Stadsherberg de Poshoorn

The rooms were fine, but sleeping here was impossible with all the noise and the floor vibrating from the music downstairs. We booked for two people and left after one night.

The second night at De Poshoorn was packed with Dutch people, and the whole place felt loud, cheerful, and completely relaxed. I ended up chatting with an American guy beside me, and we got into a debate about whether locals could tell where we were from. The head barman said it was obvious I was British and my new friend was American. I toasted the nuns from our old Catholic schools with him, then made my happy, slightly-too-drunk way home nearby. That was a big change from how cautious I felt walking in the first evening. British pubs, especially in smaller towns, can feel like private locals where even fellow Brits need to watch what they say or who they look at. I had no idea what to expect in a pub abroad, but De Poshoorn gave me friendly service and a decent pint. I felt comfortable enough to come back the next night. I’m not usually a pub regular, but it was a good way to spend an evening. Both times I came back from the bathroom, I waved a huge, very cheerful hello to two women from the bar staff, and they happily waved back. I’d arrived with my usual resting face, then apparently turned into a very relaxed and rather steaming version of myself. I hadn’t been that drunk since my army days, which was a long time ago. We decided the Dutch must have a superior education system, well, superior to ours anyway, and clinked glasses over it. I left staggeringly happy, having had a great night seeing cultural differences up close.

Cozy pub atmosphere, a nice range of local beers, and generous portions of really good food. I haven't tried the rooms.

The food was okay once it finally showed up, but a third of our order was missing and they hadn't removed it from the bill until I pointed it out. Before that, we spent half an hour being passed around by staff and mostly ignored. Some of them also had a poor attitude, slamming drinks down and saying, “There you go.” A real letdown when the rest of Maas is so good.