Fuerstenberger Hof Hotel

I selected the Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof in Cologne for a week's holiday which I took during March 2006.
As this was my first visit to Germany (at the age of 62) I was very relieved to find that upon my arrival at the hotel all of the staff were very friendly, polite and helpful (and this continued to be the case throughout the duration of my stay), and that they all understood and spoke English quite well, and it was a nice touch when I initially arrived at the hotel upon check-in to be greeted by my name at the reception desk and to be told that I was expected. I would mention at this point that I had previously made my reservation through 'Hostelworld' whose price was the most competitive which I could find on the internet, and in fact I paid €247(about £172.90) for seven nights' bed and breakfast accommodation at the Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof which I considered to be extremely good value for money in this day and age.
My single room with private bathroom (number 29) was situated on the second floor and was located at the rear of the building, and it overlooked private gardens which was a really unusual and most pleasant feature to find in a city based hotel, and despite the hotel obviously being located in a very busy area I was very pleased to find that my room was extremely quiet. In fact, traffic noise from the busy road, Frankfurter Strasse onto which the hotel fronts was not really noticeable at all in any part of the hotel due to the double glazed windows which were fitted throughout. My room, although small, was quite adequate and most comfortable, and it was warm, clean and bright and it was simply, although nicely furnished. A television set (with a remote control) which received around thirty channels was provided - there was in fact a 'naughty' channel which broadcast from 8pm in the evening until 5.30am the next morning daily, but then perhaps 'Holiday Watchdog' isn't really the place to go into that !
My only moans were that no bedside lamp was provided - so no reading in bed for me I'm afraid, and unfortunately it was not possible to turn any of the room lights on or off from the bed, so one had to get out of bed to switch the light on and off using the light switch by the bedroom door, which was a minor inconvenience.
The private bathroom's decor was dated, but then I did feel that this is part of what gave this particular building its' character. However, there were a few cracked tiles here and there, and there was only one plug for both the bath and the basin drain holes (but then you don't use them both at the same time - do you?) and this really presented me with no problems whatsoever, and I must immediately add that the things which mattered and which were important were perfect. There was a constant supply of hot water, towels were provided and changed as required, the radiators worked so my bedroom and bathroom were always warm, the chambermaid service was good, and my room was kept clean - as in fact was the whole hotel. A particularly useful feature which was provided in the bathroom was a hairdryer.
The breakfasts served at Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof were absolutely wonderful to say the least - breakfast was served from 6.30am until 10.30am(Mondays to Saturdays)and from 8am to 11.30am(on Sundays), and one was really spoilt for choice as there was such a vast selection of foods to choose from ranging from breakfast cereals to German meats, yogurts, fresh bread & rolls with butter and jams, fruit juices, fried and boiled eggs, and delicious sausages all of which were served buffet style. The presentation was excellent, and the dining room was a lovely room with beautiful light fittings which really added to the character of the building. The lady who served the daily breakfasts was very helpful, and she was friendly and polite also. In my opinion the hotel really excelled in the quality of its' breakfast service which was brilliant, and I would mention that one was allowed to eat as much as one wanted.
The hotel had a bar situated on the ground floor adjacent to the reception desk. Unfortunately during my week's stay the lift was out of order, but as my room was on the second floor, this was not too much of a nuisance to me, but having said that I was extremely relieved that my room was not on either the third or fourth floors of the hotel.
Immediately adjacent to the hotel entrance in Frankfurter Strasse is a supermarket ('Mini Mal') which stays open until 9pm (but which is closed on Sundays) and this was very useful so that one could always buy the odds and ends which one always seems to have forgotten to bring away.
Dinner in the evenings was not provided by the Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof - however there were many restaurants in Frankfurter Strasse where the hotel is located, and which is a busy commercial & shopping street. Being a budget traveler I tended to eat at McDonalds which is a four minute walk away from the hotel at Wiener Platz where €4.99 bought you a 'Big Mac' together with chips and an iced coke to wash it down with. When I tired of burgers I patronized the 'Bey Doner' eating house in Wiener Platz which is directly opposite McDonalds where you were served with half a chicken and a basket of lovely fresh bread which was quite delicious, together with a bottle of coke for just €4 which was great value for money.
Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof is situated halfway between two busy railway stations( Wiener Platz & Koln-Mulheim) both of which are a quarter of a mile away at the very most, and each station is a very easy short level walk from the hotel, and I found the transport links provided from both these stations to be very frequent indeed. It was possible to catch trams and trains to all parts of the city from either station, and it took around ten minutes to reach Cologne city centre by this means.
It was also possible to catch longer distance main line trains from the Koln-Mulheim station - indeed upon my arrival and departure I reached the hotel from Koln/Bonn airport by using this station(changing trains once at Koln Deutz/Messe station)which took less than half an hour and which only cost me €2.20 for a single ticket, (which is most certainly one of the cheapest airport transfers that I have ever come across in my travels!) and from this station I also made a day trip one day to the city of Wuppertal which is around thirty miles away and which takes fifty minutes. Another day trip took me to Bonn traveling from the Wiener Platz station by the frequent direct service which operates from that station, taking just over an hour, so you can see how conveniently situated the Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof really is.
Concluding my report on the Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof, I would mention that whilst it is neither a luxury hotel or a new building, it was however extremely suitable for my needs and I came away well pleased. It is very competitively priced, and all the facilities that I could have needed were provided. It was warm and comfortable and it is kept clean and seems quite well cared for. The staff were very polite and courteous, the breakfast service was superb, and the hotel was very conveniently located for both local amenities and efficient public transport facilities - and as I've already said, Cologne city centre is only ten minutes away.
Would I stay again at the Hotel Fuerstenberger Hof? - Most certainly I would!