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Below are a few of the many wonderful hotels we have found in Europe. They are at least four-star properties and selected not only for their inherent quality, but also for their strategic locations: each make excellent way stations for day trips to important sites nearby.

You may be surprised to find Marriott's name popping up frequently in the list. The simple fact is that Marriott offers a consistency of quality and service throughout the world that never seems to let you down. And in locations, such as Paris, where hotel rates for fine accommodations are simply astronomical, Marriott Neuilly is one of Europe's best kept secrets.

Here is a little tip that will save you a great deal of money when traveling in Europe: Join your local AAA before leaving. That may sound a bit strange, but their little plastic credit card will get you discounted rooms in most world chain hotels, including Best Western, Clarion, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Hyatt, Radisson Ritz-Carlton, Marriott and many European chains. The cost for a year's AAA membership can be recouped from the savings in a few days' stay at any one of these properties. These folks are also a very good resource for routes, maps, sights, etc., and you have one year of AAA service back home!

Please note that the links provided below also may change at any time. If a link does not work correctly, try going to its root. For example, in the case of http://www.vjz.de/e/index.html, try going to www.vjz.de and wander around from there. The prices below were offered for the arbitrary period, July 9-12, 2005 for two persons and, of course, can and will change. In all instances, we try to only include links directly to the property. We detest intermediary hotel brokers who will not show you the actual site for a property nor provide you with their address, telephone numbers, etc. Book directly with the property, noting any deep discounts you have found on the Internet. Hotels will usually honor whatever you can substantiate.

All Europe

Romantik Hotels
http://www.romantikhotels.com


Germany

Black Forest

General Information:
http://en.schwarzwaldserver.de/

Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel am Schluchsee
http://www.vjz.de/e/index.html
Summer 2008: 115-130 EUR Including Breakfast & Dinner in your choice of three restaurants


Here is an opportunity to experience a genuine German Black Forest Resort. Situated on the edge of the Schluchsee, it is the perfect location to explore the Black Forest and neighboring French Alsace. Some of the most perfectly preserved medieval towns in Europe are less than 45 minutes from the resort. Do not miss the town of Riquewhir. Indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and onsite restaurants make this a wonderful pause in your touring.

Berchtesgaden

Hotel Alpenhof
http://www.alpenhof.de/wcms/bin/Server.dll?Article?ID=36&Session=1-PAUbM3R9-1

Summer 2008: 184-264EUR Including Breakfast & Dinner  for two


Located about two miles from downtown Berchtesgaden and about the same distance to the Konigsee, the Alpenhof is simply the friendliest place you will ever stay. It is a full-service resort complete with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, tennis and a terrific restaurant. Be sure to take the half-board option that gives you breakfast and a four-course dinner of your choice. Go there once, and you will find yourself making plans to revisit year after year.

Salzburg is about 20 minutes away, making it a perfect day trip. The local salt mine is fascinating as is the Obersalzberg Region with many remnants of the Third Reich still there for your inspection. The bus ride up Kehlstein (The Eagle's Nest) is worth the entire visit. An afternoon ride on the Konigsee is about as perfect as life ever gets.

Castles in Germany
http://www.gast-im-schloss.de/html/frame_fl_eng.php http://www.gast-im-schloss.de/index_fl.php

Germany has an abundance of castles with accommodations. You should try to fit at least one into your travel plans. The above site will get you started, but there are many organizations representing handfuls of castles, each group being somewhat independent of the others. This is where the Internet comes in handy. Make searching for hotels enjoyable!

Schloss Hirschhorn
http://www.castle-hotel.de/

Everybody stays in Heidelberg when they visit central Germany. No one thinks to look a little bit farther outside the town. Castle Hirschhorn is located about 12 miles outside of Heidelberg along the banks of the Neckar. The road between Heidelberg and Hirschhorn is worth the visit.

Schloss Colmberg
http://www.burg-colmberg.de/

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Renaissance Riessersee Hotel Garmisch-Partenkirchen http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/ZEIBR
Summer 2008: Quality Room 129-199 EUR

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (two conjoined towns) is one of the two or three most beautiful regions in Germany. Perfectly located, you can make easy day trips to Oberammergau, Neuschwanstein, Austria and even Munich (only about 45 Autobahn miles away). In addition, Garmisch itself offers incredible sights, including the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. The cable car to the top is really quite astounding.

The Renaissance Riessersee Hotel is in and of itself a place of genuine beauty. It sits hidden on the slopes of the nearby Zugspitze, overlooking the Garmisch valley. Walk out of the hotel and over to a restaurant about 30 seconds away, and you find yourself sitting outside at a lakeside table looking out upon maybe the most beautiful lake in the world. This hotel happens to be a Marriott property as well. Don't miss their Friday night barbeque. God, I love that place!

Heidelberg

Marriott Heidelberg Hotel
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/HDBMC
Summer 2008: Quality Room 152-199 EUR (sleeps 3)

Situated along the banks of the Neckar, this hotel is an excellent location from which to see the region. The Concierge Lounge boasts a rooftop patio that looks out at the city and the enormous castle.

Munich

Munich Marriott Hotel
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/MUCNO

Summer 2008: 149-195 EUR

Quality Room 159 EUR (sleeps 4) Munich is the capital of Bavaria, big and bustling. The Munich Marriott is a quiet oasis north of the city center near the Englischer Garten and just off Leopoldstrasse. The subway is only about a block away for those who don't want to fight Munich's parking problems. The hotel also features Champions, an American Sportsbar and Restaurant. If your all Schnitzeled out by this point in your travels, nothing is quite as nice as some goof old American Philly Cheese Steaks, Tex-Mex, etc.

Oberstaufen (Bavaria)

Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Oberstaufen / Allgäu
http://www.bayer-hof.de/
118 EUR
Looking for a place in between Neuschwanstein (The castles) and the Bodensee? Looking for a quiet Bavarian retreat? This is it. Cozy, classy, friendly.

Muenchweiler/Alsenz

Hotel Klostermühle
http://www.klostermuehle.com/

Summer 2008: 98 EUR including Breakfast

The Rheinland Pfalz is perhaps the most overlooked region in Germany for tourism. Given the fact that the Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Road) runs right up the middle of it, you would think that it would be filled with tourists. Wrong. Except for the Wine Festivals that take place every weekend in different towns in the region, the weekdays are rather quiet. There are villages that rival even the heavily touristed towns of Rothenburg o.d.T., Dinkelsbuehl, etc. Do not miss Bad Durkheim, Deidesheim, St. Martin, Maikammer, Freinsheim, Wachenheim. And the vineyards, beautiful with small castles and ruins everywhere.

Klostermühle is a family-run fully-functioning farm with attached hotel. Nestled in the countryside, it is just a few kilometers from two major Autobahns that will take you for day trips north to the Rhein, east to Heidelberg, south into the Pfalz vineyards, and west into France. Quiet, charming and unbelievably friendly and warm. The restaurant serves the finest regional dishes to be found anywhere in the Pfalz. You would have a hard time finding a better restaurant in Germany

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/AMSRD
Summer 2008: Quality Room 215 EUR

Just like any other major city with lots to see and do, you're better off being reasonably near the city center. Here you can walk to Annie Frank's House, Canal Cruises, Dam Square and the Royal Palace.

Amsterdam Marriott Hotel
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/AMSNT
Summer 2008: Quality Room 210 EUR (sleeps 4)

OK, so this hotel is a bit out of the city center. However, its claim to fame is in the fact that it's nearby the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. (They really take Van Gogh seriously there.)

France

Chateaux of France
http://www.chateauxcountry.com/index_en.html http://www.chateaux-france.com/

The Germans have Schlosses - castles. So do the French, but they call 'em chateaus. For whatever reason, the German castles are big, heavy and kind of creepy. Better you go look for the ice machine in the middle of the night. I'm not leaving my room!

Chateaus, on the other hand, are usually magnificent, landscaped to death and romantic beyond words. And the things are seemingly everywhere, with the greatest concentration in the Loire Valley. They are usually somewhat hidden from obvious view, but usually welled signed. Stay in at least one chateau while in France. Your wife/girlfriend will thank you appropriately.

We include our favorite chateaus below.

Paris

Courtyard Paris Neuilly
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/PARCY
Summer 2008: King Bed Room 239 EUR/ Suite (sleeps 4) 384 EUR

Here is probably the best-kept secret in Paris: the Marriott Courtyard in Neuilly. The suburb of Neuilly is one of the most beautiful and upscale in Paris. The hotel sits on Boulevard Victor Hugo, a lovely tree-lined street of townhouses and expensive apartments. You can park right on the street in front of the hotel - unheard of in Paris.

The hotel has standard Marriott-type rooms and suites, the latter accommodating four people. This may seem silly to you as you read this, but the hotel is air-conditioned. Keep in mind that the temperature in Paris during the past two summers has been so hot that they trucked in sand and created beaches for tanning along the Seine. Try sleeping in a hotel without ac when it's 102 degrees outside.

Neuilly is absolutely safe day and night and you can walk to more than a dozen restaurants in the area, populated by genuine Parisians, not tourists. Try the restaurants on île de la Jatte, an island in the Seine less than a mile from the hotel. Very romantic.

The hotel is exactly 5 minutes by car to the Arc d'Triomphe and about 7 minutes from the Eiffel Tower. The subway is a few minutes walk from the hotel. Actually, driving in Paris is not all that difficult. Once you get a feel for the lay of the land, you will find that driving allows you to get to many more sights.

Chateau d'Esclimont
http://www.grandesetapes.fr/uk/hotel_esclimont.php
Standard Room 165 EUR

Don't want to be in Paris? About midway between Paris and Chartres lies Chateau d'Esclimont. That's about 20 miles from Paris and about 12 miles from Versailles. Quiet, classy with a surrounding park that is superb. The restaurant is an experience in and of itself.

Verdun

Chateau des Monthairons
http://www.chateauxhotelsdefrance.com/
170 EUR with Breakfast

Now this is the kind of chateau you've always hoped your husband would take you to. Quietly sitting along the Meuse River, it is truly one of life's great experiences to awaken there and open ten foot high windows looking out on the mist of the Meuse Valley.

Verdun lies about six miles to the north. The battlefields of the First and Second World Wars, including a tour of the Maginot Line and Underground fortifications make up a perfect day tour. To make matters even more interesting, the Chateau lies on the road to the little town of Domremy-la-Pucelle, the birthplace of Joan of Arc. Her childhood home, the Site of her Vision, are all still there and sufficiently out of the way so that most tourists never get there.

And to return each evening to your very own French chateau. Simply marvelous.

Expensive? Worth every penny.

Normandy
http://www.normandy-tourism.org/gb/06heberg/charm/index.html http://www.normandy-tourism.org/gb/06heberg/chat/index.html

Chateau De Sully
http://www.normandy-tourism.org/gb/06heberg/charm/index.html
120 EUR

Here's your chateau while you're visiting the sites along the coast of Normandy. Bayeux, Caen, the Cemeteries, Arromanches, Mont St. Michel are all with easy and immediate reach.

Austria

Salzburg
See Berchtesgaden, Germany

Switzerland

Interlachen Lindner

Grand Hotel Beau Rivage
http://www.lindner.de/en/LGHBR/index_html/complexdoc_view CHF 310.00

Zurich

Renaissance Zurich Hotel
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/ZRHRN
Quality Room CHF 261.00

If Zurich is your arrival or departure point, this is a very handy hotel. It is located just 3 miles from the airport. It is, however, virtually impossible to find left to your own devices. It's best to ask directions of the locals every few blocks or so. But once you've found it, you'll wonder why it was so difficult the first time.

Italy

 

The Dolomites

The northern Italian region that is home to the Dolomites is simply the most beautiful Alpine area in all of Europe. Oddly enough, it is visited by very few non-Europeans who usually race through it via the Brenner Pass and Autostrada on their way from Austria to central Italy. The region is known by many names: in German and Ladin it is Südtirol, in Italian it is Alto Adige. People in the region speak Italian, German and in a few areas, Ladin.

 

The most stunning vistas in the Dolomites are to be found in Alta Badia, in and around the villages of Corvara, La Villa and Colfosco. It seems that God placed this landscape here for the private enjoyment of Europeans both in summer and winter. In winter it is a Mecca for all forms of snow worship; in summer, it is the cosmic center of hiking and biking. The views are so overpowering that you will be sadly disappointed with the rest of the Alps, if you are heading in that direction after your visit to the Alto Adige.

Corvara

Hotel La Perla                                                                                                                              www.hotel-laperla.it                                                                                                Summer 2008: 136-266 EUR per person, including breakfast and dinner

La Perla is truly a pearl. I know of no another hotel in Europe that is so astoundingly comfortable and more inviting. It is really not just a hotel, rather it is an experience that remains with you for probably the rest of your life. Owned by the Costa family, the hotel's website is unlike any other hotel site you will ever visit. At one point the site proclaims, "Your enchanted kingdom really does exist! Ernesto and Anny Costa, together with their children, have worked to create the magnificent kingdom they have always dreamed of..."  And you know what? That's an understatement to put it mildly. It is a kingdom unto itself. The rooms are immaculate, spacious and individually appointed.

 

Space here prevents me from writing the volumes that this hotel deserves. The decor, the attention to detail, the food, the wine cellar, the views, each merit a paragraph of their own. However, I must say that the included half-board evening meal is unequaled anywhere we have ever visited; the wine cellar is ranked among the top ten in Europe, filled to the ceiling with the rarest wines you will ever encounter, including thousands of bottles of Sassicaia, the rarest of all Tuscan reds. The wine cellar features a kneeling pew allowing you to pray to Bacchus, the god of wine. Every element of the hotel carries emotional undertones and echo the love and care the owners invest in their kingdom.

Here's the deal: If you would like an experience you will NEVER forget, include LA Perla. You may email the hotel and direct your inquiry to Stephanie who will offer you a special rate available to our customers only.

Rome

Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/ROMDT
Junior Suite 675 EUR (Sleeps 3)

Hotel Aldrovandi
http://www.aldrovandi.com/en/home.asp
Superior Room 325 EUR

It does not get much better than this in Rome or anywhere else for that matter. Absolute class, absolute quality. Situated in the Villa Borghese Gardens, this is a very upscale neighborhood.

You will thank me for finding one of the few hotels in Rome with a complete outdoor swimming pool, bar, restaurant. After touring all day in Rome, there's nothing quite like returning to this wonderful oasis. Expensive? How often are you in Rome?

Siena

Hotel Garden
http://www.garden-hotels.it/uk/garden/garden.html
160 EUR

Need your own villa in Tuscany? Here's the real deal located in about the most perfect town you'll ever find. Nestled in the hills of Tuscany is the 17th Century villa that is everything you've imagined. The view from the patio restaurant, overlooking Siena, is to die for. The rooms are immaculate, the dining, well, a major Italian experience.

Naples

Renaissance Naples Hotel Mediterraneo
Quality Room 243 EUR