really good rooms and some of the best staff we have come across. Very nice wein town with many wein bars around to sample some great grape juice.

Hotel Concorde
Herrnstraße 38-40
80539 München
Tel - 89/224515 ~ Fax - 89/2283282
Email - info@concorde-muenchen.de

Good business hotel in the middle of the Altstadt. Very good breakfast buffet. About a 5 minute walk to Marienplatz or the Hofbräuhaus.

Gasthof-Hotel Mayr Wirt
Haager Straße 4
85435 Erding
Tel - 8122/880920 ~ Fax - 8122/7098
Email - info@mayrwirt-erding.de

Good hotel in a nice town. Good restaurant. Only a short walk to the main square. Good transportation into Munich.

Hotel Krone am Bahnhof
Am Bahnhof 8
99310 Arnstadt/Thüringen
Tel - 3628/77060 ~ Fax - 3628/602484
Email - krone-2000@t-online.de

Good hotel near Erfurt. Rooms and restaurant are very good and the staff friendly. Good town to anchor in and day trip from.

Hotel Hirsch
Marktplatz 12
87724 Ottobeuren
Tel - 8332/796770 ~ Fax - 8332/7967766
Email - info@hirsch-ottobeuren.de

Was closed for a while after the brewery closed but re-opened and is very good. Excellent restaurant with the rooms above average. Located on the Market square near one of the most beautiful Churches in Germany (my opinion).

Hotel-Restaurant Schwanenbräu
Am Marktplatz 2
91320 Ebermannstadt
Tel - 9194/209 ~ Fax - 9194/5836
Email - dotterweich@schwanenbraeu.de

Very good hotel in a lovely town on the Franken Switzerland road. Restaurant serves good local dishes and excellent Bier. Rooms average. Another town that is good to sit around the outdoor cafe's and people watch.

Hotel Weißes Roß "Altstadt Hotel"
Marktplatz 12
95326 Kulmbach
Tel - 9221/95650 ~ Fax - 9221/956511
Email - info@weisses-ross-kulmbach.com

Great old hotel on the Marketplatz that I have stayed at since the early 50's . Kulmbach has 5 major breweries and that is their chief industry. Fine old castle sitting on the hill overlooking the town. I think this area has some of the most beautiful scenery in Germany.

Hotel Bayerischer Hof
Bahnhofstrasse 14
95444 Bayreuth
Tel - 921/78600 ~ Fax - 921/7860560
Email - hotel@bayerischer-hof.de

Very nice hotel in the heart of Bayreuth. Good rooms and Restaurant. Close to everything. If you like opera and Wagner this is the place for you.

Gasthof "Zur Goldenen Krone"
Bahnhofstrasse 18
95152 Selbitz
Tel - 9280/235 ~ Fax - 9280/5650
Email - info@krone-selbitz.de

Well worn old hotel but still a good one. Rooms and restaurant very good as are the staff. Only a short drive to Hof.

Hotel Strauss
Bismarckstrasse 31
95028 Hof/Saale
Tel - 9281/9720630 ~ Fax - 9281/972063333
Email - rezeption@hotel-strauss-hof.de

Very nice hotel on the edge of the pedestrian zone. Excellent restaurant and a very good staff. Another great town to lounge around in and visit the outdoor cafes to people watch.

Hotel Deidesheimer Hof
Am Marktplatz
67146 Deidesheim
Tel - 6326/96870 ~ Fax - 6326/7685
Email - info@deidesheimerhof.de

An outstanding hotel in this small wine village. Excellent rooms and the restaurant is one of the best. The staff is excellent and very helpful. This town is a pleasure to wander around in sampling the various wines. Very good park to just sit and people watch. Margie's favorite town.