It is like a flashback to the Renaissence period, just the knee length stockings, powdered wigs and lace blouses are missing....but they have caught up with the 21st Century and added a few more modern additions to bring us all up to date!

Have dined there a couple of times, once just à la minute with 15persons for a Wedding Day lunch- reserved just 30min in advance, no problems whatsoever - service excellent, food - (think we eat half through the Menu) no complaint whatsoever, except that you do pay for it - not cheap, but not ' over the top either; probably quite norlmal for this catagorie of establishment

Would go again, alas for a special occasion- like a Wedding ( or a Funeral?!) or just Sunday afternoon Kaffee & Küchen ( it does get a little hectic then, with the Aunties & Grandmas, Uncles and wealthy nephews...)but interesting all the same!

The Moated surroundings are very pretty , set in an Oasis of Verdant greenery, well away from the hustle & bustle of Essen & Ruhrgebiet, but easy to access - a Daimler, Maybach or Bentley is definately not out of place, all shiny and new, not so much your old banger...!!

Get smart, get out your wallet ( or Gold credit card) and go for it for something nice and posh!

Schloss Hugenpoet is a castle with a grand history. Built by the barons Nesselrode-Hugenpoet, razed to the ground 1647 and rebuilt. In the possession of the same family to 1836, when the famous Fuerstenberg family took it and held it until 1955. Since then it is one of Germany´s best castle hotels. It is a member of Leading hotels of the world and it shows. Service is IMPECCABLE. Nothing is too much trouble. We have stayed there on just two occasions and were on our return treated like family! The rooms are incredibly spacious, the building IMPOSING and the food in either the "Local restaurant" Hugenpöttchen and the gourmet restaurant Nesselrode spectacular! The sommelier gave us extremely good advice and his selection was very affordable. Breakfast comes in two varieties, both very expensive. Choose a package including dinner, bed and breakfast! The breakfast menu is very tempting, but it is NOT a buffet breakfast. They serve rather small helpings on three plates and then a warm main breakfast course. We felt rather awkward about this and breakfast staff seemed rather unconcerned. Rather a sad ending after a perfect stay and NOT as it had been last time. So, what happens when we mention this at checkout when they really pressed us on if we had ANYTHING AT ALL to complain about. The mere mention of it resulted in the deduction of breakfast from bill and a plastic bag with goodies for our 1000 km car trip home! That is style, grace, and perfect customer care! Not to mention the wonderful service performed by our Afrikaner receptionist, miss de Vries, the day before. So once again-we succumb to the magic of the Frog Pond (the name actually means that) and will happily return whenever we traverse Germany.

A very friendly hotel - for sure - but not one deserving of five stars. It is the little things that were missing/went wrong - our room key could not be found on check-in; complimentary water in the room but no bottle opener; coffees are delivered to the room with no explanation as to which is de-caf and which is normal coffee; strong kitchen smell in stairwell. All of these little things are tolerated in a 4-star hotel but should definitely not be part of a 5-star stay.

The hotel survives thanks to the lack of five star hotels in Essen - tradeshow visitors have little choice in the area for a five-star hotel. Definitely not a destination hotel.

Very helpful staff arrived with umbrellas and helped with the luggage from an icy and mushy car park (the regular car park was occupied by a Christmas Market). Check in was very efficient - they just show you to your room and leave the paperwork with you to complete at leisure. Our room, 29, was quite large with views over the park, comfy bed (twins pushed together and separate duvets), desk and a large wardrobe. The wardrobe contained a fridge with complimentary soft drinks as well as beers etc. There were also delicious home baked biscuits and truffles on arrival and fruit. There is free wifi, which is good, though not the fastest. There is a large white-tiled bathroom, with a big bath, and shower over and two sinks. The bathroom was very warm, but the room itself struggled to get warm (it was -6 outside!). There is a turndown service, which changed our towels, emptied bins etc. We ate in the cheaper of the two restaurants, and the food and service were both excellent. The Christmas Market in the courtyard had quite a few stands including crafts and currywurst.