Popular Vaals 4-star Hotels

Though we weren't expecting our rooms to be in the Kasteel itself, the accommodation in the modern blocks was corporate and dingy and though described as ”deluxe with a balcony” had no views of the ancient pile or anything of particular interest. To be honest, I have stayed in more interesting Travel Lodges in the UK and paid half the price. The whole place oozed mediocrity, from the check-in clerk who volunteered no recommendations on how to experience the Kasteel which was, in effect, sealed off to tourists, to our bathroom which had no natural light or air and a shower situated in the bath. All very disappointing. Dinner in the Old Water Mill was marred by a delay of 25 minutes before we saw a menu and extremely long gaps between courses which we put down to a shortage of kitchen staff or maybe a lack of english menus; both seemed plausible. The food itself was high quality/mid-range though definitely not gourmet or fine-dining. Oddly, Limburg wines were not included on the wine list but a very limited number of bottles from the best promoted vineyard in the region were available by the glass on request. The entremet was literally inedible though I appreciated the free glass of dessert wine I was given in compensation. Service had its faults such as asking us what we wanted to drink before we had been given any kind of drinks/wine list but was generally characterised by a sincere effort to provide attentive service. We opted not to have the breakfast buffet at 23 euros a throw and though the check-out clerk verbally acknowledged we hadn't partaken, somehow he included a line item on the bill ”breakfast excluded” which added 46 euros to the bill (yes, added) which we only discovered as we prepared to drive off. Utter stupidity and a symbolically apt end to our misadventure at Kasteel Vaalsbroek.

This was our first stay ever at a vd Valk hotel and I start with the positive things. 1) Staff at the lobby and the breakfast very friendly and helpfull. 2) When we arrived we got an other room after a complaint without any problem. What disappointed us strongly were the following. 1) We got a room where the carpet all over had black smudges which looked really dirty. 2) The bed in the new room was on the side facing to step out like a slide at a holiday park. It was worn out by the” heavy weights” over time and never repalced. I fixed this problem temporarely myself by turning the very thick second mattrass over. 3) My wife and I were not able to watch our own old digitized pictures and short video's (TV has an USB port) because the television terminated everything in such that we even could not watch TV at all. Watching only TV was restored by a very helpfull staff member. 4) Between my bed and the wall were a lot of big and thick parts of clocked together dust. (see pictures) These rooms stay very dark even with all ”lights”turned on and by accident I noticed this because I used my flashlight in the night. 5) Vd Valk send us by e-mail a voucher for a welcome drink which did not specify any period of validity. When were thirsty the last day we decided to use it and went to the lobby and showed this voucher and the answer was that it was only valid on arrival. When I told the lady that this voucher did not mentioned anything about it she then told us to get a cup of coffee where we just had breakfast 1 hour before. This first acquaintance (in Dutch kennismaking?) with vd Valk hotels was ice cold and for us never more. So to say, our first and last.