When Dave and I went to see Mark last year, we wanted to stay as close to him as possible. We also wanted to self cater and Gastenverblijf Rodenburg ticked both of those boxes.
Gastenverblijf Rodenburg
The apartments are in a converted stable and this has an impact on how the space is used. To get to our apartment, we had to climb a steep staircase and then enter into the split level accommodation. Downstairs in our unit was a fair sized lounge with sleeper couch; small but functional kitchen; and a dining room table. This open plan arrangement worked well for us. Off the kitchen is the bathroom which is really well designed. The shower was large with great water pressure and we were given plenty of towels. Both plusses in my books. The bedroom was reached by climbing another steep set of stairs, without any railings! One really had to take care and I would not recommend this to anyone who is not sure on their feet. The bedroom is in the eaves, presenting two problems.
Sleeping and changing
You cannot access both sides of the bed as the base of the bed is against the downward slope of the roof. In order to get in and out of bed I had to crawl over the space Dave was sleeping on. The low ceiling also meant you could not stand up in the room unless you were at least halfway into it. There were no cupboards and I used the small shelf system for our clothes and our suitcase for our laundry. I only kept one small case upstairs with us, and the larger one was left downstairs due to space constraints. Dave hit his head a few times on the ceiling which was expected given how tall he is.
Heating and cooling
It was already quite cold when we were there in October and the heating was erratic. The heated towel rail and two radiators in the lounge area were all connected via bluetooth. If you turned one up, they all changed. And then randomly they would turn off or drop in temperature. This, I gather, was because they were on a timer, and I found it extremely frustrating. When we left the towel rail on high to dry clothes the apartment became unbearingly hot. The windows were opened often to let the excess heat out, and I can imagine in summer it would be necessary to have the skylight open as well if the temperatures got too high. There is no air conditioning which Mark tells me is usually not a problem as the summer temperatures are not normally in the heat wave realm.
Would we stay again?
The answer to this is a resounding yes. Everything was well appointed and we were offered a change of towels mid way into our stay. Basic kitchen staples were provided and we were given extra coffee for the machine when we needed it. The grounds are well maintained and there is an outdoor seating area which can be used. Together with barbecue facilities, that can be utilised by guests. If you don’t want to self cater you can take up the bed and breakfast option.
Streefkerk
You will need a car if you visit Streefkerk as the public transport is not that frequent. Streefkerk has a small shopping area with a green grocer and supermarket, as well as a fishmonger who visits on a Tuesday. The area is easy to get to from Schiphol Airport and the closest major city is Dordrecht. A variety of shops are close by and you can easily visit Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Hague, Delft and Gouda from here. Of interest in the area is Kinderdijk where you can see the largest collection of windmills in one area.
Contact Gastenverblijf Rodenburg directly or or use this link to book your accommodation and get 10% back after your stay.
Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime January 26:
- 2020: 19th Christmas
- 2018: Dried Mushrooms
- 2015: Ginger Caramel
- 2013: Liebster Award
- 2012: Star Anise Dusted Venison With Red Grapes
- 2011: Ras El Hanout
What an excellent, detailed review of your visit! It sounds very tempting to me, Tandy, although our long-distance travelling days are over (mustn’t be greedy, we had our share…) We never got as far as SA, but ‘did’ much of Europe,bits of the US and lots of Canada. All recommended. We loved Prague too. It had a special feel, Very atmospheric and varied cuisine. .Safe travelling.x
Prague is on our list of places to visit. But who knows if we will get there 🙂
I’m gald you were so happy with the place you stayed. That bedroom seems like it needs to be re-arranged a bit, if possible. I would not like that staircase without the railing…
The bedroom is kind of stuck due to the slope of the ceiling. The stairs were not that much fun during the middle of the night so we had to sleep with a night light on haha 🙂