Allee-Hof

The house itself is charming, the garden is lovely, and the hostess was warm and friendly. Bockhorn also had what our group of 15 needed for the weekend. Still, several things made the stay difficult. We rented the whole house, but halfway through we found a man walking around inside and using the bathroom. He had rented a separate bedroom, and the hostess hadn't told us he would be there. He spoke neither English nor German. That felt very odd. The advertised barn isn't suitable for sleeping. It was dirty and smelled bad, and we found a large dead bird in the hay. I like camping and being outdoors, but I wouldn't have felt comfortable sleeping there. Cooking for our group was hard, too. The pots and pans were a random assortment, there weren't enough dishes, and some utensils weren't clean. The stove was in a bedroom, the fridge in the living room, and many utensils in another room. Basic things like foil and paper towels were missing. When we arrived around 19:00, the hostess didn't show up for 90 minutes. She said she'd forgotten to tell me to give her plenty of notice about our arrival time. Mistakes happen, but it was strange that she wasn't ready for us. She also said she was trying to sell the place. We got the impression she'd already checked out a bit and wasn't keen to spend money on things that need fixing to make the house more pleasant.

We'd never tried a straw bed before and were amazed by how comfortable it was. We've hardly ever slept better, even in a hotel bed. The lighting was lovely, too. The garden is a dream, everything was spotless, and the hostess was very accommodating. Breakfast was plentiful and made just how we wanted it. Bettina, thanks so much for a wonderful holiday. We'd love to come back!

The garden and house looked inviting and well cared for when we arrived, and the welcome was pleasant and friendly. We paid cash upfront for the advertised breakfast soon after checking in. But the next morning, the bread was moldy, one of the three eggs in the basket was uncooked, and there was barely enough food for eight people. The selection wasn't impressive either, so our day in the north started on a gloomy note. As a group, we skipped breakfast on Sunday and went elsewhere for brunch. After a short discussion, our money was returned reluctantly and with a deduction. The property may look beautiful, but we had only one toilet, and the shower was open without a cubicle, leaving everything damp. I wouldn't recommend it.

I've rented vacation homes for 20 years, and this was by far my worst experience. We booked Allee-Hof for two nights with a large group to celebrate a milestone birthday. The house is noisy, has just two toilets and one reasonably decent shower, and that can be tight for a large group. The garden is beautifully landscaped. The landlady's breakfast preparations woke me earlier than necessary. On departure day, she told us before breakfast that we had to leave the rooms by 10:30 at the latest. There are two dogs and two cats on the property, and they like to wander into tenants' rooms. The landlady still advertises llamas and donkeys on the house website, though she hasn't owned them for some time. She was friendly enough when we arrived, then demanded cash straight away, including a 10% security deposit. We were also charged €20 each for the two pots of coffee we'd asked for. She insisted on recording everyone's name and assigning each guest a room, and seemed to have little sense of when or how to handle money during a family gathering. She was around throughout the stay, repeatedly reminding us of various rules, though there weren't any house rules posted as there usually are. Her final attempt to keep the deposit on flimsy grounds was outrageous. She wouldn't discuss it and kept coming up with new reasons not to return it. We'll take legal action over what we consider the unlawful withholding of the deposit. The landlady left me with a very insecure impression and didn't seem service-oriented.