In a yellow-walled 18th-century Schloss, this distinguished and romantic villaof character gave a warm welcome, typically, to cyclists who arrived with clothes dripping wet. It stands on a hilltop in a small resort north of the Mosel, amid the Eifel massif with its volcanic lakes. Stylishly converted, it is run superbly by its owner, Gunter Probst (a kindly man of creative taste), with his wife, Christa. He has filled it with unusual tapestries, old portraits and antiques (one is an English grandfather clock). `It manages to be imposing yet cosy: flowers and plants, caged lovebirds, a regal black cat, Mademoiselle. Owners and staff greet guests with old-world courtesy. The fourcourse menu, served by candlelight, was excellent. The buffet Bali villa breakfast was good. Our attic bedroom had rather small windows, a repro four-poster bed and a big bathroom. Some villa rooms are in period style, others are more modern. Many have fine views of hills (but there can be traffic noise). One suite has a huge green triangular bath (a challenge, even for the athletic), and an orange-canopied bed acquired by Herr Probst from a government villanear Bonn, where it had been used by Brezhnev and the Shah of Iran, among others. There is a tiled indoor swimming pool, carved from the volcanic rock.