Breuer Ruedesheimer Schloss's Glockenspiel

At HotelChatter, we are always on the lookout for quirky perks, amenities and features at the hotels that we cover (see my story on parallelogram beds at Bernkastel's Marchenhotel). With that in mind, I made a video of the clocktower glockenspiel at the Breuer's Ruedesheimer Schloss in the charming little town of Ruedesheim am Rhein in the heart of Germany's famous wine-producing Rheingau region.

As you'll see, the sound is quite distinctive...and it plays every hour. Luckily for me, they only start at 10:00 am because my room was right in the tower! The songs did lend a certain charm to my visit, though, and everything stops in the hotel and on the streets of the town as tourists race to see the little show that takes place.

Apart from that, the hotel is a great option for touring Germany's wine country, and is less than an hour from the Frankfurt airport, making it terribly convenient. The rooms are large and well-priced, the food at the restaurant is excellent, and the wines that Georg Breuer makes are famous throughout the world. You can even go on vineyard tours and sunset hikes in the surrounding hillsides where the grapes are grown, as well as tastings in the winery's centuries-old cellars, and those of other winemakers in the town. All in all, I'd highly recommend the hotel...not least because of the glockenspiel.

Link: http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/9/2/135745/4823/hotels/Looking_For_A_Quirky_Hotel_Try_Ruedesheimer_Schloss_s_Glockenspiel