This hotel is named after the Chateau Marquette, which is on the hotel grounds and looks very nice on pictures. However, don’t be fooled: you won’t be staying in the Chateau, but in an unattractive building on a completely different part of the grounds! The website of the hotel comes close to false advertising by happily showing pictures of the Chateau next to pictures of the actual hotel (although you can have dinner in the Chateau and they do mention briefly that there are two buildings). We knew all this, however, so we were not disappointed.

The location of this hotel makes it ideally suited as a starting point to explore the dunes and beaches of the area (which is why we were there). However, be aware that it is in the countryside and thus not easily reachable with public transportation from Amsterdam. One needs to take a bus or taxi from one of the surrounding train stations--check before you go. On the plus side this does make the hotel very quiet.

When we arrived at 11.00h we could check in straight away, even though this is officially only allowed after 15.00h. Our room was big, with a nice big bed, a small desk, some chairs, a closet and plenty of room to walk in. The bathroom was also quite spacious, with a combined shower/bath and a toilet. However, everything looked somewhat old and worn. Especially the bathroom was borderline acceptable, with mold and cracked tiles in the shower area and chips of ceramics and paint missing everywhere. It was otherwise clean, however.

Because we only stayed here for one night and didn’t get breakfast (it was very expensive) we cannot comment on most hotel facilities. However, when we attempted to make some tea with a free coffee/tea set that was provided, we discovered grass inside our water cooker… Needless to say, we were surprised, and so was the girl behind the reception desk who did get us another water cooker.

All reception staff we encountered were friendly. They were able to supply us with a small photocopied map of the area (with some restaurants in Heemskerk marked) and some toothbrushes (which we managed to forget).

To summarize: Not bad, but also nothing special. The rooms are in need of some serious renovating. Don’t be fooled by the pictures of the Chateau and the “25 minutes from Amsterdam” statement on the website of the hotel.

Arrived at the hotel which looked nice and clean. However one of the cupboard doors was a mini fridge.The grease and dirt under it and around was totally unacceptable. The fridge also didn't work.
They claim free internet access. This is limited to 30 mins.We actually couldn't get it to work-it was too slow.
We booked the hotel for a price of 85 euros including breakfast but when we came to pay the bill they tried to charge us extra for the breakfast! Fortunately I had the original booking with me.
Although I booked the hotel using my debit card as security I paid the bill in cash. However , a week on ,the debit card is still showing a pending transaction with this hotel, meaning that this money is frozen and I can't use it. This sum is for the full amount +breakfast{approx £90}
On the plus side the room was comfortable and the breakfast very good

I attended a couple of training events at the hotel so the location didn't really matter to me. I would have been very annoyed if this had been sold to me as Amsterdam. I went by train and found Castricum to be the most convenient train station (about 25 minutes from Amsterdam CS and 40 minutes from Schiphol) . Getting a taxi from there was not always easy.

There are two parts, the hotel itself and the conference area. The hotel is a less spectacular building that could do with a facelift. The conference area is a beautiful old mansion about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. The setting of the hotel and mansion is lovely. They are surrounded by a beautiful park and lots of nature.

The rooms are of three star quality. The breakfast buffet was fine and offered a standard continental breakfast. The hotel offers free internet (Swisscom) the lobby only though only in vouchers that are valid for 30 minutes. The reception are happy to give you as many as you need but this 30 minute cap is a ridiculous annoyance and should be removed. Internet is also available in your room but it is very expensive.

The lunches and dinners were very nice and always in beautiful rooms (in the mansion). The hotel building has a bar though it can sometimes take a while for the bar staff to appear.

The front desk staff are friendly though not the most efficient so checking out can take a while if there is a queue of more than 2 people.

The hotel is fine for a training course or a conference though I would probably not stay there for any other reason.

The hotel is in the town of Heemskerk, which is a 30 minute drive away frm Amsterdam. The main town of Heemskerk was a 5 minute drive away, it had everything - supermarkets, restaurants, take away places, pubs, etc. We drove to the park and ride Arena Transferium every time we needed to go to Amsterdam. It was 6 euros for parking and a round trip ticket to Amsterdam Centraal station.

The hotel itself was very comfortable. It was a great value for money. We didn't try the breakfast, because at 17 euros per person, it seemed overpriced.

The staff were extremely friendly. We wanted to order pizzas for the first night and the lady at the reception desk helped us out by giving us access to her computer to look up the menu.

The area is beautiful - if you are interested in taking a walk in the morning or evening.

The only downside is the car park - it tends to fill up quite easily and it is a hassle to park after 10 PM, simply because there aren't enough spaces available.

The Wijk aan Zee beach is 10 minutes away.

The room sizes are quite generous for european standards. Some rooms also have a balcony.