The Demelhof is a small working farm with a stunning view of the Alps. My friend and I stayed there for four nights and had a wonderful time. The rooms were large, each with a comfortable double bed, TV, desk, chairs, hot pot and hair dryer in the en suite bathrooms. My room also had a fold-out sofa. The balcony overlooked a pasture with a view of fields, town and mountains. We each paid a small supplement for single occupancy of double rooms, breakfast included. You could use the computer next to the breakfast room for one Euro an hour. I made reservations ahead of time using a free on-line translation service, and our rooms were ready when we arrived. The Demelhof is a popular place with German families and was fully booked when we were there.

The owners Uschi and Klaus were very friendly, and the high-school aged son spoke some English. The grandmother also lived with them and tended the beautiful flower boxes and garden. My friend spoke fluent German so was able to chat with the owners. Uschi explained a bit about participating in the local folk festivals. She told us that unmarried women wear bright dirndls to the fests, while married women wear dark or black skirts covered by white aprons.

The Demelhof is about a mile from the village of Reit im Winkl, in an area with other farmhouses that rent out rooms and furnished apartments. The GPS in our rental car found the farm without problems. This was a great base from which to explore the area. We made trips to Lake Chiemsee and Zell am See, Austria. We even lucked upon a local fest in nearby Grassau, with musicians and dancers wearing Dirndls and Lederhosen. As far as we could tell we were the only foreigners.

The apartments are in a building next to the farmhouse. There is a small playground in back. There are horses in the fields and cows in nearby pastures. There are hiking and biking paths all around, and in winter apparently not just skiing but snow tubing and sleigh rides as well. There is an indoor pool in town and also an outdoor pool, and also lakes for swimming nearby. The farm is very family friendly and has earned a rating of 4 bears from the Bavarian farm-rating website.

The Demelhof is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, and I hope to go back. This is a perfect base for exploring the Alps, but the area is not well served by public transport, so it would be difficult to stay here without a car.