Hotel Villa Zeissig

We stayed in the Rotkehlchen holiday apartment with our dog in August.About the holiday apartment: The apartment has simple but homely furniture, as well as a terrace where you can sit outside. The kitchen was very well equipped with dishes and electrical appliances, but there is no oven. The furniture is not worn but is in very good condition. Despite the hot outside temperatures, it was pleasantly cool in the apartment. So that you can keep the apartment clean during your stay, there is a vacuum cleaner and cleaning utensils in the bathroom cabinet. There are a few toys available for children.The property: The two houses are located on a mountain from which you have a beautiful view. The small villas are very well maintained overall, the garden is very lovingly designed and invites you to stroll and linger. The main path to the houses leads over a steep mountain, which is hell after hiking ;) . Somewhat hidden away, you will also find a small network of forest paths that connects the properties on the mountain and leads, among other things, to the rhododendron park and the small bastion.Breakfast: for breakfast there is a good selection of cold cuts, jam, muesli, as well as fresh fruit and, at this time, freshly picked vegetables from the garden. The operators take special requests into account and check the breakfast room regularly - overall you feel like you're in good hands here. Vegan milk alternatives were also available. Unfortunately, the rolls were baked rolls, which I didn't particularly like. Although the breakfast was otherwise very good, unfortunately that somewhat spoiled the enjoyment of it.The hosts: The guesthouse is run by a friendly older couple and their daughter, who also live on the property. This means you always have a contact person available.Parking: There are actually enough parking spaces at the foot of the mountain, although there are also a few parking spaces available on the mountain. Given the steep and narrow mountain, you should think carefully about whether to go up.Dog: Dogs are only allowed in the holiday apartments. If you arrive with your dog, you will be provided with a bowl, a bowl mat and a throw for the sofa. In principle, the operators do not want the dog to go on the bed/furniture. If you cannot prevent this or have a dog that regularly communicates loudly, I would advise against traveling to Villa Zeissig, as an additional cleaning fee of an unspecified amount may then be charged. In our case everything went well and the dog received a friendly welcome.The surrounding area: the health resort of Rathen is located directly on the Elbe and has a very good infrastructure including cycle paths, a train station and a ferry (if you have a guest card, the journey is included). There are also several ships sailing on the Elbe, including trips to Bohemian Switzerland. There is a good selection of restaurants in town, as well as a small shop where you can get the most necessary groceries, as well as bakeries and souvenir shops. There are a variety of hiking options available directly from the hotel, with the Bastei Bridge, the most famous attraction, being reachable in about 30 minutes on foot (but there is also a transfer bus there). If you want to go to the Bastei, I can only advise you not to do it in high season or rather in the morning or evening, as otherwise it would be incredibly crowded and really not pretty (which is a shame, because you really have a great view). If you want to hike as much of Saxon Switzerland as possible and maybe plan trips to Dresden, etc., you can easily plan 8-10 days or longer. We were there for 5 days and didn't see everything. My personal highlights were the Gamrig and the Polenztal with the subsequent climb to the Wolfsschlucht (not recommended with a dog because of the steep stairs).

An experience that you have to see and live!!!

Wonderful family guesthouseThank you for the lovely stay, we would love to come back.Double room with balcony and great view of the sandstone formations. Breakfast with fresh scrambled eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables from our own raised bed. Everything was very lovingly furnished and very clean. Great location on the hillside, with many flowering plants such as foxglove. The only downside is the steep slope, but that didn't matter for the great ambience and warmth. The Baden rosé wine, which we were able to enjoy on the great balcony, was also very tasty. Highly recommended. The upper Sandsteinidyll house is also beautifully decorated. From here we were able to easily hike to all of the region's sights. We particularly liked the free use of the ferry when booking the accommodation (tourist card) and the good S1 train connection every 20 minutes in the direction of Dresden as well as in the direction of Königstein, Bad Schandau around Kirnitzschtal, Lilienstein and Königstein Fortress, which can be reached without a car. The fact that Rathen is car-free is a positive thing. Not only were we able to enjoy a wonderfully fresh forest climate on the forest hiking trails, the place was also wonderfully car-free and relaxed.Thank you for your friendly hospitality, we felt very comfortable. Everything was perfect here.

Our short vacation at Villa Zeissig was wonderful, very friendly service, the room was comfortable and the breakfast was delicious and varied!The location is beautiful and you can quickly reach the Elbe!