I took a Rhine River cruise aboard Uniworld’s River Empress, April 3-10, 2011. Before the cruise, I stayed at the Golden Leaf Hotel (Launhardtstrasse 2-4, D-60314, Frankfurt am Main, GERMANY; phone +49 69 94 99 00).
Booked through Hotels.com, the three nights at this excellent hotel cost $154, total, without breakfast.
Perks included a kitchenette with a four-burner stove, microwave, coffeepot, cooking utensils, dinnerware and glassware; CNN on TV, and Internet in the lobby along with complimentary coffee, tea and apples.
When I checked in, I was given a map showing the location of the hotel and the nearest U-Bahn stop and streetcar, only a five-minute walk away. The receptionists were always friendly and helpful.
If you like small museums, in Frankfurt am Main I highly recommend a visit to the Liebieghaus Sculpture Museum (Schaumainkai 71, 60596 Frankfurt am Main; phone +49 69 650049 0 — open 10-6 Tues., Fri. & Sat. and 10-9 Wed. & Thurs.; entry, €7), located in a mansion built in 1896 by Baron Heinrich Liebieg.
There, along with friends, I visited the temporary ivory sculpture exhibit (astounding!) and the permanent collections of ancient, Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance, Egyptian and Asian sculpture.
After disembarking the ship, I spent two nights at the Bellevue Hotel (Martelaarsgracht 10, Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS; phone 011 31 20 76074 500 or, in the US & Canada, 866/332-3590) for a total of $240, breakfast not included.
My room was tiny, like in a dormitory, and the bed was narrow and uncomfortable. The location, however, was excellent, near the city’s Central Station and within walking distance of major sights.
DOROTHY CHANG-VAN HORN
Manhattan Beach, CA