Weinromantikhotel Richtershof

The hotel is located on a gorgeous property. The rooms are beautiful and spacious and their service was wonderful. A very nice breakfast was included. The hotel is located on a quiet part of the town, which was great for us. It is located about 6.5km from Bernkastel-Kues. We had a rental car, which we parked at the hotel and it was very easy to get around the town either driving or via taxi. After spending a wonderful week here, I would definitely stay here again.

The parking is across the road from the hotel. On arrival there was a sign in reception saying we are taking a break so wait until we return. The receptionist appeared in a couple of minutes and was very helpful, and subsequently we saw there was usually someone at reception so perhaps we were unlucky but it did not give the best first impression for a 4 star place. The hotel is nicely decorated. The room was average size, quiet, clean and comfortable but no fridge or tea/coffee making equipment, overall too expensive for what it was. The garden was pleasant though quite a bit of road noise. Dinner in the Culinarium restaurant was a bad experience. The food and wine was good but the delay and poor service were inexcusable. There did not seem to a manager and the staff did one thing at a time, e.g. they would bring a couple of dishes to a table then walk back to the counter without looking to see if other tables were ready to order, needed clearing or needed a drink, etc.. Sometimes all 3 staff would disappear, presumably to the kitchen, for several minutes. It took ages to get an aperitif, place our order, and even longer to receive the food. The wine list was extensive and included many local wines but the staff did not help the customers (no sommelier?). At one point a server taking dishes away dropped a knife on the floor, several staff walked passed it including the server who dropped it but only 5 minutes later was it noticed and picked up. The restaurant was about 60% full and most customers were getting upset with the service and delays. Finally one of the staff explained there was a problem with the system passing orders to the kitchen hence the delay in preparing dishes so we would need to be patient but would be offered a free drink. Surely a manager or the chef would have realised there was a problem and reacted sooner. Breakfast was buffet style but with a station to cook eggs to order. A good selection of food on the buffet, a nice setting in a glassed atrium, and there was a lady in charge who was friendly and efficient.