알크마르 Stichting Bronsgieterij "De Hooischuur" 근처 호텔

We booked a room for 1 night travelling down from north Holland going back to Belgium. The picture used to advertise this place gives the impression of a hotel in an oasis of green and water when in fact it’s perched in an industrial estate, on main roads and a roundabout. It’s not a hotel but a motel that has in reality no special features, lobby area, apart bar or amenities. It is a modern collection of 2 buildings with a car park in between them, how it gets a 4 star rating is beyond me. We ate in the restaurant and that was good, with excellent staff service, good value for money. The breakfast was decent but the ‘cooked food’ abysmal, we arrived at 08.45, the scrambled egg has rubberized by then, the bacon getting cold and hard and heavens knows what happened to the fried eggs? The bedrooms are large but dark, brown walls, dark gray furniture and little natural light. The bed was very, very comfortable and we slept well. Bathroom also large, with an excellent shower. Something for everyone could be found on the TV. This place is good for arriving in the evening, eating in (or not) sleeping and departing and probably not much more. Have to say the staff we excellent and well motivated but it was very expensive and not worth the money we paid.

Great hotel but could be fantastic with a few changes. We had a big room which felt like something between a hotel room and an apartment - but it was ‚between‘. One could cook a full meal in the small kitchen but it was in the same room as a great bathtub. One was in a hotel but could not make a coffee or tea in room but had a fridge for ‚4 people‘…..some things really well designed (eg bathtub in room) but at the same time Tork paper towel holders and varied things loose, eg clothes hangers on wall, water tap. All in all a bit ‚between‘. Party downstairs was not a big problem for us but did wake us up a few times in the night. Breakfast ok but with just a bit more ‚touch‘, it could have been great.

Very dubious with feedback, HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised and juts by pulling a curtain to your glass fronted room you have TOTAL PRIVACY. I didn’t mind not having a window as it makes for a better nights sleep as not disturbed by the morning light. The bath is so deep so had a beautiful relaxing bath and being able to watch the TV, you could in fact put some tranquil music on or the news or whatever you like to watch and see the TV from the bath as it is open to the room. The food in the restaurant is delicious. I would definitely book this hotel again. Being in a converted church adds to the beauty of this place and the restaurant toilets with the confessional door hatch adds to the touches. As do the sinks in the restaurant toilets and the round basins in the room all tie in.

The hotel is located on the outskirts of Haarlem, a good 35-minute walk to the central square. There is very little around it in terms of shops or cafes or restaurants. So calling it ”Haarlem City” is a bit of a stretch! It is a 12-minute walk (through a nice residential area) to Bloemendaal train station, which makes it quite easy to get to Amsterdam. Haarlem's main train station is about a 25-minute walk from the hotel. The rooms are comfortable and good size. But (and this is a big but!) the hotel was built right next to a big sports centre and if your room faces north it will block your window as it is literally in front of it. This is a really poor design choice, it makes affected rooms feel claustrophobic. This is something the hotel should make clear at the time of booking. Parking in front of the hotel costs 7.5 Euros per night. Given its non-central location, you would expect parking to be free. So mixed feelings overall. Nice and spacious rooms, but the issues I mentioned above detract from the overall experience and value for money.