My family and I are traveling to Germany this summer. Paris 1 week, Rhine valley 5 days, Amsterdam 1 week.
We have three days booke d at Schoenburg Castle in Oberwesel. Has anybody had any Good or Bad experiences with Schoenburg Castle Hotel?

Thanks

Happy to post on this. My wife and I just got back from Europe and had 2 nights at the Schoenburg Castle. We booked a tower room with a view of the Rhine. The downside is that the noise from the trains on the Rhine is non-stop and the tower rooms take the brunt of it. The first night was hell! I slept about 2 hours all night due to warning whistles that go off about every 90 seconds! I thought I was going to go insane. In the morning (6:00 AM) I went downstairs and told them. They seemed surprised like they had never heard it before. So I invited them to the room and when they heard it they agreed to move us to a lower and quieter room. It was dramatically better. I talked to the owner when we checked out and she was totally unsympathetic and said she had no control of the Rhine! So that experience is one to learn from. But if you stay in the lower room you will be fine. There is a trail from from the castle down to the town that we walked down (and back up) that is really beautiful. The castle hotel is beautiful with some great little rooms. The town of Oberwesel is really sleepy - only 2 taxis in town. We went up the Rhine and spent some time at Boppard and it was larger. I think if I had not had the horrible experience on the first night and the owner was more sympathetic, then the memory would have been very positive. Right now, I am a bit mixed.. Book the lower room and you will be fine!

I have a couple of digital camera shots if you want me to e-mail them just drop me a note at [email protected].

Have fun!

My husband, myself and two kids are staying at the castle in June. We tried to book a room in the tour but were told we could not but extra beds in those rooms. They booked us with a lower room with a balcony overlooking the Rhine. I am concerned about the noise as know as well. I have heard so many other positive things about the castle.

If your balcony overlooks the Rhine I suggest you bring good earplugs. Thinks about asking for a room that does not overlook the Rhine. You can see it just fine from lots of locations...

We are also staying at the Schoenburg and was wondering if anyone else has comments about the train noise. As we will be there in August, I assume windows must be left open, which can only maximize the noise. Should we request a room without a Rhine view?

We just came back from 6 days on the Mosel and 3 on the Rhine. We stayed 2 nights at the Castle. The first night the noise was not a problem but more so on the second night. (maybe it was because the first night there was a Sunday and there may have been noise restrictions) Not enought to cause a sleepless night. As mentionned ear plugs would be a help. We enjoyed our stay and the view was great especially sitting outside overlooking the Rhine at breakfast and dinner. Yes the windows will have to be left open even in June when we were there more so in July or August. We even left the door open to the deck which gave us an even better breeze.
Laurie

My family and I stayed at Schonburg (Schoenburg) Castle last Tuesday night in two tower rooms with balconies. The views from the balconies in both rooms were among the most incredible I've ever had in a hotel. The room for the three children had a large double bed that two shared and and a comfortable single bed for the third child. Somehow they all ended up together in the large double but slept well anyway. The trains run often during the day and the evening, but I did not notice the noise after around 11:00 pm/midnight, presumably because fewer or no trains run during those hours. The noise we experienced was certainly nothing like that described by mdc4sc.

Reinsl and M_Adel--thank you so much taking the time to respond with your first-hand information. It makes me feel better about our trip plans!

We overnighted at Auf Schoenburg Castle in May 2002 and so wished we had allotted more time to this beautiful place. We had a beautiful room (not in the tower) and a lovely meal in their gourmet restaurant. We also had drinks on the terrace overlooking the Rhine. It was a great experience and we look forward to spending more time there on our next trip.

P.S. We always travel with earplugs, especially when the weather is warm and you need the windows open.

Our family stayed at Schoenburg last summer for 2 nights. We had no major complaints, however, I didn't feel that it deserved all the great reviews it gets. We also had a balcony overlooking the Rhine and I can't remember any noise from the trains. We were there in late July and I was a high in the mid 70s, so we did sleep with the door and windows closed. The noise that I complained about with from all the kids from the hostel portion of the hotel. They were partying out side in the courtyard (which was outside our window) till late. THis happened both nights. We had a "special dinner" in the hotel, which I felt was over priced. Our room was very nice though. But the hotel is not that convenient for day tripping out. Overall, I didn't feel it was worth what we paid.

For some people, the glass is always half empty instead of half full.

For some people, being defensive and judgmental is a way of life; especially if someone dares to express an honest view that they happen to disagree with. A great view is nice, but a good night?s sleep, free from the roar of trains and drunken party animals is even better!

Actually, I had a wonderful night's sleep. And, I did not hear any roar of trains or any drunken party animals. Much might depend on the time of year or day of the week one stays at the hotel. But my experience was very positive as, it seems, were many others.

I like it when people have differing opinions of a hotel, restaurant or even a "must-see" place. Marbie's comments did not seem that they came from a pessimistic point of view. She just expressed her honest viewpoint as did mdc4sc.

For instance, I hated Aix-en-Provence, and I am anything but a "glass is half empty" kind of person. Everyone is entitled to their point of view about their travels without getting slammed, whether their experience was positive or negative.

There are obviously positive and negative points about this property. It is up to the potential traveler to make his/her mind up whether they want to stay here.

RE: Maitaitom

Well said. A good review of all the pros and the cons is best. I try to have "open eyes", but also guard against being too picky. Excessive noise is one thing that can ruin it for me. Other folks will have something else that bothers them.