Van der Valk Luxembourg-Arlon

February 2024 was when I finally tried surfing, and the experience was incredible. Catching a wave and standing up felt like pure magic. When the wave machine started, the force of the water was overwhelming in the best way, and it honestly brought tears to my eyes. The whole thing felt powerful and alive. Finding my balance took practice. I managed to jump forward on the board, which felt amazing, but turning back is still hard and I sometimes fall. It takes more attempts to get the hang of it, though practice helps. The practical side could be better. At €55 for 45 minutes, I expected more individual time. They advise booking 2 tone 45 min so you can have extra time break groups, but our group had 8 people and I got only about 4 real attempts to stand up. The shower was warm and clean. Still, with 0°C outside, the surfing area itself was cold, so I’d strongly recommend a wetsuit. Men and women share the changing room, which felt strange, and there are no proper lockers, just an open cabinet in a shared area for bags. There were no mirrors in the toilets or changing room either, and I had to dry my hair near an outlet. Surfing was amazing and emotional, but the organization and facilities need work.

We expected a relaxing romantic getaway, but ended up looking for other spas in the area. The traffic was audible all the time because the hotel is right beside the highway, and the outdoor area was basically mud with more traffic noise. Spa use costs 25€ per person for two hours, which is a ridiculous system, and it wasn’t included. Half the facilities were still being built in Dec 2026, something we hadn’t seen stated anywhere, and the unfinished area felt uncomfortable. The wellness area for guests above 13 has saunas, but requires bathing suits. I don’t understand the age restriction if nudity isn’t allowed, especially since the area is only separated by glass and kids’ pool noise carries straight into the saunas. The ice-cold water bucket is on the other side of the hottest sauna, at 70C. The staff didn’t explain any of this at check-in, so we had to find it online. For a four star hotel, I expected better service and facilities. Very disappointing, and I wouldn’t book again. EDIT: The English webpage is littered with AI prompts for translations (“Sure, provide me with the text…”), which gives you an idea of how much effort management put into everything.

The room itself had a barely functional TV with no smart TV options. Loud hallway voices and fireworks outside kept us from sleeping early, and if we’d known about the fireworks, we could at least have gone to watch. Breakfast at 8:00 the next morning was chaotic, with too many guests and too few staff. Coffee lines took 20+ minutes, many people couldn’t find a table, and the overwhelmed team seemed understaffed. We’ve never had that at another Van der Valk. We’d booked a 4-day stay at Van der Valk Luxembourg for a quiet New Year’s getaway, expecting the reliable quality we’d experienced at other Van der Valk hotels. Before booking, I confirmed by email there was availability for the New Year’s Eve buffet and party for two, and we booked the room and extended our stay based on that. Staff were friendly on arrival, but then said the event was fully booked. After I showed the email, they called and assured us everything was fine. On 31/12, however, we were again told we weren’t booked for the party and were sent to a standard buffet downstairs that ended at 22:00. There was no party or celebration, nothing like what had been promoted or confirmed. At that buffet, the first staff member was blunt and unhelpful. Ordering a bottle of wine became an unnecessary struggle, and we paid €48 for a bottle worth €3.99 in the supermarket. It was a disappointing start to New Year’s Eve, and leaving at 22:00 for our room instead of celebrating the new year was a letdown. Later we tried to relax in the wellness area. At this Van der Valk, unlike other locations where wellness is included, it costs €25 per person, so expectations were high. The beautiful spa felt overcrowded and unmanaged: kids played in the pool, tables were covered with empty cups and bottles, people talked loudly in a full sauna and shouted in the hammam, and guests got in without paying by following others. At €50 total, it wasn’t worth it. Without supervision, the facility may not stay beautiful for long. The hotel looks appealing and is quiet, with a nice wellness area in theory, but poor organization, mixed messages about New Year’s Eve, the breakfast chaos, and the spa experience made the stay far below what we expected from Van der Valk. We still made the best of our time together, but it didn’t match what was promised or the quality we associate with the chain.

The room had visible signs of neglect, including damaged wallpaper and defects in the ceiling. The balcony door seal is faulty and needs fixing right away, since I could feel a significant draft even before the stormy weather started. A used trash bag was left beside the bathroom sink, and all three bathroom linens, the towel, hand towel, and bathmat, had been taken without replacements. When I tried to reach the front desk, my calls were repeatedly declined or put on hold. It took over 20 minutes for someone to answer, then another 20 minutes for housekeeping to arrive. The staff member seemed clearly displeased when I asked them to remove the trash bag, and they brought only two of the three missing towels. For a hotel claiming four stars, housekeeping, maintenance, and communication should consistently meet a high standard. These failures were unacceptable.