Booked on the back of recommendations on this site for a stopover at the end of a tour of the Moselle valley. I have written something like sixty reviews of hotels around the world - some glowing, some not so good. But, please trust me, this place is the worst - ever!

Firstly, it isn't in a great location, in a dark and dank valley surrounding by scruffy farmland next to a modern suburb of Trier. And quite difficult to find, even with a satnav. Secondly, it's a bit dog-eared and has seen better days.

We arrived at 16:00, having booked more than a month previously. We were unable to get into the car park as it was full, and also filled with guests from a wedding. Eventually we found a muddy spot up a country lane in which to park.

Check-in was fine. We asked about dinner and were told it would be no problem as the restaurant was open from noon to 22:00 - whenever we were ready we could just go along. We were taken to our room, to find that there was already somebody in it. Much flustering ensued and the owner was called. He started to look flustered too and after about 10 minutes of fiddling with his computer, told us "No problem". We were then shown to a dark and tiny room in the attic - about 12 feet by 12 feet with a tiny window and an en suite smaller than the one on cross channel ferries. I am 5 feet 9 inches and in the en-suite and under the beams, I had two inches of clearance, and the maximum ceiling height was 6 and a half feet.. Not for the claustrophobic. Two hard backed upright chairs and cheap wardrobe with a broken lock and twin cheap and uncomfortable beds, and one of those unfinished wood industrial shelving units from IKEA. Paintwork was flaking off everywhere. This was not the Lorenzhof room with a restful outlook on the Ruwer river from a balcony that we had booked all that time ago. And it overlooked the bar terrace.

At this point I should have put my foot down, but it had been a long day.....

We arrived for dinner at about 18:45. We were told we would have to wait for at least an hour. Turns out not only had most of the restaurant been taken up with the wedding party, they had also booked in a coach party and a large cycling party. At this point I lost my presence of mind, saw the owner and threatened to walk out.

Much flustering ensued. Clearly, they realised they had not planned ahead and were in trouble. After about 15 minutes they persuaded some of the coach party to shuffle up and we were fitted into a corner of the dining room. The place was absolutely packed and the noise was deafening.

Then we were told the menu was not available, because they had too many people in and only the bistro menu was available, An extremely limited choice - eg only starters were tomato soup or smoked trout (end of list!). We were served reasonably quickly and the food was fine, probably because we had complained, but the bus party took an hour to have their tomato soup delivered and their main courses were just arriving as we left after a full meal and coffees. Much shouting at the head waiter (yes, he looks just like Andrew Sachs as Manuel in Fawlty Towers), tapping of watches and pointing at us getting preference. Hardly a comfortable meal.

The bar was supposed to shut at 23:00, but was still going full tilt with the wedding party at one o'clock, and at two thirty there was a bunch of youths trying to push each other into the millstream. All right outside and below our window. Result: a very poor night's sleep.

In the morning the shower had no hot water and the shower gel container was completely empty. Downstairs for the 08:00 breakfast start, to make sure we got a table, to find the whole place packed with cyclists, wedding party and bus trip. Many items from the buffet had already run out. Nobody told us that breakfast was starting early.

Checked out quickly as we could with a very frosty "Cybil" (Basil had disappeared by the morning). Not so much as an apology for our downgraded room ( though they did only charge us the lower price) or for the noise and chaos the previous evening.

From the other reviews, it seems that if you get it on a day without bus parties and weddings and groups of cyclists, the place is OK. But, honestly, would you want to risk it? This place is being squeezed by Basil and Cybil for profit and to hell with the customer experience.

By the way, the part of the building we were in had no smoke or fire alarms, no fire hoses or extinguishers and no alternative exits from a second floor which was approached via a very rickety stair with a dangerously low banister only just over two feet high and a big drop.

Do yourselves a favour and book one of the many beautiful hotels in the Moselle valley - Piesport and Bernkastel are only a short drive away. Oh, if we had only booked the Hotel Zummethof in Leiwen just 15 minutes away - see http://www.hotel-zummethof.de/

We had booked on line two rooms for a night in this hotel. Our
reservation was confirmed. When we arrived at 6 pm we have had the unpleasant surprise to know that there was not any rooms left. We had to go to another hotel located 3 km further.
It was not fhe same standing, one room was at the hotel the other one in another place.
Not to be recommendable !

Having arrived in a very busy and noisy Trier in need of a night's accommodation, we looked at a couple of hotels in the city but weren't impressed by what we saw so we headed to the Tourist Information Office where we made the reservation to stay at this hotel.

The hotel was only a few minutes' drive from the city centre but its rural location gave the feeling that it was much further away. And it was a pleasant relief to get away from the bustle of Trier.

The hotel looked lovely from the outside and didn't disappoint on the inside. Our room was clean and comfortable and we had a lovely view overlooking the water wheel, ducks and trout ponds.

My only concern was that we might have to venture back into Trier to eat, however this wasn't necessary as the hotel's menu was more varied than most we had seen during our trip. We chose to eat in the restaurant where we received good service, but there was also the option of eating outside on the vine covered terrace.

Having enjoyed the breakfast the following morning (again a good selection), we reluctantly checked out, regretting that we did not have sufficient time to stay for at least one more night.

Typical German hotel of its type. Set at the bottom of a valley, we had Sat Nav, otherwise I think we may have been driving around a bit to find it. Hotel owners and staff very friendly went out of their way to ensure you felt welcome. Rooms of a 3 star rate, very clean, it was a little cold when we arrived, however by turning on the radiator in the room it soon warmed up. The view from the hotel balcony was peacefull, overlooking the trout ponds and the resident geese. The wildlife was there to see just by admiring the views over the gardens with a backdrop of the steep vineyards. The food was of a very high quality and plenty of it ( I can certainly recommend the trout). Breakfast was well presented and again plenty to choose from. If by any chance you are around in the afternoon the staff will serve you coffee and cake - delicious. There are a walks nearby on good paths into the nearest village which has a tourist information site. We decided to use the local bus service to go into Trier to save the worry of finding parking spaces. They run frequently every half hour information from tourist information, but try to avoid returning around 3.30 as this is when the high school turns out and they want to catch the bus home.

We stayed 2 nights previously booked, wished we had stayed longer. I imagine this will be lovely in the summer, when you can sit outdoors. The hotel has a programme to entertain the locals & guests on various Wednesdays, as our second night was a Wednesday, this meant a full house with standing room only . Advise you book place in restaurant if your there when this is happening.