Ferienhof Arold

Family of 4, children ages 9 and 12, stayed 4 nights in a comfortable and friendly farm about 8 miles from the incredible medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Stay on a farm or stay in Rothenburg? Good choice either way, but the farm gives the kids some elbow room and things to do. Here, the Arold family have 10 cows including 2 calves in the barn along with a goat, 7 cats, chickens, some bicycles, trampoline with protective netting, large swing in barn, various small pedal cars, and games. Best of all, they are very helpful, speak a fair amount of English(much better than my German) and offer 4 apartments on the upper levels of their home that are immaculately clean, modern, inexpensive and comfortable. We had a two bedroom with kitchen that included fridge, stove/oven, dishwasher, plenty of utensils; a rear porch that overlooked the nicely care for and flowered backyard; comfortable beds, TV/cable, wifi that worked most of the time, comfortable beds, and a fair amount of hot water. Upon arrival, Martina made us feel at home and provides provisions, e.g., butter, milk, eggs, wine/beer/ alcohol, jam, etc. for a modest fee. One can also order bread/brot daily from the Brotwagen which we gladly enjoyed. Also, for a fee, she will wash/dry your clothes. There's a guidebook in German, but she will help you with what you need. Everyday at 7:30 AM and 5:00PM children can help with the animal "chores", feeding the cows, goat, chickens, getting eggs. The family also builds a fire in the pit to roast pretzel dough on a stick and play games during the week. Their two children are very helpful and speak a fair amount of English. It's a beautiful country drive along the Romantic Road to the town of Rothenburg which we truly love to explore, dine, shop, climb and walk the walls. We spent every day there hiking and visiting churches and museums. In May, it was not crowded at all. In the evening, we walked the safe streets alone; did the Night Watchman's tour(8PM English). Just outside the ancient walks, are two good sized grocers, several car dealers( in case your rental car breaks down like our did; actually, thanks to Grandma Arold for providing tape so I could temporary fix a broken cable and get to the dealer!). In town there's a nice pool facility: lap pool, childrens' pool, baby pool(an outdoor pool for warmer weather), clean, and for 16E a family of 4 gets towels, lockers, and a day at the pool. Martina can tell you where to take the kids for a pool with slides and such, 30 minute drive. Center of town with its famous clock tower, is the Information office- get a map(also use Rick Steves' superb write-up on this town)- an atm is right next door at the bank. We arrived late from Munich(3 hours with road construction) and we were able to eat late at the nice Hotel Reichkuchenmeister(pardon the spelling). Watch out for fast drivers on those country roads. I would mention that this is a farm, and that the barn is right next to the home. This time of the year, there were only a few flies(outside), 1 mosquito(inside) and you can smell the barn(outside). I'm not sure why they do not let their cows out or fence an area for them to roam. I wish they would. They use to do dairy cows but now have meat cows which they keep for two years locked up. In summary, the kids had a great time. The farm sits just off the road to Oberrimbach(a very small town) in gorgeous countryside. The drive to Frankfurt airport with road construction took only 2 hours(I never exceeded 80mph which seems slow on the Autobahn!), and the drivers are courteous.