Fletcher Hotel-Restaurant Oisterwijk-Tilburg

The suite upgrade on our first night was a nice surprise, and the reception team, especially the young gentleman, treated us well. The place itself is lovely, but the food and service were a letdown during most of our two-night stay with my boyfriend. At lunch around 3:30 on the first day, the kitchen and servers seemed confused and disorganized, and it took a while to place our order. My boyfriend had asked for no bell pepper, but it was included, probably due to a misunderstanding between the server and cook. The ingredients were poor, and that meal was the worst I’ve had in the Netherlands, though I don’t blame anyone there for that. Our late-night Margherita room-service pizza looked and tasted like burnt cheese pizza. Breakfast the next morning had very few options, so we ate lunch elsewhere. We gave the restaurant another try that evening with tomato soup and mixed grill. Both were okay, the grill was fine, and the garlic aioli was good, but it wasn’t great. There were hardly any servers, so we collected our food ourselves and had to go to reception to pay. When we checked out around 10:30 the next morning, I asked for hot water in the kitchen. A staff member rudely sent me away, saying it had closed at 10, despite our having paid for two nights and four meals. The receptionist kindly said we could get hot water, but when we returned to the kitchen we were turned away again. We went back to reception, and he finally directed us to the bar, where we got hot water and were even offered tea. I hope the staff get better support and customer service improves, since it’s essential in this industry.

The gym felt a bit average, but the hotel itself is high quality, even though it’s tucked away. We enjoyed dinner and breakfast, and getting a table in the restaurant was no problem despite its modest size. There are lots of clocks on the walls.

Nothing was ready when we arrived for the high tea, even though we’d booked five days ahead, and the staff seemed completely confused. It took 15 minutes to get hot water, with no tea bags or sugar, so we took some from a set table. Soup arrived later without a spoon or bread. After an hour, the food finally came, and it was cold and stale tasting. There weren’t proper sandwiches, just bread filled with assorted cold salads that reminded me of the Albert Heijn tapas collection. It was a pathetic, disappointing experience. If you want a good high tea, go to Anne & Max.

It’s a good place to stay, but I left my hair clipper behind. I called the next day, and they said they hadn’t found it and would call if it turned up. I never heard back. I’m sure I left it there, because I remember where I put it after using it, then forgot to take it with me.