Das-Schmidt Privathotel

Lovley but pricey pit stop for coffee and breakfast buffet. Our own hotel did not serve, it was only place we found open for coffee. Very welcoming and clean and fresh. Breaking buffet looked Lovley so some of us went for it(20 euro each, a bit over priced). Wonderful staff and setting. Anything and everything you could imagine was in the buffet! I had a peep, and The pool looked amazing! I’d love to stay there! Danke

A lovely, friendly private, family run hotel in the eastern Austrian town of Mörbisch, by the Neusiedler See. This was a place we have visited before, so we decided, as a birthday treat for my wife, to make a return visit and we were joined by friends who drove down from Germany. I believe English is spoken, as there are notices in English. But my broken German seemed to be accepted by everyone there. The hotel has many wellness facilities, including an outdoor infinity pool. The rooms are comfortable. From my perspective, the crowning glory was the wonderful food. Dinner each evening consisted of 5 courses. Each day presented fresh choices and all meals were freshly cooked and presented with great flare. The wine list had some very good local Austrian wines although, most evenings, I chose to drink the excellent local beer. The staff were very attentive, friendly and professional. After dinner, there is a games area with options to play chess, backgammon etc. - or just read or chat. Bikes are available for hire, at a very reasonable rate, together with cycling helmets, so that you are able to explore the surrounding area. We cycled across the border into the charming Hungarian town of Sopron, where we did some sightseeing and had lunch in a restaurant in a square in the old town. Beware, though: Hungary does not have the Euro and, while most places accept payment in Euros (about 400 Florints to the Euro) not everywhere does. It is best to check first, before ordering/purchasing anything. Restaurant prices in Sopron represent very good value. The Neusiedler See also offers many opportunities for circumnavigation by bike or, for those with more of a nautical bent, ferry rides to various locations around the lake. We also visited Eisenstadt, a lovely town about 25km away and, within the town, the Schloss Esterhazy with its tales of Haydn patronage and a history to the family up to the death of Paul in 1984. Slightly further afield - and not recommended for any but the most accomplished cyclist, is the fortress at Forchtenburg, a 13th century castle built at the top of a a tall hill. It is an incredible feat of engineering. Of course, the castle is reachable by car or coach. One curious and interesting fact is that it houses the only remaining portrait of 'Vlad the Impaler', Vlad III, Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"), who was the inspiration for Bram Stokers 'Dracula' novel. He looks a very scary character. The castle houses an interesting collection of military memorabilia, with uniforms, weapons of various sorts etc. and much information about the rise of the Esterhazy's. Getting There: We chose to fly from Birmingham with Lufthansa, which required staging through Germany (direct flights are not available from Lufthansa, for some reason, and we will not do this again). On the way out we staged through Frankfurt and had 40 minutes to get through border/immigration control to the departure gate for the flight to Vienna. Why this was necessa