Gasthaus Hilligenley

The weekend cost us around €500, and at the kale dinner we even had to share one sausage 😉. For that price, we’d have expected much clearer communication and a more reliable plan. We had booked the stay in January for the Biike bonfire at the Hilligenley Inn. It was a special trip for us, our first Biike bonfire and first visit to a Hallig. Beforehand, we’d been told there would be a shuttle to the bonfire, a torchlight procession, bratwurst there, and then a ride back to the inn for the traditional kale dinner. We were excited. But once we arrived, we asked about the schedule and couldn’t get any concrete information. Nobody mentioned the shuttle or explained the arrangements. A big stack of wood from a dismantled old thatched roof was already piled outside the door for the fire. It looked rustic, but didn’t make up for the lack of organization. The program details we’d been given beforehand were never properly explained or confirmed on site, which was especially disappointing. We’ll probably go to Hooge next year to watch the Biikebrennen.

Dinner was so filling that we skipped the shuttle and walked the 1.5 km back as a way to digest. It was fantastic every day, a three-course meal at the Ankershörn restaurant, and worth 5 out of 5 stars. We’d booked half-board, had a shuttle available, and could choose between two main courses.

The view is fantastic, with the guesthouse right by the water, or really the mudflats. Sadly, the building is showing its age. Reception and breakfast service were incredibly unfriendly and incompetent, and we had to ask for every bit of information ourselves.

Even with all the stress, everyone was friendly, and I ended up having a great evening that I’ll remember. At the end, someone offered me a ride back to my accommodation, which was very hospitable. Thank you 😌 I’d booked a table at Anker's Hörn, but it closed at short notice. On my way to Hilligenley, someone picked me up in a car and drove me there. They apologized, and it all worked out, though it was a different sort of evening from a regular restaurant visit. The dining room was full, so I was seated alone at first in the breakfast room. Then a guest who also didn’t want to sit alone arrived, followed by others. There was no music, and we quickly started chatting. I’d ordered roast pork, but what came out wasn’t what I expected. I don’t eat meat with much fat, and it was stuffed pork belly with bacon. The rest of the food was delicious. There wasn’t much point getting annoyed, since food is named and prepared differently in every federal state. We had a funny discussion about it.