Sielmühle

What stays with you is the mill itself. We had a quiet, relaxing holiday there, and it’s the kind of place you remember long after forgetting ordinary accommodation. The Sielmühle sits near the dike and open fields, with Dornumersiel about 2 km away by bike on cycle paths. It’s a peaceful spot, though there are a few houses across from the entrance. The managers can be contacted by email or phone, and entry is via a key safe, but we received no useful information and there was no folder explaining things like the bins or switches. The Wi-Fi was fine, though we had to find the code underneath the Fritzbox. The old windmill dates from 1870 and has been carefully renovated. Its hexagonal shape, heavy beams, antique furniture, and mill machinery give it real character. You do need to watch your head and feet in places, with low beams and steps, but that’s part of the charm. It sleeps up to seven, though that would feel cramped. We were a couple and had plenty of space. Downstairs are a large living room, a fully equipped kitchen with a standard coffee maker and a Senseo machine, a small entrance area, and a little room with bunk beds. Upstairs, the bedroom has a double bed beneath a 5-meter-high ceiling, and looks onto the open gallery and the old mechanism. There’s a pleasant sitting spot by the old millstone, plus a single bed beside the gallery. We wondered if heat would rise through the open stairwell into the bedroom, but it wasn’t a problem. Two TVs sit on the gallery and by the sitting area, and their sound could overlap because the space is open. We didn’t use them. There isn’t a TV in the living room. A very steep staircase leads to the little tower room at the top, with two single beds, a small CD player/radio, and an excellent view. There are two nearly identical, modern, practical bathrooms, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor. Both showers have thermostats and good water pressure. Outside there’s a lawn and a nice pavilion, with seating on old beams around the second large millstone. The mill had two sets of millstones. The terrace has two loungers and a beach chair. A shed holds bikes, a washing machine, and a dryer, and there’s a small parking spot for a car. The gas central heating kept the place comfortable even when it was around freezing. We found it generally very clean. There was some dust or a cobweb on the thick beams, and opening windows can let a few cobwebs or insects in, which is natural in an old wooden building. Basic supplies, including toilet paper for the first day, were there when we arrived.