Hotel Porta Cite

The hotel is less than 10 minutes from the "hoge kempen nature park", which made it easy to go for a walk at the end of the day. My room was spacious and had everything I needed, including towels and shower items. It faced the road, but the insulation was good enough that the noise wasn’t a problem. The bar and reception were nice, and the staff were friendly. Breakfast was very good, with lots of choice and many different proteins. It may be a little expensive, but the quality and variety were there.

We really appreciated the receptionist’s help after I realized I’d booked the wrong date. There were no rooms available that night, even nearby, because of a major concert in the next town. The woman at reception, Mary Lou?, went to great effort to find us somewhere to stay. The wrong-date booking was no longer cancellable, which would have meant paying some EUR 256 in cancellation fees as well as for the other accommodation. She cancelled our room without charging the fee, even though it was our genuine mistake. That kind of old school hospitality is rare these days, and we’re very grateful. We’ll definitely come back to see the hotel’s new part. On our first visit, we’d stayed in the old, authentic section and loved it. The room was spacious and full of thoughtful details, including coffee and tea facilities, free water, and little touches that made it feel like someone had gone out of their way to make us feel at home. We liked it so much that a few weeks later we booked again, this time hoping to try the modern part.

We had dinner at Leonardo's, where the food was great and the atmosphere had a real Italian feel. Breakfast was nice too, with pancakes, fruit, salmon, and more. Our room in the new building was huge and cozy, with a fantastic bathroom, a big rain shower, a bath, and plenty of amenities. The reception was a bit chaotic, though, and there was a lot of noise from the restaurant downstairs. We were on the first floor and could clearly hear the rumble from Puccini.

They decorated the well-equipped room for my partner’s birthday, which was a nice surprise. It had a pleasant, welcoming feel.