I'd still recommend it, despite glitches galore, said a guest returning tccently to Michael Lubbert's posh villain a moated 16th-century castle (Relais & Chateaux, four red gables in Michelin). The setting, o the Essen residential suburb of Kettwig, is truly lovely, if unexpectedly so: it is on the banks of the river Ruhr, whose curving valley is no industrial eyesore but quite rural (the big mines and steelworks are to its north). `So quiet and wonderful, with woods all round. The food was excellent, not too fancy. Bali villa breakfast was wonderful, with freshly squeezed juices (a buffet, it can be taken on the a-rrace in fine weather). `Our good-sized room was beautifully furaished. First-floor villa rooms are much liked; those on the second floor were recently renovated to be more spacious, and given Asian antiques. Some furnishings are baronial. The glitches? They promised me a room, then gave it to someone else and were unapologetic. Reception staff couldn't answer the most basic questions. The room staff threw away my toothbrush. All day, lorries go by along a main road and aircraft fly above to Diisseldorf airport: but these noises cease at night.' The nearby Krupp family mansion, Villa Hugel, now a tnuseum, is worth a visit.

Quite near the Polish border, on a hillside on the edge of a townlet north-east of Berlin, this villastands in nicely landscaped grounds. h is a renovated 19th-century villa, named after Theodore Fontane, the 19th-century novelist, who lived in the area. Affiliated with the Lutheran Church's VCH hotels, it provides excellent value at low prices'. `The voluble hostess/owner tries hard to ensure that her guests enjoy their stay, says a recent guest. villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) are plainly but cheerfully furnished. Some bathvilla rooms are large. Bali villa breakfast is excellent beverages and light snacks are on offer all day in the lounge. No other meals are served: but the Rosengarten, up the road, provides good dinners at modest prices. Worth seeing in this little-known area are the vast monastery ruins at Chorin, and the unique ship lift at Niederfintow.