B&B Hotel Mönchengladbach

Worth every cent. The welcome, breakfast, hospitality and location were all better than I expected. My only complaint was the pillow, and that's really my own issue: I never like hotel pillows and forgot to bring mine.

When we're unsure whether we'll follow the route we planned, we choose B&B for short stays. Their cancellation policy is easy and flexible, which is the best part. The hotels aren't fancy, but the rooms are comfortable, clean and have good beds. One thing the family rooms could use is a third seat.

I've stayed here twice now. It's handy for day trips to Koln or Düsseldorf because the hotel is close to the main railway station. There can be some train noise at night, but with the window shut it's not too bad.

The room was clean and well sound-proofed, and the lift worked well. The hotel is a short walk from Mönchengladbach Hauptbahnhof, and even nearer to Vitusbad, where you can swim before breakfast. It also has good children's pools if you're travelling with family. Breakfast starts at 07:30 am and is a good continental buffet: fresh, crispy rolls, decent salami, cheese, jams, cereals, a boiled egg, yoghurts, tasty hot drinks without limit, and fruit juice. We ordered it for the first morning, then decided the 10.50€ was worth it and had it every morning. Free Wi-Fi was a real plus, with a strong signal and a WLAN network instead of the risky Open Wifi you get in many UK hotels. Coming from the UK, I missed having a kettle in the room. Drinks were only available from a coin-operated vending machine in the entrance lobby, and I'm not keen on vending machine tea. I need my early morning cuppa. There was a sturdy hair dryer, at least, so I didn't have to pack one. Maybe they could put a free hot water dispenser on each floor, with tea bags, coffee sachets and milk powder in the rooms, if they don't want to provide kettles.