grosenb

I have stayed in Cochem and prefer it over Billstein which everyone else loves.

Cochem is larger and offers variety and more choices. Billstein is worth a day trip but too quiet for me to stay the night.

We stayed at the Alt T and enjoyed our stay there. The breakfast offered more than the crossiant and cafe. Beds were comfortable and room was a good size.

Gail

bettyk

Maybe this map will help explain it. Cochem is about 6 km from Beilstein so they aren't just across the river from each other.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

dutyfree

My problem is my husband-he has not traveled with us the past few years and now he is going. He just stated to me that he"doesn't want to do a baggage drill everyday" but I don't want to be stuck in the same town for the whole vacation.

I was kinda thinking someplace like Rudesheim or St.Goar on the Rhine for a couple nights and then a couple nights on the Mosel with a night or two in Trier before heading back to Frankfurt-what are your thoughts?

Serious,the Lipmann sounds so nice and we can get a quad room but if you think that we are going to be bored out of our minds then please let me know NOW. The kids are not clubbers and would be happy getting a beer across the street and chatting(son has been in India this time for over 7 months) so there will be things to catch up on and I am hoping that they can do some bike rentals together? Advise me guys! Thanks-

bettyk

Dutyfree, if you are that worried about your kids being bored, then stay in Cochem. There is basically no nightlife in Beilstein. If you need nightlife, then it's probably not right for you.

If you don't want to pay the price to stay at the Alte T. then try someplace else. There are lots of hotels and apartments.

I found tcreath's trip report where she stayed at this apartment in Cochem a few months ago.

Ferienwohnung Am alten Kirchplatz (http://www.fewo-cochem.de/)

Per her trip report:

>The apartment we stayed at was across the river, so we had wonderful views of the castle every day from our balcony.

I did a lot of research, both on my own and here on Fodors, to find the perfect town to base ourselves. My husband and I prefer smaller towns, and would probably choose Beilstein for our next trip to the area, but my brother likes to do things at night so in the end Cochem worked out great. It was off season, but the restaurants along the river were always open. And I loved our apartment. I spent a lot of time finding the “perfect” accommodations and stumbled upon this place while doing one of my many online searches. The people who run it were very nice to work with and our apartment was lovely, with two bedrooms, a large bathroom, and a nicely equipped kitchen and living room with the lovely balcony. We were within walking distance of town, which made it perfect. I think we paid 70 euro per night.>

Since you have a car, you can visit Beilstein and walk up to the Castle and have lunch out on the terrace at Haus Lipmann.

dutyfree

Thanks Betty-I am going to reserve the Lippman just because we are not nightlife people and I HATE daytripper towns.The place sounds so nice and a great spot to reconnect with our kids.(Daughter still likes to come home,chat and drink Prosecco-sp? with her mom while making somemores on the outside fireplace) so I think that Beilstein will be great. Hopefully, we can find a bike rental for them,etc.The whole family is very excited to see my son after 7 months so the time together will be special.

I need two nights on the Rhine before and then two nights after Beilstein so if you have any thoughts on where-fire them off. I would be most appreciative!

I will be leaving for Rome tomorrow(29th) afternoon for work and won't be back until the 31st but if anyone has anything to add it would be great. Thanks!

lincasanova

some suggestions: st. goar is totally boring IMO except for the restaurant and views from rheinfels(?) castle. at least this was the case in may.

there is a gorgeous restaurant hotel on the mosel caled "moselblick". we had one of our most memorable meals there. since that is a common name i will try to fnd the town. i believe it was on the western side of mosel before burg eltz as you go north.
the town is WINNINGEN, i believe.

most everything closes down a bit earlier than you would expect, so since you will be getting up early.. not to worry too much about night life.(however, perhaps in the summer it is different.)

you will love the location of haus lippman and their outdoor terrace overlooking the river activity.

i would rule out rudesheim for lodging. it is way too busy for me, and other towns are just as quaint wihtout all the touristic hubbub from the 100's of cruise ships that ALL stop there all day long.

you can take the bikes on the boats going up and down, so that is a fun way to spend some time. bike up.. ride boat back.

dutyfree

Leaving for Rome now till Thursday but your answers are exactly what I am looking for. I want towns that are not overrun with the cruise ships and that you could enjoy a dinner/breakfast without trying to walk with the masses through the streets BUT also have something to see or do while there. Thanks everyone! Ciao-Italy is so much easier for me to plan a trip to these days....maybe its the red wine?

bettyk

We stayed in Bacharach a couple of years ago and loved it. It's a beautiful town and great for walking. There is a castle that is now a hostel and a some church ruins.

Many of the towns on the Rhine and Mosel can get very busy during the day but quiet down in the afternoon and early morning.

We stayed at the Rhein Hotel which we really enjoyed. They have a great restaurant too. I think we paid 84 Euro for our double room.

http://www.rhein-hotel-bacharach.de/.../fr-index.html

There is also Pension Lettie which receives good reviews here on Fodors and Trip Advisor:

Pension Lettie, Kranenstrasse 6, email: pension.lettie@t-online

Here's another place that looked very nice and gets good reviews on Trip Advisor:

http://www.im-malerwinkel.de/


Enjoy Rome!

bettyk

Don't know if your budget will allow it -- cause it is expensive -- but the Castle Hotel Auf Schoenburg in Oberwessel is an amazing place to stay. The hotel is high up on a hill overlooking the Rhine. Gorgeous views. You can sit out on their terrace and have a glass of wine and just enjoy the views. But it is a splurge -- at least it was for us.

http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.d...id=398&L=3

http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/

Other places to stay along the Rhine:

http://www.loreleyvalley.com/index.html

lincasanova

a heads up on some lodgings on the mosel and the rhein. there are very frequent trans on both rivers, very near the buildings at times. in fact.. the train tracks pass in front or right behind many places.

be sure to find out if it is somewhere no one has really recommended personally.

bettyk

I know some people have complained about the Kranenturm Hotel in Bacharach because of train noise. We didn't notice this at the Rhein Hotel, but then we normally travel with earplugs and use them frequently.