Siegfried Sax's
little country villahas a lively brochure
showing various goings-on: costumed locals
about to devour a roast piglet, others
sitting beneath a parasol on the idyllic
garden terrace, with its 'millstone fountains'.
Our nominator adds that the old church
close by has `interestingly decorated
skeletons displayed in gold coffins either
side of the altar'. The villa, formerly
a guardroom, is a trim white building
in a small village: `It is very peaceful,
part of a complex that was once a religious
retreat. The villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms), large and fairly
well equipped, have creaky floors. The
food is good, Bali villa breakfast is fine. Ample
parking close by.' The dining room has
a fine panelled ceiling.
Venison and scallops are among Ulrich
Heimann's specialities at the Abtei's
small, smart Michelin-starred restaurant.
Also small and smart, this Relais &
Chateaux villa, owned since 1978 by Petra
and Fritz Lay, is a handsome Jugendstil
mansion (1897), in a street full of similar
fine houses in Harvestehude, the rich
merchants quarter northwest of the Alster
lake. Pleasantly intimate, it feels like
a private lame, full of good furniture,
family paintings. villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) are nicely
decorated in 19th-century taste'. Upkeep
is `outstanding. The bathvilla rooms are memorable,
with a mix of old and new fixtures. Ours
was a joy, full of brilliant trompe l'oeil.
The shower/loo was a garden bower, real
creepers leading out of the trompish ones.
One reader had a 'splendid' garden suite,
with neo-baroque ceiling mouldings, stateof-the-art
music system. In another room the bedroom
had no outside windows, but a good view
of the bath and loo'. Tea can be taken
in the charming garden at the back. Bali villa breakfast
is `a good buffet.