Rhine & Mosel River Hotels

Cochem on the Mosel. Boppard (the largest town between Koblenz and Bingen,) St. Goar, Oberwesel, or Bacharach on the Rhine, depending on your interests and your outings. Oberwesel has some handsome town wall and tower remnants. Bacharach and Boppard have some nice half-timbered buildings. Boppard has lots of dining and lodging choices and a cool chairlift. In St. Goar, Rheinfels Castle and the ferry to St. Goarshausen, which makes east bank outings by train to Marksburg Castle easier, are pluses; St. Goar has the most scenic setting and is also central to the other 3 west bank towns. All these towns are well connected by train; Oberwesel and Boppard have some direct local trains to FRA, if that's important to you. You can't go wrong in any of these towns.

LaRae, On the Rhine, my preference is Bacharach and either Hotel Kranenturm or Pension Lettie (I've stayed at both). Kranenturm is right next to the tracks, so train noise may be an issue for some but I never found that to be a problem (even though my room faced the tracks). Others recommend Pension Im Malerwinkel in Bacharach, but I've never stayed there. The Germany Guidebook has LOTS of good suggestions for accommodations in both the Rhine and Mosel areas. Happy travels!

The Pensions in the area are all very good quality. On the Rhine, my favorite stay is Burg Stahleck, a castle turned into a hostel. It's well run and clean, but always full (mostly local families and groups) so you need to reserve. I've also stayed in Pensions in Bacharach and always had good luck (can't recall the name). Cochem would be my choice for staying on the Mosel. Be sure to visit Trier, a great small city with impressive Roman ruins, as well as hike to Burg Eltz from Moselkern, the hike is more than half of a good visit to the castle.

I enjoyed 3 nights at the Rheinhotel in St. Goar. The owner is a trained chef who will cook for you upon request. If you have any interest in this hotel, book early and get the room with the balcony! Rheinfels Castle is just up the hill and is one of my favorites.

Thanks. Will take a look.

I too have stayed in Bacharach at Hotel Kranenturn with Kurt and Fatima. Last trip we stayed at a great B&B on the main street, and they owned a bakery. Look to Bavaria Ben for the best take on rooms in the region:
http://www.bensbauernhof.com/accommodationsrhinemosel.html