manchesterfoodtourist A few years back we travelled to The Netherlands and to the medieval city of Woerden, unfortunately Covid put a stop to us heading back a second time, that is until now.
2022 also turned out the be a great time to visit, as this historical city celebrates its 650th year of city status, with a number of events and concerts.
Right in the centre of this medieval city, sits the Van Rossum Stadshotel, whose building dates back to 1762. It was originally built as a military warehouse, and has stood proud within this picturesque city ever since.
The prominent building was released of its military duties in 1970. The local municipality then purchased and restored the property in a 2 year project that lasted from 1977-1979, which then resulted in it being used as an event space and grand hall.
A number of years later, the building changed hands, when it was bought by a local couple named Ed and Wieteke Breuren. It was them who set about changing this single room building, into a beautiful boutique hotel.
Over the years, since its opening as the Van Rossum Stadshotel, it has won numerous awards, including ‘best small hotel’ in the Netherlands and more recently been awarded the Netherlands ‘Most Romantic’ hotel.
Woerden itself is easily reached from Amsterdam via train, which I have spoken about in a previous post here, so makes it an easy city to visit from the UK.
Once in Woerden, the hotel is only around a 10 min walk from the train station, plus it is ideally located next to the main square and its abundance of bars and restaurants.
The ground floor of the hotel is used as a restaurant and public bar, both being accessible from just off the main square.
The bar area is very relaxed and is a great place to enjoy an afternoon drink with a few bar snacks, or also as place to meet for pre-dinner drinks.
We didn’t eat in the restaurant as we had other plans already, however we did venture down to try the breakfast, which was filled with lots of fresh ingredients, including eggs, breads, meats and of course lots of cheese.
As my other trips to The Netherland’s have shown, no trip is complete without trying lots of local cheeses, and this one was not going to be any different. Woerden is also within easy access to the famous city of Gouda by either train or car.
Also on the ground floor of the hotel is the small reception area. On entering your attention is drawn to two things. Firstly a stunning metal staircase, which appears quite unusual in a Dutch building. The building didn’t have a staircase originally, and this one was installed during its transformation, being shipped in from New York specifically.
The other focal point, is a stack of antique suitcases. I’m informed that these were donated by local residents and people still comment on who single cases once belonged to their grand/great grand parents etc. Between the suitcases, you can also see various letters and postcards. Each of these is a letter or thank you card that the hotel has received from previous guests.
Moving upstairs, you reach the 1st floor. Large wooden beams are visible everywhere, and whilst not all of them are original, special care has been taken to ensure that the newer beams match the original ones.
From the 1st floor you can also see large light fittings, made from large butchers hanging racks (Ed was actually a butcher by trade). The racks are also adorned with pieces or glass, featuring local pieces of art.
The art theme is continued along the walls of both the first and second floor landing, with each following a tongue in cheek submissive/dominatrix theme.
We opted to stay in one of there 3 deluxe rooms, 2 of which are found in the attic, unfortunately ours was the one that wasn’t. The room itself was huge however, and had all the required amenities, including a fridge, tea and coffee making facilities and Wi-Fi throughout.
One thing that did annoy me slightly about the room, was that the toilet and bathroom were separate. Whilst this seems like a small thing, I found it unpleasant to have to go from room to room to wash your hands, as there was no sink in the toilet itself.
All the staff we encountered, from the front desk, housekeeping and in the bar/restaurant beamed with Dutch hospitality and made us feel very welcome. All this despite a massive concert/event happening right out side the hotel during our stay.
This is definitely a hotel that we would consider re-booking.
Our 2 night stay in September at the Van Rossum costs approx £300, with flights to Amsterdam available with KLM from Manchester. Trains from Amsterdam airport to Woerden can be booked online in advance and cost approx £11 each way.
