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**** Waterpark Belterwiede – Wanneperveen, Overijssel, Netherlands
Due to COVID, we cancelled our trip to the mediterranean and decided to book a few short holidays in my home country, the Netherlands. So we looked for a nice house in a good location and and area we have not been before…. Venice.
Venice….? It is so peaceful, so different and has such simple beauty that it hardly seems real – gently gliding along small canals past old but pretty thatched-roof farmhouses. You can turn down a “side street” (another small canal) and drift under a wooden bridge where an elderly resident may be strolling over to see a neighbor. No this is not Venice, or Amsterdam. It is too quiet, too serene and remote. It is so calm that its nickname of the “Dutch Venice” may give a false impression of size and crowds and commercialism.
Here in Holland’s water village of Giethoorn the loudest sound you can normally hear is the quacking of a duck or the noise made by other birds. Giethoorn is in the province of Overijssel in the east of the Netherlands, a green and still area.
The holiday homes of Waterpark Belterwiede have the look of a cosy farmhouse. The park is small (approx. 60 houses, with maybe half available for rent) and the surroundings are delightful. All holiday homes are located on three small peninsulas directly on the water.
From the terrace you can look at the boat you’ve brought with you or which you’ve rented from a local company (we rented at Nijenhuis, located next to the park). Don’t forget your fishing rod (I did catch different white fish as well as a few pikes), and something to drink en route of course! Interesting enough, the water depth is between 1 and 1.5 meter everywhere so very safe.
As a water fan, you’ll be in your element here. There’s plenty to do by bike too. Picturesque Giethoorn is just around the corner, as well as Steenwijk, Meppel and Zwolle, with its charming old town, all within half an hour drive.
The booking site offers the possibility to order a fresh breakfast everyday, you can rent electric bikes and more, direct at the reception or direct with your booking.
**(*) Abergo Al Ponte – Cademario, (Lake Lugano), Varese, Italy
Located on a quiet hilltop in Cademario in the Malcantone region, a 15-minute drive from Lugano, the Al Ponte offers views of Lake Lugano and the mountains from all rooms. That is exactly why I wanted to mention this hotel.
All rooms at this family-run hotel have their private balcony with sun loungers. WiFi is provided in all areas for free.Swimming pool is available from May to September. It simply is a good hotel but the views on Lake Lugano are amazing and that provides 3 instead of 2 starts for me.
Local and international cuisine is served in the Al Ponte Terrazzo Restaurant and Pizzeria, which also overlooks the lake.
*** Hotel Feldwebel – Söll, Tirol, Austria
The building was mentioned for the first time in a document in the year 1501. During the Napoleonic Wars a Royal Bavarian sergeant-major (in German: “Feldwebel”) ran the inn for a short time – hence the hotel’s name.
The Feldwebel is a nice place to stay for the night or for a longer time discovering the area. Located in the centre of the Tyrolean village Söll, we had great views from our room balcony . The area offers a great variety of leisure activities. The hotel has been comprehensively modernised and offers a friendly service and warm Tyrolean hospitality. The beautiful landscapes in the Tyrol are right at your doorstep.
There is a good enough food collection of international and local dishes at an attractive price. As for the room pricing, go for the most expensives rooms (Panorama Suite). They will only set you down in the 90-120 euro range, dependinging on the time of the year (more expensive during the winter sport season).
A nice hotel to stay overnight when you travel from Germany to Italy for your summer holiday.
**** Schlosshotel Weberhofe – Hosbach, Bavaria, Germany
Schlosshotel Weyberhöfe is located, at the crossroads of the old paths from Aschaffenburg to Lohr and north to Birkenhainer Straße close to the A3 motorway, halfway between Frankfurt and Würzburg. It is an ideal hotel to stay for a night on your way to the south.
Around 1265 the Archbishop of Mainz Werner von Eppstein had the Castrum Vivarium built here. The complex was built here because of its convenient location on the road connection to the Spessart, as a counterweight to the castle built by the Counts of Rieneck near Rottenberg.
The place has been a “family home for most time. The conversion into a hotel began in 1991. Today, 4 stars characterize the “Schlosshotel Weyberhöfe, in which relaxation and enjoyment are perfectly combined in a princely ambience.
The rooms are very nice and very sizeable. Each room is different. Price vary between 150 and 250 euros depending on the type of room and time of the season. The restaurant offers o good selection of food. No need to “go out”, just stay and relax! Try some of the nice local white wines.
I did not use the spa in the hotel so that is something you need to find out yourself.
*** Die Port van Cleve – Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
The monumental building of Hotel Die Port van Cleve still has several authentic features. The unique frontage of this historic hotel in Amsterdam has remained unchanged over the year and has obtained a monumental status. As has the unique interior of the Bar-Bodega De Blauwe Parade, with a large Delft Blue tile fresco dating back to 1887.
Owner of beer brewery ‘De Hooiberg’, a traditionally brewed beer already mentioned in the annals of 1675. Under the name ‘Gebroeders Hulscher’ they opened a beer house on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, situated behind the brewery. Therefore the two neighbour storehouses had to be rebuild.
Eventually the ‘Hooiberg’ brewery was relocated to the ‘Buitensingel’ in Amsterdam, now known as the ‘Stadhouderskade’, where the present ‘Heineken’ brewery arose. As the canals were filled up and therefore transport was impossible, moving became necessary. In 1876-1877 the backside of the building was completely renovated. This renovation offered space for a much larger kitchen, its necessary departments and facilities.
Hotel Die Port van Cleve consists of three special monumental buildings that are connected to each other and therefore all 122 hotel rooms vary in size and layout. Our hotel rooms consist of four different room types: standard, superior, executive and business rooms.
The bar, “De Blauwe Parade” is a must see when in Amsterdam. Not only does it shows the largest Delft Blue panel in the world, they also serve great traditional Dutch food. The numbered steaks are unique and every 100th order get the steak for free.
The hotel is ideally situated opposite the national palace, walking distance from “De Dam” and the Central Station.
All rooms have been designed to provide you with modern comfort in a classing setting with a Dutch historical accent and reference to the Delft Blue tile fresco in our Bar-Bodega ‘De Blauwe Parade’. The rooms are similarly decorated, but still remain unique in their own way. A typical room price on booking.com ris approx. 200 euros.
Note: part of the story has been copied from the hotel website.
*** Hotel Maierbräu – Altomünster, Bayern, Germany
Hotel Maierbräu is a small traditional southern German style hotel, built in 1838. The hotel has two floors and 18 guest rooms. The rooms have TV, good wifi and a great price/quality value. Nothing fancy, just simple and good. Located north of Munich, it is an ideal stop to discover the area or as a “stop over” on your way to southern Europe for a holiday. Altomünster is a small village with a nice center. Do not expect to much because as said it is small.
A traditional Bavarian Brewery is how it all started
The hotel is part of the larger Maierbräu group. Not only the hotel, also the Brauereigasthof and the brewery itself complete the group. The Maierbräu is a well known local beer.
Initially we were disappointed because we could not eat in the hotel. We forgot…. it was Monday and “Ruhe Tag” (rest day). No ability to get a drink in the bar or dinner in the restaurant. But after the initial disappointment, the personnel told us we could have dinner in the brauerei restaurant, close to the hotel. So we went over there.
The dinner was good and we were surprised by the low prices. An interesting piece was that the restaurant bar showed the timeline of the history of the brewery.
**** Rottele’s Restaurant & Residenz – Baden-Baden, Germany
The Rottele is based in a castle dating back to the 16th century. Now I am fond of these type of building because most times they secure warm, often relaxed and sometimes very impressive atmosphere.
The hotel/restaurant is located in the western part of the black forrest and in the middle of a wine area. When you are travelling from Heidelberg down toward Basel, it is a nice stop to have dinner and stay for the night, on the way to your destination.
The restaurant “La cucina della passione” offer a nice selection of starters, main courses and desserts. They offer different menu options as well. A 3-course dinner varies between €45 and €90.
Be aware, the restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesdays (“Ruhetage”).
**** W Hotel, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
There are so many nice hotels in San Francisco and the W falls in that category. Our headquarter (EVault/Seagate at the time) was located opposite the hotel so a clear choice to stay there. Now sometimes I made the choice to stay somewhere else on purpose because it is also located opposite the Moscone Conference Center. When something goes on there, the price per room goes through the roof.
The hotel has very nice rooms and most evenings, a DJ takes care of the music that you can enjoy from the ground floor and 1st floor.
The bar is nice with good bar food and no reason to go out. But why not, there are so many nice restaurants in San Francisco!
***** Foxhills Country Club & Resort, Ottershaw, United Kingdom
The Foxhills Resort provides many facilities including a wonderful golf course, wellness, an outdoor swimming pool and much, much more.
I stayed many times in the hotel because my office was close by. After I stayed there for the first time, I realized that our distributor, Exertis Hammer (thanks James!), out of Basingstoke had a business club membership. I think you can already guess, a good reason to play there. Located in the Surrey countryside, with ground over 400 acres, you really have everything you need here.
The hotel itself is not that big, only 66 rooms. That make you are a guest instead of a number. Something of course you can only appreciate. I have not stay there since the rooms were refurbished so one more reason to go back soon. Prices vary between €200,- and €300,- per night, depending of course on season and type of room.
Foxhills offers some of the best golf in Surrey. The three quality golf courses combine parkland and heathland to provide challenges to golfers of every level. The Club’s two 18 hole Championship courses – Longcross and Bernard Hunt – are ranked among the best golf courses in England, and are examples of Surrey golf courses at their best.
The Foxhills Foundation has helped launch the careers of golf stars Paul Casey and Anthony Wall, and the Club is home to the prestigious Senior PGA Professional Championship from 2014 to 2020 and PGA Europro host venue in 2018.
Not only the golf itself is very nice at Foxhills but it is also a great location for a corporate golf event like I had with Hammer in the past.
The combination of a very nice hotel and a fantastic golf course are all the reason to give 5 stars!
****(*) Hoar Cross Hall, Newborough, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
I booked the Hoar Cross Hall last minute on our way from Glasgow to Birmingham in December 2019. What a great surprise. What I mean with that is that the place look very nice, the bar area has great style and the overall price performance was amazing.
Very few hotels have such a nice bar and lounge area. Great furniture styles combined with art. Good service and never a moment without a drink.
I was there on a business trip and we had to leave the next morning so missed the opportunity to use the beautifull wellness area. That according to others seems to be great as well.
The restaurant was good but less versus the rest of my experience so 4 stars for the restaurant and 5 for the hotel (especially given the relative low price per room).
From their website:
Commissioned by Hugo Meynell Ingram as a family home, the hall was completed in 1871. Elizabethan in style with Jacobean overtones, the lofty gables, turreted water towers, 48 chimneys and mullioned windows are all excellent examples of the period. The stately home boasts a grand entrance hall and decadent oak-panelled Long Gallery, which spans more than 100 feet in length. Admire the breathtaking ornamental ceiling designed by Victorian architect George Frederick Bodley.
Thanks to a painstaking restoration programme, all the public rooms radiate the same sense of splendour as they did during the years when Hoar Cross Hall was a private residence. Many are still touched by the presence of the Meynell Ingram family, from the assertive family motto in the entrance hall to the hand-carved monograms in the Ballroom, along with the grand staircase and stunning Chapel.
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