Schloss Westerholt

The castle looks like a castle from the outside, but that's about it. There is no lift, so you have to haul your luggage up several floors and along very, very long corridors. Don't count on a helping hand. Consider yourself lucky if anyone is at reception, otherwise you may have to check yourself in. The carpets are shabby. My door wouldn't open, so I had to go all the way back down the long corridors to reception and then back again. The door was broken, something good housekeeping should catch, and I waited another 10 minutes for staff to bring me a key to the room next door. The desk had just one socket, so it was either plug in the lamp or my computer. No way to use both, meaning work in the dark or don't work at all. The complimentary water was a nice touch, except there was no bottle opener, so I had to make do with tap water. The minibar was there but empty, so why bother having it? Breakfast was fine, no complaints there. In the evening I asked how late the restaurant and bar stayed open and the waiters said they were open late every day. I got back at 22:30 after working late, hoping for a drink and a bite, but there was nothing. The same waiter looked at me through the closed door, shrugged and gestured that they were closed. Decide for yourself.