Ferienhotel Stockhausen

The indoor pool is lovely, clean and well kept, and the sauna was good too. The restaurant staff were really, really nice, as was one woman at reception. They were friendly and did their best to help. The area is lovely, with a playground, a stable with ponies and a golf course. The rest of the hotel felt like a time machine. It’s old, damp smelling and a bit mouldy, and I wanted to open all the windows. The rooms weren’t nice, and neither the cleanliness nor the mattress was up to scratch. They tried to improve the mattress with a topper, but it made things worse. There’s plenty of food, but it’s quite greasy. It feels as though the hotel used to be good, stopped investing, and still thinks it’s amazing. The outside area is nice apart from all the broken things: only 1 out of 4 ketcars worked, the swings were broken, and there was dog waste on the playground. The owners were very present and seemed to choose who was worth talking to or even greeting. Sad. I won’t stay here again or recommend it, unless you know the owners. Then I’m sure you’ll have a great time.

We were a big group, 14 adults and 13 kids aged 0-11, and the friendly, relaxed staff made it easy. The food was great, and there was loads for the kids to do: the waterside was fantastic, and there were ked cars, riding and a playground. The sauna area was nice, and the rooms were comfortable and clean. There’s a great bar downstairs, and the mens room has a “vomitorium”.

There’s a generously sized pool and several sauna options, including a Turkish steam bath, Finnish saunas and infrared cabins. The floor gets dangerously slippery when wet, reportedly because of the cleaning material prescribed during covid. We had a good meal, whether from the day menu or a la carte, and the friendly cook even made wild game for me, Rehkeule and Hischbraten, although it wasn’t on the menu. Plenty of good wines too. Reception was friendly and upgraded our room to superior on arrival. It was spacious and nice, though the bathroom was small. The staff were friendly and professional, and prices were reasonable, especially compared with the excessive prices in Dutch horeca. It’s also a good base for hikes in the surrounding hills of hoch Sauerland.

The countryside is peaceful and nice, and the hotel and rooms were quite clean. There’s no small grocery store within walking distance. It looks like there’s a fairly large golf course in summer, though I haven’t tried it.