APARTMENT EMANUELA

I chose Villa Francesca for my honeymoon in August 2010. Helmut, our host and the owner of the villa, recently renovated the place himself and it was clearly a labor of love. The apartments are full of natural wood paneling, imported furniture, and all the comforts of home, to include a fully decked out high-end kitchen, an entertainment room with large screen TV, a hot tub outside with an amazing view of the mountains, and a lily pond that you can wade in if you need to cool off!
The villa is located on the hillside right outside Zell, and it’s elevation is a little higher than the town. So from all three apartments there are spectacular views of the town , the valley, and the mountains. Because the villa was located on the outskirts of town, there was some seclusion, but also easy access to groceries, restaurants, and hiking.
My wife and I spent our days hiking in the surrounding hills (there is a trail that leads right from the villa up to an old shrine and an old chapel), enjoying the hot tub, going para-sailing (!!!), walking through Zell, and visiting old churches. The “Zillertal Bier” brewery, located in Zell, was founded in 1500 AD and the beer is excellent! We also rode a ski lift at the Zillertal Arena, and the ride lasted about 20 minutes!
Helmut and his wife were spectacular hosts - very welcoming, low key, and helpful – all of the activities we did in the valley were recommended by them. Helmut is just simply a good man. He visited with us, shared his schnapps, and even invited us to his birthday party. He is fluent in Spanish and German, but does struggle a bit with English; however, this was not a problem for us.
For an English-speaking American, the area was slightly difficult to navigate. Maps/signs/etc. were only in German, and often of a style that catered to German vacationers (cartoonish hiking maps and the like). We discovered real hiking maps in the Zell gift shops on our last day. Do a bit of homework before you go – there are just too many opportunities you might miss otherwise. That said, the lack of English language material also means that Zell is not very touristy (except that it is clearly a popular German vacation spot).
This is a really wonderful place and I highly recommend it. My wife and I left a piece of our hearts there when we left (it is now the only place in Europe that she is interested in visiting). Thank you, Helmut! I am only sorry that it took me so long to write this review.