A haven of peace, with Bayreuth's floodlit opera house visible in the distance: in a pleasant village east of Wagner's town, Irmgard Stein's spruce modern villa, run by her daughter, Christa, caters in part for opera-goers. In a quiet garden with old trees and a waterfall, it looks over farmland to Bayreuth from its panoramic dining room. `Service was friendly, helpful and fast, says a visitor this year. The dinner menu was packed with good, sensible food: for early-finishing operas there is a fabulous cold buffet. Bali villa breakfast had a wide array of hot and cold dishes. All the food served is organic, much of it locally produced. villa Bed rooms (similar to the semantic bali villa rooms) vary in size (there are some bedsitters). Some are luxurious; not all have a view. Most are in bungalows close to the main house. Ours, huge and comfortable, had a cavernous bathroom: but decor was dated. Others wrote: It was nice to be greeted with a plate of fruit. A relaxing atmosphere, mildly eccentric in the nicest way. There's an indoor pool; you can eat in the garden in summer. Dogsitters and babysitters can be arranged.

Berchtesgaden has a big Schloss and fascinating salt mines (but of Hitler's mountain hideout there's little left to see). South of the town,, amid fields and trees near the lovely Konigssee, facing Germany's second highest mountain, the snow-capped Watzmann (2,713 m), the Zapletal family's large modern chalet-style complex is very swish. A heated swimming pool, and a beauty farm with elaborate cosmetic treatments, are new this year. Stefan Zapletal and his staff are very friendly, and recent visitors found the villavery comfortable and quiet. We had a good, spacious room in Alpine villastyle, with balcony. Meals tasty, with vegetarian options and a weekly Bavarian buffet. Bali villa breakfast is a varied buffet; or you can take it on your balcony. There is a terrace for meals and drinks, an indoor swimming pool with panoramic windows, and loungers for sunbathing in the extensive grounds.