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As owners, we are being told endlessly that reviews by guests are more and more essential to our success. We do explain to past guests how to leave reviews and leave it up to them to be honest in their review of their stay with us, good and bad (thankfully mainly good!).
But suddenly we have realised that there is another online area where we are being mentioned, through no action of ours – and therefore all the more warming when they are complimentary: blogs. In the last week, our accommodation has been spontaneously mentioned on 2 blogs, one by a guest while actually staying in one of our apartments:
‘insanely impressive’: http://nutztoyou.blogspot.com/2011/05/whew.html
and one written by a guest who came 2 years ago:
‘I don’t think I have so far had a better holiday’:
http://floor-to-ceiling-books.blogspot.com/2011/05/10-best-reading-holidays.html
One of these has been referred to in another blog: the hugely respected and experienced ‘cottage blogger’
Apart from the occasional press release, we are not much good at blowing our own trumpets – we love what we do and the best reward is to see our guests enjoying their holiday and looking forward to returning to their accommodation at the end of the day. But we couldn’t resist sharing the warm feeling that these mentions gave us. Thank you bloggers!
British couple Margaret Leach and Martin Holborow have seen off competition from all over Germany to take the Fahrtziel Natur (Destination Nature) special award for 2010.
(GERMANY) 3rd September 2010 – The Fahrtziel Natur (Destination Nature) special award is for the accommodation provider doing the most to encourage guests to use public transport to travel to and within a nature area in Germany, in this case the Bavarian Forest. The couple own and manage 9 holiday apartments in the Bavarian village of Bayerisch Eisenstein, under the name of Bavarian Forest Holidays (http://www.bavarian-forest-holidays.com/).
Guests in their apartments have free use of buses and trains on more than 1,000 km of routes in the Bavarian Forest. Guests are given a specially written tourist information book containing details of travel to numerous destinations in the area and region by public transport. Guests from the UK and other European countries are also encouraged to make the whole journey from their homes by train by providing cheaper tickets than are available to the general public.
The village can be reached from most major cities in Europe within one day. Since the first guests made their way to the village by train from the UK in autumn 2007, the travel time from London and Kent has been reduced to 11 hours – “breakfast in London, dinner in Bayerisch Eisenstein”. A further reduction in travel time is expected when the Deutsche Bahn starts running trains through the Channel Tunnel, hopefully by 2012.
On arrival, by whatever means of transport, guests find accommodation which is of a very high standard – most apartments have been awarded 5 stars by the German Tourism Association – but also eco friendly. Three of the four houses have solar panels and two have wood pellet heating. The houses have the latest double glazed windows and other insulation. Guests are asked to place their rubbish into specially marked boxes for recycling and the small on-site guest shop stocks organic food wherever possible.
The couple, whose UK home is in Knighton in the Welsh borders, bought their first property in the village, 1km from the Czech border, in 2004. The other three houses were added in 2006 and 2008 and in total now offer 9 holiday apartments with 1-3 bedrooms, central guest facilities with shop, free book and DVD library, coffee lounge with home made cakes and meeting room, all open to guests 24/7.
More than 2,000 guests have come to the apartments in Bayerisch Eisenstein since the first one was opened in April 2005. Nearly 50% are from the UK, 25% from Germany and 12% from the US and the remainder from 25 other countries. The apartments are open all year, for sightseeing in Germany, Czech Republic and Austria, walking and cycling in the National Parks on both sides of the border and boat trips on the Danube, Christmas Markets, Christmas/New Year, winter sports and activities. Since autumn 2009, Bavarian Forest Holidays has been a Partner of the Bavarian Forest National Park.
Fahrtziel Natur is a cooperative project between the major Germen environmental organisatons BUND, NABU, VCD and Deutsche Bahn (German railways) which has been actively promoting eco-friendly sustainable travel together with experiencing nature, since 2001.
For more information see http://www.bavarian-forest-holidays.com/ or email info@bavarian-forest-holidays.com or call Margaret Leach on +49 (0)9925 90 32 04 (UK) 07976 403434
Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25231786@N08/sets/72157624875934456/
with our permission to use in conjunction with this press release.
From May 2010, the village of Bayerisch Eisenstein on the Bavarian-Czech border will be offering free bus and train travel on more than 1,000 kilometres of routes in the Bavarian Forest area to guests staying in the village The area covered stretches nearly 100 kilometres to the south to close to the Austrian border, 50 kilometres to the north to Furth im Wald and nearly 50 kilometres to the West, to close to the Danube river, including the whole of the Bavarian Forest National Park. The scheme is being financed by a levy on each guest night in the village, paid for by the hotels, guest houses and holiday apartment providers. Margaret Leach of Bavarian Forest Holidays, owner of 5 star holiday apartments in the village, has warmly welcomed this additional service for guests: “We already have increasing numbers of guests making the 11 hour train journey from the UK to Bayerisch Eisenstein or flying to Munich or Prague and taking the train to get here for their holiday. Free bus and train travel once they are here is a major added bonus and will hopefully also encourage guests who arrive by car to make more use of public transport, with huge benefit for the environment.” As well as free bus and train travel, the new guest card for visitors will also provide free use of the special ski bus in the winter for travel to the nearby Arber ski slopes, free mini golf in the village and discounts on a range of tourist attractions in the area.
There are a number of specific features of self-catering accommodation in Germany, which is not always geared to the needs and expectations of non-German visitors.
Below is a list of the main things – and how the apartments at British owned Bavarian Forest Holidays in Bayerisch Eisenstein differ:
Accommodation is mainly in apartments (Ferienwohnung). Houses (Ferienhaus) are much rarer. Accommodation at Bavarian Forest Holidays is all in self-contained apartments. The 2 and 3 bedroom apartments each take up a complete floor of a house.
Websites: a high proportion of holiday apartments in Germany, especially in country areas, do not have websites and if they do, they are in German only and often contain just a basic description, rarely updated and no booking form. Bavarian Forest Holidays has completely separate German and English websites, with complete descriptions of the apartments and a photo of each room, prices and availability, and a booking form.
Payment: many will require only a small deposit or no deposit at all and then cash payment while you are staying (cheques are almost never used in Germany and places which take credit cards are rare outside the cities). Even if you do not pay in advance, you are still liable for 90% of the rental fee even if you cancel. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, we do require a deposit at the time of booking and the balance at least 2 months before arrival. However, we allow cancellation at any time, for any reason and return to guests the amount which we have received for the new booking(s) with no deductions, up to the full amount paid. A number of guests have benefited from this for cancellations for reasons not covered by travel insurance. We accept payment by Visa or MasterCard or bank transfer.
Beds: the standard German bed is a single, usually 90cm wide and 200cm long. Double beds usually consist of frames 180cm wide and 200cm long, with 2 x 90cm mattresses, side by side. Double beds are usually made up with 2 single sheets and duvets, making them suitable for people who would normally book twin rooms. Duvets and pillows are generally filled with feathers and down. Be aware that it is not considered unusual to have to to pass through one bedroom to get to another. Nor is it unusual to have more than 2 adults sleeping in a bedroom and a sofa bed in the living area – apartments said to sleep 6 people may actually only have 2 rooms: a bedroom with 4 beds (2 people may be sleeping on a sofa bed) and another sofa bed in the kitchen living area. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, all the beds have been bought since 2005. We have some UK doubles (4’6″/140cm wide), especially where bedroom space has been taken for ensuite bathrooms. Duvets and pillows all have synthetic fillings, suitable for people with allergies. All of the bedrooms in our apartments are completely separate, and each has its own door.
Dining room/sitting room: Germans socialise around a ‘dining table’, usually while drinking beer! Sofas and armchairs are only really used when a family is alone and watching TV. Therefore, if space is limited, German accommodation wil tend to have a dining table and chairs for eating and socialising, at the expense of a sofa and armchairs. TVs are usually small. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, all of our apartments have a dining table and chairs and separate comfortable sofas and armchairs, appropriate for the number of guests sleeping in the apartment. Our TVs are all modern with 70cm+ screens. Most are LCD. All have DVD players.
Bathrooms: many bathrooms in holiday rentals have not been modernised since the 1960s/1970s/ Bathroom suites may be orange or avocado. Shower cabinets are the norm, bathtubs are rare. Showers can have extremely deep trays, for washing feet or babies, which can be difficult to get in or out of. Toiletries are rarely provided and if they are, are very basic. Towels are often small and thin. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, all of our bathrooms have been completely renewed since 2005. The shower cabinets are modern with low trays and thermostatic controls for the showers. Many of the basins and taps are now top of the range (Villeroy & Boch, Hans Grohe). All suites are white and we provide very good quality, thick dark blue towels. Our toiletries (liquid soap and shower gel) are environmentally friendly Duchy Originals from the UK.
Kitchens: kettles and teapots are rare but there will normally be a filter coffee machine. Many apartments are not really fitted out for cooking – there may be only 2 eletric rings (sometimes 4) and ovens are not common. Pots, pans, glass and chinaware is often limited in range, old fashioned and may show considerable signs of wear. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, all of our kitchens have kettles, toasters, filter coffee machines, microwaves and a full cooker with 4 ring hob and oven. We supply high quality glass and chinaware, pots and pans, all in good condition, clean and matching.
Smoking is still considered normal and acceptable in Germany and many apartments allow smoking. Many also allow dogs. At Bavarian Forest Holidays we do not allow smoking anywhere on our properties, indoors or outdoors, and dogs may not be brought.
Cleaning: holiday apartments are often offered by guest houses and B&Bs, in the same building. In this case, cleaning may be done on a daily basis, along with the other letting rooms. Final cleaning will always be done after departure by the owner or staff. However, the final cleaning cost, which is unlikely to be more than €50 and often less, may be added to your rental cost but this should be stated in advance. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, we offer a free mid-stay clean if you stay 2 weeks or more and fresh towels mid stay for stays of more than 1 week. Final cleaning is included in the rent and not charged extra unless you stay for less than 4 nights, in which case there is a one-off charge of €35.
Support: apartments in rural areas may provide tourist attraction leaflets but these will normally be in German. Owners may not be able to communicate with guests unless they speak German. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, we provide a large file of specially written information in English on the area and recommended places to visit, good restaurants etc. We have also translated a number of local menus into English. We are normally available at our main reception area, to give advice, sell train/bus tickets, postcards/stamps etc.
Tourist tax – this is levied in many areas. Sometimes it is included in the price, sometimes it is charged extra. It is unlikely to be more than €1-2 per person per night but best to check when booking as it could make a tidy extra sum for a family over a couple of weeks. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, tourist tax is included in all our prices and never charged extra.
In summary, be careful. If a place seems very cheap, there is likely to be a reason: perhaps it has not be modernised or updated for decades. The accommodation may be very small, with little privacy for a family or group. Perhaps there are lots of extra costs: bedlinen & towels, final cleaning, tourist tax. (Electricity and heating are usually included in the basic price but may sometimes be charged extra). Of course, there are good quality gems to be found for very little money in country areas but most cheap places have a downside. At Bavarian Forest Holidays, our apartments are not the cheapest for the area but the price buys quality accommodation with lots of extra facilities, all-in prices and complete peace of mind. The only extras are purely optional: mountain bikes, laundry, sauna, massages and facials, food and drink, postcards, maps, guide book and phrase book. Everything else (including breakfast on your first morning and incidentals such as tea, coffee, sugar, soap, toilet rolls etc for the whole of your stay) is included.
This is probably the most difficult time of year in the Bavarian Forest. The snow is almost always good for skiing and snowboarding until the end of the Easter weekend. But guests are rare at this time of the year – apart from a flurry around Easter weekend. And when you venture down from the mountains, you can see why. Spring is in the air. There are drifts of snowdrops and crocuses. The grass is not only visible but often very bright green. Along one road we travelled yesterday, above the Isar valley, heading for the Danube, we even came across low, green toad fences along the side of the road, making sure that none got run over, directing them to the little tunnels provided for them under the road. And the garden centres add to the problem: racks of spring plants, trees in pots, lots of new pots and gadgets, garden furniture and, of course, the seeds, with their over bright photos of perfect crops. Each trip away from the mountains, seems to involve bringing a little more ‘spring’ back with us – a few more pansies, some particular attractive pots and, of course, some more packs of seeds.
And as we climb back up into the mountains after our trip down into spring, the snow becomes thicker and even the fresh snow from this last week is looking a little grubby. And when we look at the gardens, the depth of snow is still so great that we wonder how long it will take for snow to melt and the ground to defrost. At least the days are getting longer and the temperature is rising. Even though it is unlikely that we have had the last snow fall of the season! Not surprising that the visitors have decided that skiing is something to plan for next season.
In these days of economic gloom and volatile exchange rates, it is good to know that holidays in the Bavarian Forest still offer amazing value for money.
Our best 5 star apartments in the peak summer season cost about €25 per person per night. Of peak, the price can be just under €20 per person per night. And the rent includes an unusual number of extras in the price:
· bread rolls, spread, jam, muesli, fruit juice and milk for breakfast on the 1st morning of your stay (additional supplies of these plus yoghurts, ham and cheese and ready made meals are available to buy)
· essential supplies for the duration of your stay: coffee, English tea, sugar, cooking oil, olive oil and wine vinegar for salads, salt/pepper/herbs/spices, flour, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets, aluminium foil and cling film, toilet rolls, liquid soap and shower gel. (Bathrobes, slippers and swimming/sauna towels are also provided free of charge).
· vouchers for local restaurants
As well as:
· bedlinen and towels
· final cleaning
· tourist tax
You can use our table tennis, table football, pool table, darts, DVDs and CDs and small gym free of charge. (We make a small charge for use of our mountain bikes and sauna).
The best restaurants in the area can provide a substantial main course plus a half litre of beer or quarter litre of wine for under €15. Or you can book a 3 course meal at the best restaurant in the village for €12 per person (drinks are extra and some dishes have a small surcharge). We have listed some examples from the menu below.
Up to 5 adults can travel all day on trains and buses within Bavaria for a total of €28. All-day tickets on the local trains and buses cost €7 per adult. Children travel free on these tickets.
At the best swimming complex in the area, a day ticket for 2 adults and 3 children costs €14.50. Entrance fees to museums etc. are often €5 or less for adults, with reductions for children.
And skiing, although more limited than at the big alpine resorts, also offers great value for money – 5 days equipment hire under €60, 5 day lift pass €99, 3 days skiing lessons €60. Check out www.arber.de (check the snow on the webcam!)
A number of people have already booked their stays with us for skiing and for next summer.
Visit our website www.bavarian-forest-holidays.com now. Let us know if you have any questions.
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It always surprises me that so-called travel experts concentrate so heavily on hotel accommodation and frequently completely ignore self-catering accommodation for touring holidays. An apparently expert site in the US, giving its expertise to people travelling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, devotes a lot of attention on its site and in its newsletters to getting the best deals for hotels and meals, while ignoring the advantages of self-catering.
Even the most basic of self-catering offers the advantages of more space than a hotel room and a lower price per head, as well as the possibility of making significant savings on restaurant meal costs with the option of eating in – which can involve little cooking if you buy ready prepared meals or take aways. And you just have more flexibility – you can have breakfast in your dressing gown and just a cup of coffee and a slice of toast if that is all you fancy. You can make yourself brunch mid morning if you want to sleep late and then set off sightseeing. You can make yourself a picnic lunch if you are going off walking or the budget is getting a bit strained. And of course you don’t have to worry about restaurant opening hours in the evening and can have a midnight snack any time you want.
Of course, there are disadvantages – most holiday rentals don’t offer a daily cleaning service – but many people are irritated by the arrival of housekeeping in hotels at inconvenient times and the feeling that you need to be out of their way while they clean. And you won’t normally have a flunky to help with your luggage. The lack of 24/7 concierge service could be a nuisance, but holiday rentals with on site managers or owners may well be prepared to give tourist advice, book tickets, recommend restaurants if you ask.
Perhaps the biggest problem with booking a holiday rental is finding one which has flexible booking periods – but there are many of them out there and they are easy enough to find by typing the dates you want into the search engines on the major rental sites and seeing what comes up.
Another problem is quality – how do you know that the apartment you book will be clean and well equipped? With a hotel there are international standards – they are not foolproof but they can be a good guide. There are rating systems for holiday rentals but few owners have their property rated. You need to look carefully at their entry on the website, preferably go to the owner’s own website – see how much care they have put into providing information on their website: that is a good guide as to how much care they have put into preparing the accommodation.
We have met many creative travellers using holiday rentals while touring. The 17-18 year old Inter Rail group from the UK (hugely entertaining, although we might take a damage deposit next time!). The large walking groups from the UK who book our apartments for a whole week and get more space for less money than they would in a pension, and we organise breakfast, evening meal and a coach trip to Cesky Krumlow for them. The Australian family travelling the world for 4 months with 2 teenage children and an 8 month old baby. The American family doing a stop over on their way back to Dubai. And the family who just wanted a few days stopover on the way back from their holiday in Spain. (The last 2 examples involved some unusual logistical solutions). And many more.
With a full service 5 star apartment, 3 double ensuite bedrooms, kitchen/dining room, large sitting room, 2 balconies and private garden costing just Euros 145 per night in total, wfirst day’s breakfast provided, large CD and DVD collection for evening entertainment and supplies of food and drink to buy, and owners always available with advice and help if needed, is there really a comparison with staying in a hotel. Unless you want to be pampered by lots of staff, or use the hotel swimming pool, it really is no contest!
And you can even check out our reviews on Trip Advisor www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g676079-d676076-Reviews-Haus_Sterr-Bayerisch_Eisenstein_Bavaria.html
And find details of other ‘owners who care’ at http://www.yourholidaymatters.com
bavarian forest holidays 