Mariënhage Boutique Hotel

The hotel is very nice, and the garden is even better. I accidentally booked three nights without cancellation, though I only needed two. They kindly refunded me anyway. I’d recommend booking through their website directly.

The hotel and room are fine, but cleanliness was really poor. Surfaces that weren’t used regularly had a thick coating of dust. The shower kept overflowing, and when I lifted the drain cover, there was dark grime underneath that looked like it had accumulated for weeks.

It’s a nice and rather unusual hotel. I would have given it 5 stars, but the woman at reception ruined our stay with her rude attitude. Isabel, the tall blond Dutch woman, treated people as if they were stupid.

The renovated buildings are well maintained, and the staff were pleasant. It’s a fascinating historical site, with reception decor that reflects the building’s purpose. I didn’t understand what kind of business DomusDela was when I read that the property was part of the DomusDela complex. Later I learned they handle insurance and funeral services. The property is a converted monastic cloister in a large funeral complex. Still, I couldn’t sleep in the room because it felt creepy. There was a picture of a nun, who I assumed had once slept there. The view was impressive, over a courtyard and a fairly large chapel or church, but I spent the night under the covers with the lights on. I’d only recently watched The Nun, so maybe that affected me too. There weren’t clear signs, and the long corridors were confusing, especially on the cloister side. I accidentally went into a strange hallway, and the door locked behind me. There was a confessional and a room that made me think of a punishment room or torture chamber. Once I realized I couldn’t open the door, my imagination took over. I called the hotel, but it took ages to reach the front desk. I didn’t know where I was, but when I mentioned the confessional, they directed me back to the door and said I could use my hotel key. I hadn’t noticed a fob reader.