The 2003 EuroTour "On The Road" Journal

First Stop, Three Nights in a Castle

May 30 - Aachen is on the western border of Germany, next to Holland, and we actually stay in Holland at the Hotel van der Valk, Heerlen - http://heerlen.valk.nl. The Van Der Valk Hotels are throughout the Netherlands and are comfortable, affordable, have excellent food, with a nice dining room and outdoor patio.

In Heerlen, most of the rooms overlook the indoor pool building, and a large open field, with roses blooming throughout the landscape. It is just 15 minutes by car into Aachen, and the nearby village of Heerlen is charming and friendly.

Last year, we rented bicycles for a tour of the area, and discovered a Castle just behind the hotel. Surrounded by a moat, with black swans, the Kasteel TerWorm is part of the hotel. With miles of walking and biking trails, one passes fields of wildflowers, and manicured gardens.

The room rates in the castle are slightly higher than the approx. $80 per night at the main hotel. One can also go first class by staying in one of the castle's towers for approx. $250 per night. A gourmet restaurant serves French cuisine by reservation only, which usually must be made at least a day in advance. Additional amenities such as fresh flowers, and other services are provided.

This year we decided to give the castle a try, and base our day trips from here for a few days. With several appointments to visit training facilities and sale barns in Holland and Belgium, we will weave some touring into the schedule.

For anyone of our readers booking a reservation at the http://heerlen.valk.nl, we would appreciate you mentioning horsesdaily.com. We will continue to promote this hotel, and will try to arrange special rates for HorsesDaily readers in the future. We’ll keep you posted.