Hotel Rheinfels

The Hotel Rheinfels, a beige building with brown shutters, sits directly on the banks of the Rhine as it flows through the storybook-perfect medieval village of Stein am Rhein. In fact, the hotel is so close to the Rhine that the geranium-festooned dining terrace actually stretches out over the water. The restaurant, where you register, seems to be the focal point of the Hotel Rheinfels, but a wide staircase, lined with family portraits, leads up to an attractive lounge decorated with several antique armoires, tables, paintings, and suits of armor. All of the guestrooms are very similar both in decor and size, and all have been completely renovated. Although the bedrooms’ built-in furniture is clean and functional, a traditional mood is achieved through the use of floral carpeting in shades of rose with pretty wallpaper and color-coordinated fabrics on the chairs and sofabeds. Every room has its own attractively tiled bathroom. The bedrooms are exceptionally spacious, bright, and cheerful. All rooms but one enjoy windows overlooking the river and it, by contrast, looks out over the medley of town roofs. The family has converted what was their mother’s riverside apartment into a spacious rental—an exceptional value. (It even shares a pier with the swans.)