Van der Valk Hotel de Bilt - Utrecht

The food was great at both dinner and breakfast, and the hotel sits amid lovely nature with a few castles nearby 🏰. My only downside was that the room heating made the air feel really dry to me.

We stopped for one night while heading to the ferry docks on our way back to the UK. After a long drive from Switzerland we arrived late and didn't have time for a meal, but drinks outside at the bar were pleasant and reasonably priced. Our room was spacious, the bed very comfortable, and we slept well. There's a busy, fast road beside the property, though it didn't affect our stay. This was my first time at a Van Der Valk hotel, and I'll certainly stay again. Thanks to the friendly, helpful staff.

We had a relaxing stay in a calm hotel, and I'd give it four stars. Free parking was convenient, and a nearby bus stop gets you to the city in about 10 minutes. Our deluxe room had a lovely view away from the highway. It was clean and quiet, had everything we needed, and the bed was very comfortable. The room was otherwise good, though the soap and shower gel dispensers were empty. Breakfast had a nice range of choices. Hot porridge would be a welcome addition, since the granola was very hard to chew. The younger breakfast staff were pleasant, while the older staff didn't seem as friendly. The desserts in the restaurant were delicious and a real highlight. The front desk experience was the main letdown: at check-in they handed us the key without explaining anything, so we had to ask every question ourselves. We wanted to extend our stay and asked reception three times in advance to check for rooms. They said someone would contact us during the day, but nobody called or messaged. It felt as if they didn't care, so we moved to another hotel even though we'd have liked to stay longer.

The surroundings were beautiful, and the hotel's terrace looked lovely and comfortable. The location is remote from the city centre, so we had to use Uber/Bolt to get around. We loved the buffet breakfast, a full 10/10, though one of the workers made us feel unwelcome every morning. At reception, the staff were polite but didn't tell us basic things like the breakfast times, so we had to ask about everything. We also weren't told whether the hotel had a pool, so we still don't know. The extra charges we had to pay at check-in left us feeling misled. The beds were very comfortable, but we would have preferred separate blankets instead of one large one. The room smelled stale, though the bathtub was very nice.