We arrived from London 7 trains later and after a challenging 10 hour rail ordeal due to the Belgian strike on Wednesday 22nd December! The fact that the Hotel is located opposite the station is very convenient but there are other hotels closer to the heart of Valkenburg. First impressions are good with a flamboyant reception area and ornate restaurant leading off to the right. We were helped to our room (23) on the second floor (no lift) by a very cheerful and pleasant member of staff. The room was well appointed and spacious with a good bathroom and facilities . Being tired after the marathon train journey we ate "in" - excellent.... the only slight criticism is that we needed a lot of help with the menu as no English was version available. This was a shame as undoubtedly there were many excellent dishes that we were unable to decipher. The old town and first class cave network (the location of the Christmas Markets) are about 10/15 minutes walk. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay but I feel the hotel should have a few more staff on hand and in particlar a waiter/waitress to assist at breakfast would be helpful...particularly to make sure the eggs and bacon were kept hot!!!