What can you possibly say about a hotel where, when the credit card reader refuses to work, the receptionist/accountant/manager hands you the bill with the encouragement to send the money when you get back home. Somehow, however, this did give a real sense of the Norre Vissing Kro, which was charming and frustrating in equal proportions. So, its inability to acknowledge bookings and the somewhat fragmented approach to customer service was tempered by this touching optimism about human nature. Of course, we did pay.

The first thing to say about Denmark is that it is just mouth-wateringly expensive, and even more so with fragility of the pound and the enthusiasm of the Danes for high taxes. We were in Jutland to celebrate the wedding of a friend, once in Shanghai and now in Denmark. The kro looked just idyllic on the website with pastel shades, wall to wall candles and an enthusiasm for food. Its a pity then that no one mentioned the main road a yard from the door although, to... more