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posted May 23, 2012
I really can't fault this hotel. If you have reason to be in Utrecht, this is really the only place to stay. On arrival, the front desk staff were incredibly friendly. They efficiently organised a taxi to pick me up at the airport (it wasn't their fault I happened to get the one Dutch person without an excellent grasp of English!). They escorted me to my room. They were polite, helpful (escorting me to the outdoor restaurant, which I would never have found!) and remembered my name the next day when I checked out. The room (a type of junior suite in the old building, with an alcover living area with two big windows) was spacious, clean, well-decorated, with high-ceilings, a massive bath, a separate toilet, plenty of cupboard space, a comfortable bed and with no noise at all. We ate al-fresco as the hotel had an outdoor restaurant and it was 26c at 9pm! It was a first-rate meal (I regularly go to Michelin-star restaurants, and rate the food, service and ambience was equal to many of those restaurants). I really recommend you go for the five-course meal, enjoyed over a good three hours (as we did). Our waiter, Leon, was attentive, helpful (we changed a couple of dishes on the menu for those of us who wanted to eat fish rather than suckling pig!, and he helped us choose an amazing bottle of Spanish wine - or was it four bottles - I forget!!) and had a great sense of humour. The breakfast was very good too (the service was particularly friendly and efficient). A bit of background on the hotel (for history buffs). It is a converted monastery of a Germanic warrior-priest type monastic order (something similar to the Knights Templar but without the bad rap or Hollywood hysteria). The hotel is named after Charles V (the Holy Roman Emperor), who was Spanish but ruled pretty much everything not owned by England (under Henry VIII) or France. The oldest part apparently dated back to the year 1345, although I couldn't easily see which part that was. If you do go to the hotel, you'll very much enjoy it. Pretty much guaranteed!
posted May 19, 2012
The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and the gardens are well maintained, that being said i thought the quality of the room was poorly kept (the bath had red scratch marks, the false ceiling had gaps near the walls, the basin in the bathroom was dirty, the drinking glasses had dust on them etc) The breakfast was nice however food wasn't replaced very quickly as it ran out, some things were luke warm rather than hot, the plates ran out and were not quickly replaced and some guests were even asked to return once a table was available. These trivial items i would not expect from a 5 star establishment however i still would possibly stay here again as the location, grounds and facilities in the "wellness centre" (gym, pool, spa, solarium, sauna) were more then satisfactory.
posted May 11, 2012
The third time now I chosed that quite nice hotel at the very center of Utrecht. In general very clean and nice. However - as travelled more than 100 countries around the globe - I would indeed expect the added value here in this hotel according to the price to pay and the 5 star category. Pls don't get me misunderstood: the hotel is very nice and the rooms are good and clean and you find what you need - all in standard as expected. The critics are related to: - the Spa area is leats attractive due to the very old pool, very poor Sauna area and tiny offers like beauty farm only (1 woman show) - the breakfest does remind to IBIS standard in Germany, great and attentive service - however the way of display and the variety is just poor, and form sure it's beaten by any 3 star hotel in germany easily (especially compared to teh rpice they take) All in all a nice place for those who may afford and don't bother too much. I simply assume that in respect of a 20-30min drive you may find really lovely places around the center for a better price efficacy. But - then it's surely not the "5 star feeling" anymore - so in general: that hotel is nice and decent, few steps far from the center, does have fantastic kitchen and great service by the personnel, just at the borderline at price efficacy - just for my taste. I recommend to go here, when you do not expect the "extraordinary" here.
posted May 7, 2012
Go to Utrecht just for this....no kidding....I could spend my whole life in this hotel! It is a little tricky finding this place, especially if you did not have a GPS like us....would highly recommend a GPS. No problem finding Utrecht...once you get in, unless you are a local...good luck. Get a GPS for sure. Once we found Karel V.....every moment just got better and better. We drove into the parking lot, there was someone waving at us already. They parked our car, took our bags. The hotel lobby is cool. It has a miniature of the grounds and you can press buttons to light up what you are looking at. The hotel was actually the home of the Teutonic Order of Knights. Guess they helped the impoverished. It was also a military hospital for quite some time. The hotel is almost what one might call a campus....it is large and sprawling. We stayed in the Roman Wing and had a split level room which was quite nice. The bedroom, bathroom, closets were all on the first floor. Up the stairs there was a chaise lounge with another tv, refrigerator and a desk. There was also a tv and a desk on the main floor of our room. The bathroom was incredible. Very spacious with a huge walk in shower. It was a rain shower and the water pressure was incredible. So, bottom line, we loved our room. We were not in the main building but in a sort of annex, we had no problem with this as our room was incredible. I think I would like to see other rooms as well just to see what else they have. The service, by the way, at all times was remarkable. Sharp, quick responses to whatever you needed. Lovely, attentive staff. The food.....oh my gosh where do I begin. We ate every night in their Brasserie Goeie Louisa. Fantastic. The chefs are right there in the room cooking in front of you. The service, unbelievable. The food, it just kept coming. We bought a package with the hotel that included breakfast and dinner....I would highly recommend this. We had three nights of wonderful food in the Brasserie. Everything so fresh. Service like I have never seen before. The food was spectacular. Breakfast.....I think I could have stayed in there all morning and then had a nap and would have been perfectly content. It was outstanding. Champagne, croissant.....everything you would want and if it was not there they would make it for you. We left Utrecht very happy mostly because we stayed at Karel V. However Utrecht is adorable and is a university town. We came across groups of students singing in different places. We took a canal trip. They have a sort of riverwalk or I guess more correctly a canal walk. In Amsterdam there are just the canals you can look down on. In Utrecht, there is a walkway with restaurants down below if that makes sense. You are right on the canal. Would highly recommend Utrecht and for sure Karel the V. Thank you Karel V for your beautiful hotel, your outstanding service, and....your great food! By the way, this hotel has courtyards that you can sit in to have a glass of wine and it has a wonderful "cave" or downstairs bar. Spend time at this hotel and just relax. I believe they have spa services as well. We will be back again! Sante!
posted May 7, 2012
My wife and I have stayed at Karel V several times. I am a Dutch living abroad and usually stay here whenever I come over. The reason why we do not mind paying the somewhat higher price is that no other place I have stayed at in Utrecht has shown such consistent excellent service, and truly try to accomodate whatever request. The Hotel has direct access to the city center but it is very peaceful itself. On the other side, the central train station is a 5 minute walk. The atmosphere is somewhere between a monastery and a castle without an excess of tacky decorations. We love the breakfast, all food is of great quality, it is however rather expensive. During weekdays, there is no food available from 10am when the breakfast closes until noon, when the brasserie opens. The rooms are nice, but not extremely large, there is free internet though (why is this normally only the case in cheap hotels?) At night, we had a few drinks in the hotel bar which is located in the basement, which gives it a nice atmosphere; the bar has basic options only and the bar tender has limited knowledge about drinks. All in all, the atmosphere and staff always give us the feeling that we're at our home away from home, something that is hard to find in most hotels.
