I am looking for a hotel in Wiesbaden or somewhere scenic within 30 min. of the Frankfurt airport. Have heard that the Nassauer Hof is beautiful. Is anyone familiar with the Crowne Plaza in Wiesbaden? Looking for an area good to walk around and see the sights. Thanks.

We've stayed in both and each is a good choice though the Nassauer Hof is probably a whole lot more expensive than the Crowne Plaza. Both are situated perfectly for walking about the city.

The Favorite Parkhotel in Mainz is located on the grounds of Mainz' manicured Stadtpark (city park), a short walk to the Rhine and to the suburban train station with direct connections to Franfurt airport (about 20 min to the airport.) It's not far into Mainz' old town center, with its Romanesque cathedral and pedestrian-only zone filled with shops and cafes, especially along the Augustinerstrasse. The hotel itself has a nice Biergarten and a view over the Rhine, and qualifies as a bit of a splurge:<BR><BR>www.favorite-mainz.de/eng/hotel/index.htm

The Crowne Plaza is convenient to all the sites. The lobby and common areas were definitely more impressive than the rooms. You could have been in any Holiday Inn in the US---the rooms were comfortable but rather basic. They certainly did not have any European character to them---but a good price for the location.

The Nassauer Hof is a delight--a genuine, old-fashioned European hotel complete with courteous employees who actually believe in giving great service to their customers. I used to make this delight my "home-away-from-home when I traveled to Germany on business, staying a week or more at a time. It is rather expensive unless you are traveling on an expense account. Ask for a front room with a view.

I just read in a Rick Steve's guide book that Wiesbaden and Mainz are "sightseeing lowlights" and not worth the time. Any other opinions?<BR>Being close to the airport is necessary but we really don't wish to stay in Frankfurt. Thanks to those of you that responded- much appreciated!

I live in Wiesbaden and the reason why Rick Steves would be uncomortable here is that this town is full of wealthy retired germans. They do not steal food from the breakfast table, nor sleep in the train station ( all things he advocates to save a buck!). So if you are the extremely cheap tighwad tourist you won't like this area. If you are interested in seeing some interesting architecture, beautiful parks and great shopping, eating and drinking, then go and have fun. As for a great hotel, there are alot of good local places in this town that are reflective of the local german culture.This is a great area so check it out and form your own opinion. Mainz is neat too, but I prefer Weisbaden.

Much of Mainz is filled with pretty dull, post-war buildings that detract. Its setting on the Rhine (and this applies to Wiesbaden too) isn't especially gem&uuml;tlich (however, it does look rather impressive as you cross the Rhine from Frankfurt.) But the specific areas of Mainz I spoke of in my previous post ARE especially nice no matter what you use as a comparison. If you want a little atmosphere and proximity to the airport, I doubt you can do much better. If you have time for sightseeing, check out the Chagall windows at the Stephanskirche and the Gutenberg museum.<BR><BR>Rick Steves is ok generally, but a lot of his stuff contains errors and misassessments, in my judgment. (In his video on the Rhine, he has a segment where he arrives at St. Goar's train station, throws his things in a locker, and goes off to see the town. Only problem is, St. Goar doesn't have a single locker.) I wouldn't take his advice as gospel.<BR><BR>Mainz and Wiesbaden are not worth crossing the country for, but they aren't without their charms.