Best Hotels near Alte Wassermühle Monschau, Monschau

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.

I stayed for over a week at the Novotel in Aachen while on a business trip. The hotel is ideally situated next to a great shopping area. Parking is super easy and you need to use our card key to access the elevator. The same card key access is required to enter the lobby after hours. Seems very secure and safe. Front desk staff were very friendly and helpful. My room as an ”executive” room on the 4th floor, was on a corner and had floor to ceiling windows. What I liked: - Very quiet room - Comfortable bed - Mini-fridge with window and free daily drinks and snacks (5 Item selection including wine and beer) - Great desk setup with memory foam chair - Good TV with external HDMI input - Real glasses in the room - Bathroom wall mounted soap dispenser + other amenities - Nespresso machine with pods and cream To improve - WiFi, even though i was on the premium plan, the signal was weak to moderate - No USB ports - Water pressure just ok - Bathroom sink has not much counter space - AirCon only goes so low (perhaps 24/25?) as other reviewers have noted TIP: If you arrive on a Sunday to Aachen, almost everything is closed, however, towns in Netherlands are as close as a 20 minute drive and most stores are open from noon on Sunday