Kalletal 

Attending a trade show in a region of Germany I regularly visit, I was astonished to find that my regular, €75 hotel had somehow transformed itself into somewhere in London;s West end or Paris, demanding a whopping €300 a night for the same room. We're all creatures of habit, but I draw the line when it comes to stumping up over a thousand pounds for a week's bed and breakfast. This prompted me to look slightly further afield and I found this guest house online - reasonable reviews - but €200 FOR THE WHOLE WEEK. Yes, it was initially a purely financial decision, but when I arrived I was welcomed, yes truly welcomed, into the home of Mr and Mrs Bouwman, a delightful Dutch couple who have made their home in this corner of Germany - I was very quickly convinced that I had made a great decision. Mr Bouwman showed me around his home. A lovely family bathroom, he made the point of telling me - anything you need - help yourself! Free internet in hotels these days is becoming something of a joke. Either there are too many people with too many devices all trying to get on at once or, as I have twice recently experienced, their new wireless system is just far enough out of range I have had to sit in corridors to do mails. That or its so expensive that for a day's coverage, you pay what you'd pay for 2 weeks at home. This was free and excellent. Parking is also a bone of contention - particularly in Germany where €8 - €12 seems to be the going rate - again free! Mrs Bouwman asks what time you want breakfast - not because she's trying to tie you down to a time or anything like that - it's just so that she can time your arrival to tie in with the freshly baked rolls to go with a very generous continental breakfast. What a pleasure for this solo traveller to have a lovely chat over breakfast! My work colleagues - all local, living in nearby Paderborn and Löhne - were quick to make fun of the location, but you do you know what - that 20 minute drive through some of the most beautiful rural German scenery was not just breathtaking at times, but a lovely wind down from the days' work - hardly a chore. I travel extensively throughout Asia, Africa and Europe for my work. The inside of one hotel room looks pretty much the same - the same silly little bottles of shampoo in the bathroom, the same writing desk.........etc. Perhaps every now and again it's nice to LIVE somewhere instead of STAY somewhere. Thank you Mr & Mrs Bouwman - I'll be back!