Das Seela Braunschweig

Friendly staff made for a quick check-in and check-out, and the room was quite spacious with everything needed, including a Nespresso capsule coffee machine. The hotel is near the exit from the north-eastern part of the city, and free parking was a nice extra. Very good four-star hotel and excellent value for money in Brunswick.

The staff were fantastic, and the service was impeccable. Our room stayed comfortable even in hot weather, despite having no air conditioning. Parking is tight: if the lot is full late at night, the small underground garage is difficult to get down into and maneuver in, especially with a large wagon or SUV like ours. We requested a park and pond view, but trees blocked most of it. At least that was better than the parking lot view our kids got.

We came back for another stay, and the new extra charges changed my rating from 4.5/5 to 3/5. I booked through a third party and only then found out that the cot and sofa bed cost extra, despite booking and paying for a family room with both. Parking now costs extra too, even though it's an unsecured car park, and that really rubs me the wrong way. The fees are on the hotel's website, but third parties bury them in small print or don't tell potential guests at all. €10 for a cot isn't the end of the world, but €25 just to put bedding on a sofa is a joke. We won't be back. We'd originally chosen this hotel because it was convenient for breaking up the drive between our home in England and our destination in Poland. It's great value, the service is great, and I'd highly recommend it. It's a good 10 or 15 minutes off the highway, but we're happy to go a little out of the way for value. The room was large, a little dated but immaculately clean, and perfectly adequate for our family of four with two little ones. The bed was amazingly comfortable, and the cot was provided free, if I remember correctly. The breakfast looked nice when we passed in the morning, but it cost too much for an overnight stop, with no cheaper option. We had planned to stay again in a few nights and book again for both journeys when we returned to Poland in the summer, but the extra charges put us off.

I left very early, so I didn't have breakfast and only stayed overnight. I can't really give a meaningful rating, but saw no reason to take away any stars. The room was clean, had everything I needed, and was very reasonably priced.