Bacharach or Oberwesel?

We recently spent two nights in Bacharach at the end of our trip, staying at Hotel Restaurant Altkölnischer Hof. We liked the hotel and it had a good breakfast buffet. It had secured nearby parking. The town itself doesn’t have the numbers of restaurants some others have.

Just my opinion, but most of the towns along the Mosel and Rhine are not very large and unless there is a castle, most have little to offer, other than being picturesque, possibly a winery, and nice views. En route to Bacharach we stopped at Marksburg and Rheinfels castles. We didn’t stop in Oberwesel. After a while, all those small picturesque towns begin to run together.

Linda, Oberwesel is a village. I assume the hotel you are referring to is https://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/en.
We stayed there a few years ago, and it was a most memorable experience. We had a huge room with a balcony and view of the Rhine. ( similar to the view featured in the Viking River cruise commercials) Our bathroom was accessed through a hidden door in a wall of bookcases! Dinner was a multi-course event with a keepsake booklet of that night’s menu.

As glorious as that was, I would not recommend it just for one night unless you have a car. The hotel is at the top of a hill, and it is quite a hike up and down. We were traveling by train, so called the (one) taxi for a ride up. We walked down to explore the village and made day trips from the train station. We walked down to a small grocery store to pick up drinks and snacks , and then took the taxi back up with our supplies. I think we were there 3 nights which was about perfect.

We have also stayed in Boppard https://www.bellevue-boppard.de/en/. We thought it was an excellent location with several restaurant choices, right along the river, good train connections for day trips etc
Again, I would not recommend just one night. It is fun to take one of the KD boats one day. You can also easily jump on the train and go see the other villages.

We have not stayed in Bacharach so I can’t speak to that.

Linda, I like Bacharach and have been there 3 times. But St Goar is I think a better place if you need variety and transportation options. The castle in Bacharach is also an active hostel.

You are right, it's just a small, pretty, quiet little town with little to do or see, just a nice place to be. As a base for touring the area, the other places you mention have more to offer. His books aren't intended to be a detailed review of all towns, just a sampling. Rick's whole thing started out as finding "backdoor" places like Bacharach, that were interesting and not well-known to Americans. It was not intended to make recommendations based on the variety of activities and sights, tourist infrastructure or famous restaurants.

Perhaps Rick, like me, first stayed in the castle-hostel above the Bacharach. I now stay in a 3 room b&b and enjoy the town. I enjoy visiting Oberwesel with its town wall and Liebfrauenkirche church. Staying just one night, I would just look for a hotel/b&b that appeals to you and if a restaurant that looks good.

I stay at Irmgard Orth’s in Bacharach. I used to mostly eat at Cafe Rusticana there but they retired shortly after my last visit in 2019. The restaurant is now Cafe Bistro Noy which looks interesting. I’m looking forward to trying it later this year.

The website rhein-nahe-touristik.de lists all the rooms in all categories of accomdation.

My daughter and I will be spending a night touring the rhine.

Bacharach's half-timbered buildings are VERY attractive, whimsical, romantic. When you fall in love with your first Rhine girl, she's hard to forget, and I think that's what happened to Rick. I get falling in love. But I honestly don't get why he can't shake her at this point as as a place to base oneself for a Rhine visit. I've stayed previously in St. Goar, Oberwesel, Bacharach, Bingen, and in Boppard on that side of the river, and in Koblenz as well... IMHO, Bacharach and Oberwesel come up a little short in terms of the whole package they offer the visitor. Maybe this is just me, but I prefer towns where the river views might be enjoyed from one's room; sadly, Bacharach is set back too far from the river for that kind of perk. Both are worth visiting but are less-than-advantageous base towns on various grounds.
Just one night in the area will likely shortchange your Rhine experience. There really is a lot to see and do, but it's a bit spread out. Not knowing what hour you plan to arrive or how long you can stay in the area, I can't say what might work for you. I can only say that based on my visit there 20 years ago, if you stay in Auf Schönburg, a superb operation with towering scenery over the Rhine, you should check in as early as possible and stay on the grounds until the checkout hour the next day if you can. It's a destination in and of itself, not a place you want to leave. It's also not really in Oberwesel, but high on the cliffs above town. So I can't really think of it at all as a base for sightseeing and poking around in town.
To really "tour the Rhine", you would need a couple of fairly full days in addition to your time in Auf Schönburg and at least one additional night. Walking through Bacharach could require a couple of hours. The same for Oberwesel and its excellent town wall walk. Both towns have some fine churches. St. Goar's Rheinfels Castle is great - and if you like great scenery and enjoy a nice walk, taking the cliffside trail from there in the direction of Oberwesel for views of the Loreley makes for great memories. Any Rhine cruise will occupy a couple of hours. Rüdesheim has quite a few diversions... a half day there wouldn't be misspent. Then there's Marksburg Castle in Braubach... The tour + the views + lunch on the terrace there + a foot cruise through its old town zone + the walk up and back to the castle will require 3-4 hours but you won't regret your time. I'm a big fan of Boppard. Boppard's chairlift too. The nicely developed riverfront lined with hotels and eateries, as well as Gedeonseck Terrace, near the top of the lift. I could hang out at Gedeonseck for 2-3 hours just for the views. But it's a real town worth exploring as well...

CONVENIENT base towns might be St Goar (where all the cruises end and where there's a ferry crossing with train service on both sides!) or Boppard, or Rüdesheim, or Bingen, depending on what you have time for. If you're heading to FRA airport after your stay, Bingen puts you in a good spot. The NH Bingen hotel, on the waterfront, is a reasonable walk from the Bingen Rhein Hbf station (some direct trains, 45 min. ride.)

We really liked Boppard and the Hotel Bellevue directly on the Rhine. The KD dock was immediately adjacent. You can take a river cruise one way, and train back to explore the small towns. The river cruises don't stop everywhere. Bacharach is very small and quiet. I think RS likes it as it's only an hour from Frankfurt, and it's a doable journey after an international flight. However, it's easily explode in a few hours.
Safe travels!