Villa Valkenburg

The building is gorgeous, clean and well cared for, and our room matched its description. The location is perfect for visiting the centre, and free on-site parking is a real plus. Breakfast was fresh and included in the price. Our room's bathroom had a glass door that wouldn't close or lock properly. Some privacy would have been nice. The self check-in was unnecessarily complicated, and the instructions were cluttered and out of date. After booking, I got several separate emails telling me to check in through a guest portal, download an app and wait for a digital key. No key arrived. Client service told me the instructions were outdated and that no digital key was needed. There was no reception desk at the hotel. Instead, I had to use another check-in tablet on site and enter a reservation code from the guest portal. Then it said I couldn't continue because my payment hadn't been processed. I had to contact client service several times to sort it out. To be fair, they were friendly and easy to reach. A four-star hotel is about hospitality as well as the room, and the choice to use this self check-in system, with out-of-date instructions, left that hospitality missing.

Breakfast was spot on, the staff were friendly, and the location was very nice, with an easy bus ride to Maastricht. Those are the reasons I still gave it three stars. For me, the room just wasn't worth the price. There was no elevator, air conditioning or curtains, and it was 30 degrees. The windowsills were lovely, but lots of bugs came in, which might suit someone who likes bugs or nature. The sloped column and ceiling meant we kept hitting our heads. The mobile key didn't work either, making check-in really inconvenient.

We booked the cheapest loft room and it turned out to be fantastic. Service was quick and good as well. When our key card caused trouble, they fixed it right away and even gave us a box of candy to make up for it.

The wet and infrared saunas are just right for relaxing and recovering. It's a great B&B, a short walk from the restaurants, with excellent WiFi and somewhere to store a bike. You do have to check in at the Park Hotel.