Van der Valk Hotel Veenendaal

Great place that we have been visiting for years. Our room (Superior) was a nice size and the jacuzzi was wonderful, as we know from this hotel. The extra step that chef Fred went to at the breakfast buffet was really fantastic. While I was looking at gluten-free options, he spoke to me in a friendly manner. During our short conversation, he spontaneously suggested baking pancakes and adding a piece of gluten-free pastry. He asked about my preferences and said 'I'll make a plate of treats for you'. Fred understands that eating with an allergy sometimes means that things are significantly less tasty or difficult within your diet. He spared neither time nor effort during a busy 'breakfast rush' to be able to offer me a breakfast that was at least as tasty as the one that other guests enjoyed. I felt seen and touched by this man who goes that extra mile to make people come back. I know that I will!

The rooms are 5/5, the restaurant is 3/5 and the breakfast is 4/5. We were a large group divided into several tables (so there were many small groups) and the time to serve the starters was approximately half an hour. The main course took between an hour and an hour and a half to be served. As you can imagine, those of us who didn't order a starter were already starving. Of course, they stopped by every 20 minutes to ask us if we wanted more drinks. On the one hand this makes you feel well taken care of but, on the other hand, you wonder to what extent it is not a strategy to drink more. The total time for dinner was 4 hours and it wasn't that it took us long to eat. Breakfast buffet very good. They have quite a variety and fresh products. There are many tables to sit at. It has vegan and gluten-free options. The rooms are highly recommended. Even if you are one person, they put you in a room with two beds. They are very comfortable and have centralized heating. The shower is one of the best I have seen compared to the ones I see in Spain and France. I have to say that of the 10 of us, my room was the only one that didn't have a bathtub, so I can't comment. They have a free underground hotel parking open 24 hours a day. The problem is that they close from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. We saw a man in a wheelchair who parked in the parking lot and couldn't get in. They spent a long time on the phone seeing if the elevator would be available for them. On the one hand I understand it, because you prevent people who are not staying from accessing the rooms.