Landhaus Hohenfelde

The country house look is there, at least at first. But the place needs a much better clean, especially if you look closely. Without dust allergies, you might manage, but anyone after comfort or a modern feel should stay somewhere else.

The landlords were friendly, and the apartment had plenty of room. The bathroom is modern and especially spacious, though the fairly large kitchen could use a few more little things. For the price, the furnishings need attention. Those cheap plastic rod shelves aren't a proper closet, and there was nowhere practical to unpack for a week. The dining area also felt awkward, with the sloped ceiling limiting space. Maybe moving the huge cupboard into a room as a wardrobe would free up room for the table.

The location is a plus. Edeka, the only grocery store at a reasonable distance, is a two-minute walk away, and you can even get fresh rolls there on Sundays. The beach is about a 15-20 minute walk and was quite clean. Inside, everything was clean too, and the bathroom had modern fixtures. With some work, this could be a good holiday apartment. There are quite a few things to fix first. The smoke detectors were sitting in a kitchen drawer, ceiling cables needed insulation, and some outlets, including the range hood's, were missing insulation. There was no wardrobe in one bedroom; the other two only had basic rolling shelves. One double bed had mattresses at different heights, and two of the living room's three chairs were broken and wobbly, alongside a bench. The TV connection was unreliable, so getting a picture was hit or miss. The kitchen was very basic for someone renting an apartment to cook some meals. The kettle was missing until we asked and it was brought over, and there was no wooden or plastic spoon to protect the Teflon pan or spatula. Cooking was possible, but took a lot of creativity. When the weather got bad and the apartment became noticeably colder, the landlord wouldn't turn on the heat when we asked. They said it would warm up again in a couple of days and that running it took a lot of oil. That was frustrating, since we're paying for the stay.

We had our dog Bruno with us, and that was no problem at all. The long beach walks in Hohenfelde were lovely, and the snack bar right on the beach is a real insider tip. There isn't a restaurant in the Hohenfelde house, but there's a bakery just around the corner with excellent rolls. We usually stay at Landhaus Panker, but it was fully booked this time, luckily for us because it meant discovering the Claes family's second house. Like Landhaus Panker, it's furnished with great taste. We'll be back! :-) Best wishes, the Vollmer family