Rating: *
Price performance: Miserable
Friends booked us for a group weekend into Schloss Wahlsdorf, ideally located at the crossroads of the Flaeming-Skate and various cycling routes which reach out to the Elster river, the Elbe, the Mark, the Spreewald and the Flaeming. The Ewald family, who stand behind the company operating “Castle” Wahlsdorf, requested pre-payment for the total price for 3 nights and breakfast. That was good for the Ewalds, because otherwise we would have moved to
any other accommodation near the Flaeming-Skate right after arriving.
After reading the very restrictive house rules the suspicion grew that we had sunk about € 70 per night for a double room in a not very hospitable hostel.
Reception
We arrived at the “Castle” Schloss Wahlsdorf on a Thursday at 18:00 hrs, after a long train and bike ride and found it closed. Under the mobile phone number displayed on the entrance door, we could only reach a voicemail. An off duty employee , pedalling past the “castle” by chance, approached us and managed to get hold of a colleague with keys to the so called castle. When this on-duty employee arrived, she let us into the manor through the side entrance, where we could, for the first night, safely park our bikes in an old school gym. The following two nights, the gym was unfortunately closed and the staff absent, so that our bikes stayed as obstacles on the side gate (I never saw the main entrance door open).
The €58 for the night (without breakfast) in the so-called double rooms do NOT include towels or bed linen. As cyclists we only had towels with us and paid an additional €5 per head for bed linen. The overburdened employee first gave us small bed sheets, which she then changed for the right size.
We were first shown a room the the Ewalds declare and sell as a double room, but which fell well below the 12 square metres norm for a double room: By this time our expectations had already dropped, but this still took us by surprise and we asked cautiously for more space. Thereafter there was a larger room, with a 1.40 m narrow, queen size bed, two shelves, eight hooks and two windows, a couch, a chair, a table and a single, lonely hanger. Unfortunately, one of the two windows went to the county road, where cars and trucks thundered past during the night. The blinds worked only on one window and screens did not exist, so that we had mosquitoes feasting on us for the three nights .
WARNING:
The basic rate of 58 € (per night, without breakfast) for the so-called double room does not include a private bathroom, no wardrobe, no bedding and no towels, but a lot of youth hostel “charm” of bygone days. The communal showers and toilets were located on the other end of the manor, recently refurbished and clean in the early mornings, but the rest of the day and night they smelled like communal toilets smell…
Breakfast
The breakfast buffet for 5,50 € (per person per day) offers coffee and tea, cereals, yoghurt, milk, bread rolls, brown bread, some meat, margarine and butter substitute, jam and Nutella, one hard boiled egg for each a and canned fruit; it is basically the breakfast you would get in a German youth hostel, though I have certainly had better breakfast in some youth hostels. Alternatively, there is a shared kitchen for self-catering, which reminded me of halls of residence. The communal kitchen was used by three families and was also let to builder squads accommodated in the hostel.
“Castle” Schloss Wahlsdorf lacks all attention to detail. The landlord also run a beautifully situated family hostel in a forest nearby. In addition, the outdoor swimming pool a few hundred yards away, which has been touted by the staff, is also run by the Ewalds. Unfortunately the staff of castle “Schloss Wahlsdorf” have to staff the outdoor pool, too, which means that often there simply is no service at the so called “Castle”.
The restrictive house rules from the so-called “castle” Schloss Wahlsdorf can only be as effective as the people who enforce them, who are sadly lacking. According to house rules a curfew applies from 22 clock, except that on Friday night a large group was celebrating with loud music until Saturday morning, disturbing our sleep.
CONCLUSION
Despite the grandiose name ‘castle Wahlsdorf’ is no more than a cheap hostel with the worst price performance, which I have ever experienced in Germany. After three more nights in the surrounding area, I can confirm that there are much better options for less money. Therefore, I strongly urge those interested in the Flaeming Skate, to book elsewhere.
Schloss Wahlsdorf (Teltow)
Wahlsdorf 35, 15936 Dahme/Mark
Formerly: Schulstraße 2, 14913 Wahlsdorf, Brandenburg