Down by the riverside

Wanting to make the most of a flying visit to the Dutch city of Maastricht, Bev Fearis chose a hotel right in the heart of the action.

When it comes to location, you can’t beat the Crowne Plaza Maastricht – right on the Meuse river, a short walk from Maastricht railway station and just across the river, via a pedestrian bridge, to the city’s main shopping district and cobbled squares of lively bars and cafes. What’s more, tucked just behind the hotel is a street full of restaurants, from Thai to French, most posh and pricey but there’s a few cheaper ones too.

We arrived on Friday evening and, on the advice of friends, left our car in a car park just across the river for €6 for 24 hours. Otherwise, you can pay €18 to park in the hotel’s underground car park. As we crossed the bridge, we could see the Friday night after-work drinks crowd gathering on the terrace of the hotel’s riverside restaurant and bar. We pushed our way through with our suitcases and found reception. The lobby bar was also buzzy thanks to a large group – presumably here for a conference – tucking into nibbles and champagne.

Check-in was slick and we were quickly in the lift and on our way to the third floor. Our room was a duplex, with a balcony overlooking the river. An enormous double bed (just as comfortable as it looked) was upstairs on the mezzanine and downstairs a sofa had been made up into a bed for our son, aged 6. He was delighted with his own personal flat-screen TV, especially as it was twice the size of Mummy’s and Daddy’s upstairs.

He settled in to watch cartoons (in Dutch, but he didn’t seem to mind) while I flicked through the welcome info to find how to access the wi-fi. I followed the instructions carefully, but it soon became clear that it wasn’t going to work so I called reception. Sure enough, it transpired that the wi-fi provider had recently been changed and I now required a password. A few minutes later, a man was at the door handing me a code and apologising for the inconvenience. This time it connected, but it was extremely slow and intermittent. There was an option to pay to upgrade for premium, but I thought that was a bit of a cheek, so I persevered. It didn’t work well. When I checked out the next day, I mentioned it to the concierge who admitted it was a new system and wasn’t perfect. Hopefully they’ve got it sorted by now, especially as this is clearly very much a hotel for business travellers.

The other disappointment, albeit only shortlived, came the following morning when we arrived at breakfast. Due to a large group in the hotel, presumably the same group drinking bubbles in the lobby bar the previous night, the restaurant was packed and, along with a few couples and families who had arrived just before us, we were asked, very politely and apologetically, if we wouldn’t mind waiting in the bar for a table. We could have a hot drink and croissant while we waited. As it turned out, we didn’t have to wait long. We’d hardly had time to settle into our seats in the bar when a very charming man, apologising again for the inconvenience, invited us to make our way to the restaurant after all. And it was definitely worth the wait – plates of smoked salmon, a huge selection of breads, eggs cooked to order, delicious muffins, fresh fruit, cheeses, and, of course, Dutch pancakes. It was busy, but staff worked flat out to keep the buffet replenished.

At breakfast time, the room is white, bright and cheery and I imagine that in the summer it’s lovely to sit outside by the river. In the evening the lights are dimmed and it becomes a formal French restaurant. We didn’t get the chance to eat there – we preferred to explore the city, and probably hadn’t brought the right clothes anyway.

Although we felt welcome as leisure guests, the Crowne Plaza Maastricht is definitely more geared up for corporate travellers, with a maze of conference and meeting rooms on the lower ground floor. There’s no fitness centre at the hotel, but staff told me there are plans for one, and guests can get a temporary membership of a nearby gym. With such a great riverside location, though, there’s no excuse not to get your running shoes on and go for a jog. Or, do as the locals do and go cycling. You can hire bikes from reception (not children’s bikes – you can hire those nearby). Like all Dutch cities, Maastricht is easy to explore on two wheels and, if you turn left along the river, just a few minutes cycle ride and you’re into the countryside.