What do you reckon is your favorite part of traveling? Exploring new places, eating delicious food, getting to interact with people from different parts of the world. Whatever it is, when you are traveling there are two aspects that you cannot afford to miss. One is accommodation and the other one is mode of transportation.
Many times we, as travel bloggers claim that we will sleep anywhere as long as it is clean and safe. But, in reality it is not the case. Sometimes we also crave for other luxuries.
So I was heading over to Strasbourg after a delightful 3 night stay at the Dominican in Brussels. My expectations were very high and I hoped the next hotel on my itinerary met all my expectations.
The minute I stepped out of the Gare de Strasbourg, the railway station in Strasbourg, I noticed that there were plenty of hotels around the square. I hoped my hotel was not among them and I was relieved when I searched the hotel’s location through Google Maps. You may find this strange. But Strasbourg being one of the capitals of the European union, the railway station and the surrounding areas were quite crowded because of a conference that was happening in Strasbourg the week I was there. I knew about this since my hotel concierge had warned me when I had made my booking. I am pretty sure I would not have slept at all if I had selected one of the hotels around the square.
Google maps showed that my Hotel was around one km from the square. Since I did not want to walk in the sun with all my luggage, I decided to hail a cab.
Hotel D, Strasbourg is a charming little design hotel and it was a perfect spot for travelers like me who wanted to explore the Alsacean region. I chose this as my base location for one night while exploring both Strasbourg and Colmar.
Since I arrived a little before the checkin time, they did not have any available rooms. But they were very welcoming and courteous and asked me to give them some time. Since I was very hungry (not a surprise, right), I decided to leave my bags in the luggage room and set out exploring.
The lady at the reception was kind enough to help me with directions. I realized that the cathedral was only around 5 minutes by walk from there. By the time I returned back after a hearty lunch and a visit to the amazing cathedral, my room was ready.
I was delighted with the room as soon as I saw it. One thing that struck a chord with me at this Hotel D was that the receptionist personally escorted me to the room. This happened only at one other place in Europe. But it was such a warm and cordial way of welcoming a guest and it is little things like these that help to elevate an experience at any hotel.
The room itself was clean and luxurious. The bed was a Queen size bed and I was happy that I had it all for myself. There was a huge TV in the room and I was surprised by the size of it. Since I never watch TV during my traveling, I did not have much use for it. But for business travelers, it would have been an added advantage. The toilet and the bathroom were separate and very clean. It was filled with all toiletries, towels, a nice shower and hair dryers.
After resting for a bit, I decided to head out again. Just as I was leaving, my Hotel D receptionist asked me to carry an umbrella. I was surprised since it was a hot day and it did not look like it was going to rain at all that day. She told me that there was a forecast of a thunderstorm in the evening. I am so glad that I listened to her and just as she had predicted, it started raining heavily after an hour. I am telling you it is these little gestures you will remember when you are back home.
As I set out exploring, I realized that everything was within walking distance. Even the train station which I thought was far, was in reality just about 10 minutes walking distance from the hotel. My favorite place in Strasbourg, La petite France was around 20 minutes away by walk. There is a nice jogging path around the river and the river is the first thing you see as soon as you step out of the hotel.
By the time I got back after a day of exploring, I was tired and slept like a baby. But if you still do have a bit of energy left in you, then do head out to the complimentary fitness center and sauna.
Breakfast was decent and I had a hearty meal before stepping out again. Since I was catching a night bus from Strasbourg to Vienna, I decided to check out and leave my luggage in the luggage room. The ladies at the reception were again helpful and they provided me with information about how to get to Colmar and back. By the time I got back from Colmar, they had booked a cab for me to go to the bus station.
My only crib about Hotel D was that they did not offer any other meals other than breakfast. But this is negated by the fact that there were plenty of restaurants to choose from nearby.
Hotel D was a nice place to stay, even though I had the opportunity to stay only for a night. I was extremely satisfied with the service and I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting Strasbourg. I was blown over by the kind and friendly nature of both my receptionists. It was an added advantage that both of them spoke good English.