Schloss Zehdenick

Our four-day bike tour followed the Berlin-Copenhagen European Cycle Route, with four stops and accommodation booked for each night. Schloss Zehdenick was our first stop, before Fürstenberg, Neustrelitz, and Waren Müritz. This was easily the most disappointing stay of the whole trip, and I wouldn't recommend the hotel. Cyclists may want to try one of the various Bike & Bed places nearby. We arrived to find an uncovered bike stand and wondered if that was the only place to leave our bikes. At reception the office door was open and a staff member was sitting inside. We greeted them but were left waiting at first. After a short while, we checked in and got our key. They immediately asked if we'd reserve a restaurant table. We wanted to look at other options in Zehdenick and said we'd book later if needed. We were told it was “Schnitzeltag” with cheaper schnitzel, and getting a table without a reservation would be difficult. We felt pressured, and later found out it wasn't schnitzel day at all. It felt like bait. Usually, hotel guests can get a seat even without booking. We asked about somewhere else to store the bikes and got a snappy reply: “First, I’ll explain where your room is, that would be more important than parking the bikes”. We felt a bit offended. They eventually told us about a bicycle shed, but other guests had already put their bikes there and there might not be room for everyone. In the end, only our two bikes fit inside, leaving all the other guests' bikes out in the rain overnight. Ten minutes after check-in, we did reserve a table. When we came to eat, we asked for a window seat, but were told the only other window table was being kept for a “particularly difficult guest”. We ended up in a basement-like room. Even without “Schnitzeltag”, you really did need a reservation, and there are hardly any other restaurants in Zehdenick. A family from Berlin who walked in was turned away rudely, told there was no space and all the other restaurants in town would be closed. The food was passable, but the tomato salad was mostly green leafy lettuce, with a few unripe tomatoes arranged around it. There was more lettuce than tomato. At breakfast we also hoped for a window seat, but were told that wasn't possible, even though some tables were free. Guests who arrived after us were seated by the window without a reservation, and no one asked if we wanted to move. When we brought it up, our server looked confused and ran off, saying, “Yes, yes, this is all so frustrating”. The breakfast buffet was okay, and each of us had two buns, croissants, cake, and yogurt. We were then rudely told that taking food away wasn't allowed. At checkout, nobody asked whether everything had been okay. The reservation confirmation was confusing, so we thought breakfast was included, but it wasn't. The wording was: “Arrival: … [line break] none [line break] 1 breakfast”.