HotelChatter

The hotel building was originally constructed in 1729 by the Archbishop of nearby Mainz, and is adjacent to the town’s cobblestoned Drosselgasse, or Thrush Lane, with its rows of souvenir shops and lively restaurants. The Schloss's rooms, however, are all modern. Many of them were designed and decorated by the same artists whose works have graced the labels of Georg Breuer wines over the years. The furnishings are simple and straightforward, but the real standout is the huge square footage, the enormous windows, and the private balconies overlooking the hotel’s leaf-shaded courtyard restaurant that some of the rooms have.

Rates at the hotel start at 95 euros a night, and range up to 175 euros for a suite in high season. We’d also suggest getting the half-board deal for 22 euros, which gets you a four-course menu at the hotel restaurant in the evening. Unlike many of the tourist traps in town, the restaurant serves delicious local fare using fresh, seasonal ingredients like gooseberries, smoked wild boar meat, and summer apricots.

It also has an extensive list of the wines of Georg Breuer, which is one of the best known and most respected names in German wine. There is also a fun (and okay, a little cheesy) pop band that plays crowd favorites for diners every night. The best perks of staying at the hotel are the vineyard hikes and wine-tasting tours the hotel can arrange for guests, as well as the free parking and in-room internet.

As for the glockenspiel, when it does chime, you can bet that all activity in the hotel courtyard and out on the Drosselgasse stops as guest and tourists whip out cameras to record the concert. Though we’d like to think of ourselves as better than that, even we were susceptible to the traditional instrument’s charms. Check out the video we made here.