I stayed at Diehl's hotel with a friend for two nights in mid-December, whilst enjoying a long weekend of Christmas Market visiting; having settled on the place largely because of the generally positive reviews on Trip Advisor, the promised Rhine views, and the swimming pool.
The taxi ride from the station (about €8) helped us to orientate ourselves within the city, and to understand the distance between the hotel and Altstadt. Obviously, I understood from reviews here that the hotel was located on the opposite bank of the Rhine from the town, though it had been difficult to gauge the exact distance.
On arrival the staff were efficient, friendly and welcoming, and check-in itself was pain free. The receptionist equipped us with a map of the city, and was happy to provide guidance on the best walking routes. Unfortunately, it turned out, the passenger ferry does not operate in the winter, and so our only options were more taxi rides, a bus journey requiring two separate tickets, or to walk.
Our room was of a reasonable standard, and benefited from the promised Rhine views. The beds were acceptable, if a little soft, and the bathroom was clean and well equipped. A number of Tripadvisor reviewers had complained about the distracting noise of the railway line, located immediately behind the hotel. Personally however, I did not find this to be an issue, and would have struggled to say when a train was passing - I have stayed in hotels wherre the plumbing or central heating was louder than the railway!
We ate in the hotel only on one occasion, for dinner on our first night, and found it to be acceptable. The service was friendly, if a little slow (despite the relatively low number of covers that evening). The menu however, seemed to be trying a little too hard - with only fancy mulled-this and spiced-that Christmas items available. Portions were however very generous and the food fine. The dining room itself seemed to have been designed for the communal eating apparently favoured by tour parties, and the two of us ate alone at a huge round table set for at least ten, making for a slightly impersonal experience.
During our short visit we made the walk into town twice, and can confirm that at a brisk pace it can be managed in about twenty-five minutes. It does however involve a rather exposed bridge crossing, which isn't fun when biting winds are funnelled down the Rhine. Taxis are however in abundance at the Hauptbahnhof, so there is always an alternative.
If I had any real grumble about the hotel it would be that wireless internet access, which personally I now see as a basic neccessty in a hotel room, was over-priced, and had to be paid for separately for each device using it. The purchased access time was also sequential from the moment it was first activated, meaning that to send ten minutes each night checking emails and uploading audio clips we had to pay for two one-hour periods.
Overall, our stay at Diehl's was pleasant and enjoyable, the view from our room was fantastic, and the excellent double glazing ensured that one hardly heard a sound from the river, railway or the main road behind it. Whilst the restaurant was fine I probably wouldn't rush back to it, and the lack of free wifi was a pain, with two smart phones and an iPad between us. The distance from the hotel to the city might be an issue for some, particularly in winter when there is little alternative, but for others this won't be a problem. I would recommend the hotel to others, and would stay there again if returning to Koblenz.
- Diehls Hotel Koblenz
