My wife and I traveled to Groningen and Hamburg (Ger.) recently to visit our daughter and son in law. We have been to Amsterdam several times, but not since 2009, and never to Groningen. It is in the middle of an agricultural area in the Netherlands and the home of a rather large and famous university that has been there since 1640. When in Groningen, we stayed at the De Doelan because my daughter’s apartment is too small to hold all four of us. Groningen is not a large city, so if you are looking for one of the major US chains, you won’t find them. But if you want to experience a very nice Dutch hotel, De Doelan will fit the bill.
The De Doelan is located on the Grote Markt, the central square in the heart of the old city. The square is surrounded by bars and shops. The bars stay open well into the night and the students keep things very lively into the wee hours. Each club has at least one security guard posted at the front, but the patrons seemed to ignore anyone not so engaged. However, if you like peaceful rooms, De Doelan is probably not your best choice.
I requested quiet rooms and, for the most part, they were. I reserved room 108 for Thursday and room 217 for Saturday. Friday, my wife, daughter, son-in-law, and I drove to Hamburg, Germany for a visit (see my review of the Marriott Hamburg). The rooms are small. The largest bed is a double and some rooms come with a shower, others with a bathtub. Both rooms we stayed in had a shower. The rooms had a small TV mounted high on the wall, too far away to enjoy while lying in bed. The bathrooms were very nice, tiled in marble, with a “rain” type showerhead. I like a lot of pressure from a shower and these aren’t the best, but they worked well enough. My one complaint is that all of the lights had energy saving bulbs (compact fluorescents) that I’m certain do the job of being “green”, but the room was barely lit. It was difficult for my wife to put on her make-up and it was hard to make sure the sheets were clean, find your sox, or anything dropped on the floor. There was only one window and if the sun were shining, it would help but this is the Netherlands!
Room 108 was quiet, but when we arrived, it was very warm in the room. We opened the window but just outside was a street lamp and though it was below the level of the window, the streetlamp still lit up the room at night making it difficult to sleep. 108 looks out onto an alley and during the night, one of the bars dumped their bottles and cans into the dumpster and woke us up. So on balance, I would say 217 is a better choice. Room 217 is reached by climbing a steep set of stairs after reaching the second floor. One side of the room has a slanted ceiling and you have to bend over to get in that side of the bed without striking you head. This is also true in the bathroom - the toilet is located beneath the slanted ceiling portion of the room. Both rooms were clean and the amenities were good.
The reservations do not include breakfast, but the hotel restaurant provides a very good Dutch breakfast. There was a good selection of cold meats, yogurt, cereals and breads, along with scrambled eggs, sausage and oatmeal. The cost was about 10 Euros per person.
Groningen has a very nice, old section in the city and The De Doelan is close enough to walk there. The Martini Tower, another historical sight is across the street. So it is well located for sightseeing and shopping is close by in every direction. Groningen is a very walkable city and like all Dutch cites, the people are warm and helpful. I highly recommend renting bikes at the train station and riding around the city to really get the Dutch experience.
My rating is average because I tend to stay in 4 or 5 star hotels and have a few favorites that I compare every hotel to. But, given the area, the De Doelan is perfectly fine.
- De Doelen Groningen
