Last weekend I was in Maastricht for a wedding. I boarded the train at 4 PM and 2 hours and 20 minutes later I felt like I was abroad. I didn't have to change trains (which I like), so you can comfortably sit with your laptop or what I did was take a little nap. Besides the love party, I discovered some nice hotspots in the city. Let me take you through my 24 hours in Maastricht.

Sleeping

I did that in Hotel Beaumont, a really nice hotel in the center. From the outside, it looks a bit like Paris because it has those lovely white awnings. The hotel is comfortable, not too fancy, has nice beds and a huge rain shower.

But what makes it especially nice is that there is a very good buzzing restaurant attached.

Dining

Restaurant Harry’s, that's what it's called. Dark wood on the floor, leather sofas, white linen on the tables with huge wine glasses. It's a perfect restaurant when you're dressed up, but definitely don't think it's stiff. In our party outfits, we started with two glasses of champagne and then I ordered a sea bass and he a ribeye.

That was delicious. Along with a bottle of Saint-Véran; if you ever eat here, consider ordering this wine as well. We were a bit on edge because we only had an hour to eat, so the wine and fish went down quickly. I actually would have liked to enjoy it a bit longer, because it's also a very good restaurant to linger over dinner.

The party

That was at St. Gerlach, a fairytale castle in Valkenburg and thus the perfect location for a wedding. I was an evening guest, so I joined for the drinks. Quite quickly, red slippers were handed out to the women because the real dance party was a bit further on and we had to walk through the fields to get there.

That worked out perfectly for me, because since I never wear high heels, I seize every chance to be flat again. Through the fields, with the bride and groom in front and a band, we walked to a kind of cave where a DJ was playing nice top 40 hits I was as happy as a child.

Afterparty

Around 1 AM, the bride and groom said goodbye, got into a Ferrari, and we took a big bus back to the city. We definitely didn't go to sleep right away, because we had a lot to discuss. We did that at Café Zondag. A brown pub that was open until 3 AM. Also a good spot for coffee and lunch by the way. This spot is 100 meters from the hotel. So we rolled home.

Hungover breakfast

At 11 AM it was checkout time, which means we hadn't slept enough. People, I may be a healthy girl and all, but believe me, I can also be incredibly hungover. Stumbling, we walked to ’t Wycker Cabinet.

A large lunch place with plenty of different eggs on the menu. I ordered a pan omelet and you seriously get a little pan on the table. A perfect vegetable omelet with hearty fresh white bread. You really crave that when you have a hangover.

Still hungover lunch

After a walk through the city (fresh air always helps a lot with a heavy head, I can tell you), we quickly settled at Café Sjiek. Well, what a fun place that is. What also happens when you're hungover is that you can keep eating all day long.

It's a fancy brown pub where you can't make reservations, so first come, first served. The napkins, paper placemats, and the menu are all wonderfully illustrated with dancing forks, glasses, and plates. We ordered various dishes to share, I love sharing the most. Artichoke, mozzarella with Iberico ham, pâté, and prawns with dip.

Then it was time to go home. We bought some candy and sushi at a gas station. The latter was the worst idea ever. Yuck. But we didn't care because it was such a fun weekend. Maastricht, see you soon!