Schlosshotel Münchhausen ★★★★★

Schwöbber 9, 31855 Aerzen, Germany, Tel: (0)5154-7060-0

Germany has, by some counts, more than 20,000 castles and palaces, so it's no surprise that some of them have ended up as hotels.

Schlosshotel Münchhausen is an elegant palace on the edge of a lake, a fairy tale setting for the Fairy Tale Road. Two in-house dining rooms: one posh and seriously expensive, and one more moderately priced in the cellar.

Grades

Location: A. If you're seeking a quiet country escape, this is the perfect place. Located a couple of miles from the Pied Piper village Hamelin.

Property: A+. The 16th century palace was beautifully restored in 2002, and includes many period antiques. Set in beautiful parkland, surrounded by a moat, and with an 18-hole golf course.

Rooms: A+. Rooms perfectly capture the elegance and history of the castle, while providing completely modern fixtures and amenities.

Details

Hotel Style: Castle; Area: Off the beaten path; No. of Rooms: 68; Singles: €130 to €300, Doubles: €160 to €300; Credit Cards: MC/V/AX

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If you have way more free time than I do, and are tired of watching cats videos on Facebook, check out the The World of the Habsburgs. Through some good luck and purposeful marriages, the Habsburgs came to control a large swath of Europe, as Holt Roman Emperors for more than 300 years, and rulers of Austria for almost seven centuries.

As the number of tourists who visit Venice each year rises, the number of people actually living there drops. On a busy day tourists – around 60,000 – outnumber locals – around 55,000 today, down from over 175,000 in the 1950's.

Protesters recently hung a sign over the city's famous Rialto bridge and some carried suitcases to symbolise having to leave.

This follows attempts earlier this year by locals to block cruise ships from visiting the city.

High rents, driven partly by apartments being rented out to tourists at inflated prices, are driving out locals, who fear it will become nothing but an uninhabited museum city.

How do you still enjoy Venice as a visitor?

1) Stay in the city itself. The most enjoyable times to be in Venice are early in the morning (before 10:00 am) and in the evening (after 6:00 pm). Cruise ship passengers will be back on their ships, and the big tour groups, which mostly stay in hotels on the mainland, will have left for the day. These are my favorite times to get out and just wander around, enjoying the atmosphere of the city.

Danubius Hotel Gellért ★★★★

Szent Gellért tér 1, 1111 Budapest, Hungary, Tel: (0)1-889-5500

Connected to Budapest's most famous baths, this beautiful Art Nouveau building was built in 1918. For the budget-conscious traveler who is willing to overlook some maintenance issues, this hotel can be a good option. Even if you don't plan on taking a dip in the spa, it's worth wandering through the lobby of the hotel and peeking into the entry of the baths.

Grades

Location: B. At the foot of Gellert Hill, it's a short walk from the Market Hall and the southern end of Váci ut. Good transport connections to the M4 metro line, and trams.

Property: B. Best described as faded glory, the building itself is beautiful, and many of the rooms offer panoramic views of the river and Pest.

Rooms: C. Maintenance suffered under years of Communist neglect, and unfortunately not much seems to have been done since. Cheap, tired furnishings, and stained carpets are the most obvious things that need to be brought up to date.

Details

Hotel Style: Business; Area: Gellert Hill; No. of Rooms: 234; Singles: €60 – €75, Doubles: €110 – €195; Credit Cards: MC/V/AX

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