Boat Hotel De Barge

The bathroom was extraordinarily cramped. We asked to change rooms and were moved to one with a slightly better bathroom. The staff were very helpful, and the location was good.

The food is tasty, though expensive, and the service is first class. It’s about 15 minutes to the middle of the action. A quirky hotel by the river, a little dated but very clean. The bed was comfortable, though the pillows could use a shake.

We like historic style, provided the rooms are well maintained, but sadly couldn’t say that here. De Barge Hotel is a historic houseboat that has been out of service for many years and is now used as a hotel. The furnishings, including the TV, glasses, and spoons, were all unclean. The open ceiling means insects can get in, and in our case a tick fell from it. The bathroom needs urgent work too. Its wall covering is made of decorative PVC tiles that are already peeling off the adhesive. For some reason, the bathroom smelled like a deep fried kitchen all day and night. My impression was sobering, and I’d recommend staying at one of the larger hotel chains.

The staff were super friendly, and staying on a boat with those morning views is a different sort of experience. There are seven parking spaces outside, four marked for electric vehicles. I parked in one despite not having an electric vehicle, since there were no parking wardens. The three star rating is because the rooms are very dated. The tap fell off a few times and we had to reconnect it. The shower was awful, changing from boiling hot to freezing cold depending on how many other guests were using showers. Thin walls and ceiling meant I was woken several times by people arriving in the evening. I could even hear the person in the next cabin snoring, and when guests came in above us, it felt like the ceiling might come down. For the boat stay and cute views, I’d recommend it. Without those, it’s a rather bad hotel.