Achtern Diek Wohnung 13

Boltenhagen is a magical place that keeps drawing you back. The beach is a five-minute walk away. The ground-floor apartment is very clean and well maintained, with a lovely sheltered terrace, and we feel really comfortable there. My boyfriend has been coming for many years with his son, and I’ve been joining him for three years.

The building looks well kept, and the location is really good, but apartment 27 was a letdown. The bedroom is cramped, the seating is shabby and uncomfortable, and the TV is tiny. There’s no Wi-Fi, which I should have checked, and the shower rail can’t be used. With no cleaning supplies, you can only dry-sweep. The kitchen is missing basic things or has poor-quality versions: no colander, usable measuring cup, salad servers or bowl, grater, or mandoline, and every knife is dull. There’s nothing on the walls besides a calendar above the TV, plus a plastic plant on the table. “Uninspired” barely covers it. I haven’t even listed everything. Parking was another problem. The underground garage is extremely narrow and only two meters high. Our Ioniq 5 wouldn’t fit, though my more maneuverable ID.4 did, and the space for this apartment is a little bigger than others. Street parking is prohibited within at least a kilometer and certainly isn’t free. Enforcement officers are everywhere. I got a €25 ticket about five minutes after checking in at the agency, my own fault. Boltenhagen is manageable by bike, but too far for me to walk. I’d consider another well-reviewed apartment in the same building because of the location. This one, Achter Diek, Apartment 27, is an absolute no-go.

We felt very comfortable in A2, and the location was ideal for us, just a short walk from the beach and dog beach. I especially liked the magnifying mirrors in the bathroom. When we arrived for a spontaneous November long weekend, the welcome was very friendly, the apartment was already warm, and the beds were made. Booking and payment were easy, and that kind of service isn’t something you can take for granted. We could bring our dog, too. Update 2023: I still like the apartment and its location, but the charges for dog owners have changed. The daily dog fee went from €3 to €10, and there’s also an extra charge for final cleaning. I can understand either one, but both together make it so expensive that a semi-detached house with better amenities costs about the same. It’s a shame. It feels as if guests with dogs are less welcome now, or expected to take on the general price increases for everyone.

The terrace and outdoor area are lovely. Inside, the apartment is stylish, with a functional kitchen and enough crockery for a private gathering of six. It’s a peaceful place to stay, around 20 minutes from the spa gardens, with beautiful walks by the beach and cliffs.