Gite 'WATCHER

We rented all 3 of the properties within this beautiful building to accommodate 9 people (my brother's family and my own). Words cannot do justice to this property! So much care has been taken in preserving the beautiful stone and woodwork of the building, while special attention has been paid to expertly furnishing and modernizing the living spaces. The kitchens are gorgeous! Each kitchen is fully furnished and has every appliance we could have wished for. The bathrooms are modern and lovely. Each apartment has its own washer/dryer unit. The bedrooms are charming, with comfortable beds and pillows. The shared spaces are classy, soothing and peaceful. The attention to detail is inspiring! We stayed over the week of Christmas. Each apartment had a beautifully lit and decorated tree. Local decorations added to the beauty of each room. Having rented many VRBO properties, I can honestly say none has compared to this one in either class or comfort. In fact, if it weren't for how charmed we were by the property owner Mr. Neff, and our desire to see him succeed, I would secretly guard my knowledge of this magical property so my family and I could be sure it would be free anytime we wished to return in the future! :) The property owner, Mr Neff, was the perfect host! We arrived to gifts of local wine and patisseries. The property has many helpful local guidebooks in English and French, and wonderful French literature. Mr. Neff met us and showed us around the apartments and explained their amenities. He could not have been more kind or welcoming! He left us his contact information in case we needed anything or had any questions. He reached out to us to be sure we were enjoying our stay. His love for the village and the property were contagious! In terms of an area to be visited, Alsace far exceeded our expectations. The wine villages are like something out of a fairytale. Colmar and Strasbourg are unforgettable. The Christmas markets were truly magical (we had read a great deal about many of them before coming. They were all fabulous, but the Strasbourg markets were our favorite). We traveled into Germany with total ease. If we had had more time we would have loved to have gone to Switzerland which is also easily accessible from where we stayed. We left with our foremost desire being to return! We want to come back in the fall to hike and ride bikes through the villages. We want to come back in every season!

We had a very pleasant week in Turckheim at the watchman cottage which was very comfortable and well laid out. It was a perfect base to explore Alsace, Turckheim is a cute village with lots of walks directly from the village through the woods and vines and easy distances from beautiful Colmar and the other villages on the wine route. The Caveau du Forge in the village was a really lovely restaurant and there were several others which we did not try. Boulangerie de Brand, a few doors down does delicious croissants and patisserie so you eat your breakfast at the table by the window in the cottage overlooking the medieval village rooves!. Gregory Neff was a very helpful and friendly host and all was good!

VERY Happy with our week in Turckheim! The apartment is a great memory of staying in a Medieval wine village in a house that is centuries old but VERY recently renovated! The town of Turckheim is far enough away from the main road that it is extremely peaceful, yet it is only ten minutes from Colmar and twenty minutes from the busy tourist towns of Ribeauville and Riquewihr (SOME tourists come here but not so many that they are a nuisance!). Two warnings as you search for a place to stay - for Americans visiting Alsace, just remember that European bathrooms are smaller than what we are used to. The facilities are modern and very good, it is just smaller (you will have this "problem" almost anywhere in Europe - it's just the way it is!). The second is that if you are a "large" person, you might want to continue your search. I am 6'5" and 255 lbs (1.95 m and 116 kg) and found the steep stairs to be a bit tight (could make it but had to be VERY careful) and the shower was VERY cozy (as in if you dropped the soap it was very difficult to bend down to pick it up!). But having said that - would we stay here again or recommend it? Factoring in the price, the location, the histori aspect, and the amenities? YES! Without hesitation!