A Return to Kasteel Engelenburg

In late 2011, I had the pleasure of experiencing Kasteel Engelenburg for a night. More than six years later I went back to Kasteel Engelenburg, near Brummen, the Netherlands, to experience more. Kasteel Engelenburg is a member of Relais & Châteaux, a French marketing organization, with high-quality food as a big priority.

My experience started with a warm welcome before being escorted to the room. I stayed in a lovely room which had a beautiful design and a comfortable bed. In total, I stayed four nights at Kasteel Engelenburg on this trip, and I had the pleasure of having a lot of different dishes at their gourmet restaurant. You can see some of the photos below. The food here is fantastic.

With restaurants that are only Michelin-recommended, but without a star, it is really hit and miss, but I must say I am very surprised Michelin hasn’t given them a star. The food was much better than several restaurants I’ve experienced with a star. The service is great, and I enjoyed the possibility of talking to the staff instead of a formal atmosphere which is often the case at the Michelin-starred restaurants.

It’s not only the food I find fantastic at Kasteel Engelenburg. The beautiful surroundings with a 9-hole golf course, 50 acres of landscaped gardens and a private forest, make it one of my favourite places in Europe to relax. I like visiting places like Thailand and the Maldives to relax, but the big problem is that the food often disappoints, and none of the 5-star resorts I’ve stayed in those countries does food anywhere near as good as at Kasteel Engelenburg.

Finally, I would say that it is a pleasure to see an innkeepe like Johan Agricola that were on the property for several days to interact with his guests. I enjoyed talking to him again, and I’m sure this was only my second of many visits to his property.