1. Baby- und Kinderhotel

The area is picturesque, pleasant and attractive. A bit remote, but once we were there we didn't particularly want to get to anything else. The hotel offers daily special events and excursions ranging from on-site pony rides to forest picnics, most suited for ages 3 or 4 and up. Other excursions and entertainment are at least a car or bus ride away.

The staff were very friendly, and very tolerant of the noise, mess, and chaos small children bring. English skills ranged from adequate to excellent, with all hotel signs and pamphlets in (sometimes amusingly mistranslated) English as well as German and Italian. We didn't make much use of the childcare, because our kids are young enough (and old enough) to be upset at being left with strangers.

We enjoyed the variety of food at breakfast, and the bread was excellent. Although sometimes the food in the breakfast buffet was only lukewarm, the made-to-order eggs were fresh and hot. Family lunches were perfectly adequate, well suited to children's taste and decent enough for adults too. Afternoon cake was quite good, although I would have liked some healthier snacks as well (bread and butter, for example, or raw vegetables). Soft drinks available all day, which is wonderful with kids. The adults' gourmet dinner was of high quality and nicely prepared, but I wish it had lasted later in the evening: the children were too excited to nap, so they were too tired to come to dinner with us, but also not settling down until 19.30 or 19.45. With dinner ending at 20.00, we didn't have much time to enjoy the gourmet menu.

Our toddler enjoyed the many slides, swings, and play areas, as well as the giant bouncy castle, large pedal-car area, farm animals to visit, and indoor splashing pool (no need for sunscreen!). The child care offered many events and activities that looked like they would be fun for older kids, say from 3 or 4 up to 10 or 11.

There wasn't much for us parents to do at the resort itself, other than the spa services that we weren't very interested in, but with two little ones to entertain we weren't looking for more. If our kids were older and going to the children's activities without us, we would probably have wanted a car, to be able to visit more of the surrounding area.

Our room was pretty well set up for small children. A separate cubby for the baby's crib meant we could stay awake in the bedroom/living area when she was asleep. A changing table, diaper pail, potty seat, and child's potty were all helpful, and the furnishings were designed to keep most wires, sockets, and other dangers out of reach.

There were a few things we missed. We really wanted a child latch on the room's outer door, to keep our toddler from constantly wandering out into the hall alone. Washcloths would have been nice, as well as a bathtub (we had only showers), not to mention bathrooms big enough for an adult and a toddler to stand in at the same time. Somehow I'd also gotten the idea that the hotel had kids' toys and books available for guests to borrow in their rooms, so we didn't bring many; if they had any, I didn't find them.

The room (and the rest of the hotel) had no air conditioning. During a hot week in August it was very hot and stuffy during the day, but cooled off well enough at night.

In the end, I wouldn't call it a 4-star room, but it was pretty good for its purpose.

Internet access is free of charge, but only available in the lobby and basement business center.