This is the 2nd article on staying overnight in authentic German castles, particularly along the Mosel and Rhine Valleys.
During trip-planning I considered 4 different castle-hotels in the region: Burg Arras in the Mosel Valley, and Burg Liebenstein, Schönburg, and Burg Stahleck on the Middle Rhine. I struck off Burg Stahleck as it's a youth hostel on an inconvenient hilltop, and after some consideration excluded Schönburg as it's almost as expensive as Arras and Liebenstein combined. At the end I had two winners ... Burg Arras and Burg Liebenstein.
I told my wife nothing about these two special nights prior to the trip, and after spending the first night at Burg Arras, we switched over to the Rhine for the second at Burg Liebenstein. We had such a fantastic time at Burg Arras that we're quite anxious to see what Burg Liebenstein would bring in terms of atmosphere, amenities and level of comfort.
Located on a steep bluff overlooking the shipping lanes on the Rhine, Burg Liebenstein is much more convenient to access compared to Burg Arras. Hourly trains serve the local township of Kamp-Bornhofen, as does several boat excursion companies including the immensely popular K-D. We arrived by train and left by boat, and took advantage of a free shuttle service offered by Hotel Rheinischer Hof (pictured above) to get to the castle from Kamp-Bornhofen.
Now these were two very different approaches to running castle-hotels: Burg Arras was an immaculately maintained private residence with guest quarters renovated to the standard of 4-star hotels, while Burg Liebenstein was more of an informal German gasthaus with exposed timberframes, creaky stairs and a medieval ambiance. It's also supposed to be haunted, or perhaps that's only a publicity stunt.
Even our private bathroom was somewhat of a medieval vault, only fitted with a toilet, a sink and a shower stall in modern times. In terms of comfort it's certainly no match for Burg Arras, but there's one unique characteristic that's simply unparalleled among 99% of the world's castles ...
... a jaw-dropping view of another medieval castle right outside the window! Here's the white tower of Burg Sterrenberg, staring right at us even as we're sitting on our bed. This was absolutely the most beautiful hotel room view we've ever had, anywhere in the world.
These are two of the Middle Rhine's legendary castles, but for all the wrong reasons. Sterrenberg used to preside over the entire domain, until a fight for the same woman between two brothers got so acrimonious that one decided to build a rival castle on the next hilltop. Fast-forward 700 years and we've got a fabulous view of Sterrenberg from our bedroom window in Burg Liebenstein, merely 200m away.
From our room it took only minutes to walk down the steep valley and hike up to Sterrenberg's elegant white tower. The castle is now operated as a café, rivaling Burg Liebenstein in offering the same excellent view of the Rhine Valley and the towns on the opposite bank. Even after centuries the two castles are still fighting to this date, but for the patronage of the day-trippers.
At the top of Sterrenberg's tower we tried to spot our own room at Burg Liebenstein. Our room had two square windows, which led us to conclude that it's probably the lefthand side section of the second floor. The first floor was the restaurant and the tiny third floor hosted yet another room above our head.
We returned to our room by sunset and simply sat on our bed gazing at the magnificent view of our neighboring castle, perched high above the constant river traffic and quaint little towns of the Rhine Valley. Did I mention that our room was so medieval that it had no TV? Sitting back with a drink and watching ships glide along the mighty Rhine was the old-fashioned entertainment.
Dinner was served in the castle's own restaurant, an old dining hall with exposed beams, heavy wooden furniture and the occasional gimmicky touches of knights' armours or sabres. Prices were very reasonable, and perhaps it had something to do with that 700-year-old competition with its archrival Sterrenberg.
The best part of the restaurant was of course its view of Sterrenberg and the Rhine in the twilight. Across the Rhine was the tiny village of Bad Salzig, with the regional hub of Boppard just to the north. As far as the eye could see there were simply no bridges -- the nearest crossing would be tens of kilometers away in Mainz or Koblenz.
The menu was a galore of German carnivore favorites such as the pictured Sauerbraten, which made me even more thankful that all main dishes came with a green salad. My favorite wasn't the beef, but the hearty balls of Klöße, a local variant of potato dumplings that tasted surprisingly similar in texture to rice-based Gohei Mochi from halfway around the world.
My wife ordered the Schweinbraten and again the sides, in this case the croquettes, turned out better than the main dish itself. After dinner we strolled around the castle under the starry skies ... after all there's no TV, and the old tower and ramparts were the main entertainment.
We fell asleep in the soft glow of the floodlit Sterrenberg outside our window, and to the occasional creaking of the antiquated and steep wooden stairs next to the room. Burg Liebenstein was of course no match for the luxurious decor and posh amenities of Burg Arras in terms of modern comfort, but on the other hand this was much closer to a real medieval residence ... and one with a breathtaking view that's truly unparalleled.
After a hearty German breakfast we're chauffeured back to Kamp-Bornhofen by the proprietor himself, who rented the castle from the government some 30 years ago and pioneered this hotel. At that moment I realized the subtle but significant difference between these two castle hotels -- Burg Arras was a family residence under the owner's loving care, while Burg Liebenstein was a money-making venture.
Now you know my opinion on these two German castle hotels as a traveler. I have no problem recommending both to fellow travelers with enough time and budget, and while I personally preferred Burg Arras, I wouldn't advise overlooking Burg Liebenstein and its stunning views. And if you can't decide, stay at both like we did ... just make sure you budget about 400 Euros for two nights' stay with dinner and wine. While it's not cheap, I must say ... my wife and I would do it all over again.
