We decided that it would be ideal to stay in a castle for at least part of our stay in Germany. For our time in Muenster for the Stallion inspection, we decided it was the right time. We stayed at Hotel Schloss Wilkinghede.
Once upon a time (1311), it was an old moated castle. After a couple hundred years, they decided it needed some renovation, so in 1550, it was changed to its current form. In 1955, they decided to make it into the hotel, and in 1970, they converted the old farm buildings into hotel areas. There’s still some sneaky features though – we found a secret passageway into a tower!
The grounds were beautiful. I could definitely pretend to be a 17th century rich woman strolling around the grounds. All I would need is the golf course next door converted to horse area, and also women’s rights. Then I could have a near perfect life in my Schloss.
We stayed in the main house on the second floor. It was strange to look out the window and see the moat coming right up to the brick below.
The interior was beautifully done, and I would definitely like to live in a house like this.
We had breakfast down in the basement. It felt the most like a castle down there…and also made me wonder what they did to make their castle walls watertight. How can they have a pond right on their walls but my basement still smells musty with no water anywhere? What centuries-old technology are they using?
But other than being beautiful, breakfast was quite good. I’m a big fan of breakfasts being included with hotel stays.
Overall, it was a really nice stay. Good food, clean and comfortable rooms. The only thing that would make me hesitant to stay again (assuming I had the opportunity) would be the price. Since we were there for a horse event, we were barely at the hotel. It was hard enough to get all the photos of the place, we had to rush one morning to get it done before leaving. The only way I would stay again is if I could spend a more leisurely day there, being able to fully appreciate the hotel. Or, if I was having an event there. It is definitely a beautiful place to have an event.
This event was me standing on a bridge.
I really did like the idea of staying at a castle though, so I will be on the lookout for another one. Admittedly, this castle was more on the luxury manor house side, but I’m more than willing to stay at a more rugged one (especially if the price reflects that). I will be on the lookout for one!