Gemütlichkeit SUBSCRIBER the Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe
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DEAR GEMüTLICHKEIT SUBSCRIBER The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe January 23, 1998 Let the Good Times Roll We may look back on these early BARGAIN BAVARIA days of 1998 as a “golden age” of Is southern Bavaria the least expensive of the great tourist regions in all of Germany, travel to Europe. At least financially. In Gemütlichkeit’s 11-plus years I Austria and Switzerland? We think so and offer some numbers to back our claim. can’t recall a time when the ele- here, in Germany, Aus- But the region that has them all ments of a low-cost European tria and Switzerland, — in spades — and offers the vaca- vacation were aligned as beautifully will the vacation traveler tioner the lowest prices, is southern as they are right now. W Bavaria. We are speaking of the area be certain of finding the • Transatlantic winter airfares following in 1998? south of Munich that stretches from are as low as I’ve seen them. Today, • Great scenery Berchtesgaden near Salzburg to Lindau near the eastern end of the on the Internet (www.bestfares.com), • A plethora of natural and man- Bodensee. for example, one could book a made wonders roundtrip for two persons from New • A wide range of charming ac- In it are found some of the best York’s JFK to Stuttgart for $506 on commodations reasons for visiting Germany: Delta. That’s $253 per person. • Regional cuisine • The Bavarian Royal Castles; • Car rental rates have dropped • World-renowned castles, Linderhof, Neuschwantstein, slightly within the last few months churches and museums Hohenschwangau and, not to be and free upgrades in some catego- missed on the Chiemsee, Lots of places, of course. The ries are being offered. For example, Herrenchiemsee. Black Forest or the Mosel Valley in one can book a compact Opel Corsa Germany, the Bernese Oberland or • Great churches such as the for $89 per week (not including tax) the Grisons in Switzerland, the massive one at Ottobeuren, the in Germany and be guaranteed an Salzkammergut or Danube Valley in jewel-like Wieskirche and the Ab- upgrade to a compact Opel Astra. Austria and several other regions of bey at Ettal. Or book an Astra for $99 per week the three countries boast all these • Big lakes like the Bodensee and get upgraded to a midsize Opel features to at least some degree. Vectra or Audi A4, cars which can Continued on page 2… handle four passengers and lug- gage. For two or four persons Living Large in the Austrian Tirol traveling together, that’s dirt-cheap in-country transport. top-of-the-line country hotel For example, three of Austria’s • The dollar fetches approxi- in Austria, particularly in the top country properties which we mately 1.82 deutschemarks and 1.48 A Tirol, is like a landlocked have covered in past issues — the Swiss francs. It isn’t so long ago that cruise ship with organized guest Post in Lech, Grüner Baum in those numbers were 1.38 and 1.09 activities, big, posh dining rooms, Badgastein, the Tümmlerhof in respectively. and plenty of guest-pampering Seefeld — have highly involved facilities. Not necessarily better than family ownership, commodious By combining these elements its counterparts in Germany and guest rooms, very good kitchens with top value European self- Switzerland, but different in subtle and employees who show up for catering accommodations (apart- and pleasing ways. work in traditional dress. ment or condo), one can devise a week’s vacation for two persons for With an emphasis on longer Late last year, prowling the Tirol well under $2,000. Here’s how: stays, these hotels invariably include by auto, we tried three more hotels breakfast and dinner in their rates in this category. All, to varying First, choose a village in south- degrees, fit the described mold and ern Bavaria (see lead story this and seem to have larger guestrooms are recommended. In each, we spent page) that suits as a headquarters and a higher percentage of rooms one night and ate both dinner and from which to see the region. Using with separate sitting areas. Austrian breakfast in the hotel. Given the the local tourist office, locate a one- hotels also seem to pay more atten- level of luxury and the quality of week rental (this time of year, in tion to tradition and are more likely food, we think all offer good value. non-ski towns, there is probably no to have family ownership. The best Continued on page 2… of them have excellent restaurants. Continued on page 4… January, 1998 DEAR SUBSCRIBER The Gemütlichkeit bypassed the four and five-star Continued from page 1 Hotel Rate Index hotels and averaged the lowest price for a single room among the three need to even book ahead). Prices As a way of comparing hotel leading three-star establishments. start at about $200 per week. Then costs in various regions and cities we purchase your air tickets, arrange for have devised a rather simple, decid- The assumption is that the lowest single room rate is indicative of a the car and away you go. The cost: edly unscientific index. It shows the hotel’s overall rates and that our aver- air from the East Coast, $800; condo/ average rack rate cost for the cheap- est single room in each city’s three- age for top three-star hotels is indica- apartment rental for a week, $250; tive of a town’s overall hotel rates. VW Golf for a week including tax star hotels. For our source, we used and airport pickup charges $115; fuel the 1997 Michelin Red Guides for Salzburg (A) $126 Germany and Switzerland. for 800 miles, $92. That’s a total of Zermatt (S) $119 $1257 and leaves $743 for meals and Unfortunately, there is no Red Interlaken (S) $95 incidentals. The cost from other parts Guide for Austria so Salzburg (in- Montreux (S) $94 of the U.S. will be slightly more due cluded in the Michelin Red for Germa- Heidelberg (G) $93 to the higher airfare, but we are ny) is the only Austrian town listed. Appenzell (S) $90 seeing ads on the West Coast for $400 (Since, for this first appearance of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (G) $82 roundtrip fares. the index, we chose mainly small to Rothenburg (G) $78 Now is the time. Don’t wait. — RHB midsize cities popular with tourists, Baden-Baden (G) $77 it is probably not fair to include Sion (S) $67 Salzburg. Because is it Austria’s BAVARIAN BARGAINS Rudesheim (G) $61 Continued from page 1 third largest city — behind Vienna and Graz — and probably attracts Bamberg (G) $58 and Chiemsee and lovely small ones more tourism than any town on the Trier (G) $58 such as the quiet Königsee, near list, its hotel room prices should Bad Reichenhall (G) $56 Berchtesgaden. more properly be compared with Lindau (G) $49 places like Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Füssen (G) $49 • Germany’s version of the Alps, Hamburg, Lucerne and Zürich.) including the jagged Wetterstein Berchtesgaden (G) $48 range with the country’s highest Our methodology in creating the Schliersee (G) $44 peak, the Zugspitze. index was simple; in each town we Southern Bavarian towns in bold face type • Quaint country towns full of • Some of the world’s best beer. Many use the Bavarian capital, ornately painted houses such as Best of all, compared to regions Munich, as a headquarters when vis- Mittenwald, which Goethe called “a iting the area. Others drive the busy, living picture book.” which equal its charm and popular- ity, southern Bavaria is a bargain. As east-west, German Alpine Road, • Historical sites like Adolph you can see from the new overnighting at the better-known Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” and the scant Gemütlichkeit Hotel Rate Index towns such as Lindau, Garmisch- remains of the Nazi sanctuary at (box above), the principal tourism Partenkirchen, or Berchtesgaden. Obersalzberg, near Berchtesgaden. cities of southern Bavaria are much Nothing wrong with such plans, but • Resort towns like Garmisch- less expensive hotel-wise than their there is an even cheaper, more peace- Partenkirchen, Schliersee and Bad counterparts elsewhere in Germany ful, way to see the region. Reichenhall. and Switzerland. For those a bit more adventurous, Vol. 12, No. 1 HOTEL RESTAURANT RATING KEY January, 1998 GEMüTLICHKEIT The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe Rating Scale Scale Hotel Rating Criteria Excellent 16 - 20 People/Service 30% Above Average 12 - 15 Location/Setting 15% Editor & Publisher: Robert H. Bestor, Jr. Average 8 - 11 Guestrooms 30% Associate Editors: Elizabeth Schiller Adequate 4 - 7 Public rooms 5% Contributing Editors: C. Fischer, R. Holliday Unacceptable 0 - 3 Facilities/Restaurant 20% Design & Composition: Paul T. Merschdorf Consulting Editor: Thomas P. Bestor Value Rating Scale Restaurant Criteria Outstanding Value 17 - 20 Food 65% Subscription Dept: Andy Bestor, K. Steffans Very Good Value 12 - 16 Service 20% Gemütlichkeit (ISSN 10431756) is published monthly by UpCountry Publish- Average Value 9 - 11 Atmosphere 15% ing, 2892 Chronicle Avenue, Hayward, CA 94542. TOLL FREE: 1-800/521- Below Average Value 5 - 8 6722 or 510/538-0628. Fax: 510/582-8296. e-mail [email protected]. Sub- A Rip-Off 0 - 4 scriptions are $67 per year for 12 issues. While every effort is made to provide correct information in this publication, the publishers can make no guarantees Special G Designation regarding accuracy. Periodicals postage paid in Hayward, CA. By virtue of location, decor, charm, warmth of management, or POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: combination thereof, an especially pleasant establishment. Gemütlichkeit, 2892 Chronicle Ave., Hayward, CA 94542 Gemütlichkeit 2 January, 1998 there are dozens of places just The 17-room Hotel Giselstein, in The Golf und Country Club Ho- slightly off the beaten path where Halblech-Buching (Füssener Str.