Europarcs Markermeer Bovenkarspel

I got some work done thanks to the steady wifi, and the shower had a solid stream of hot water. The four-person tiny house was clean and fully equipped, with a sunny terrace out front. The garden and resort were well kept, and I really enjoyed staying here. I’ll definitely return. A few small things could improve it: the mattress in the main bedroom is thin, so I’d add a box spring; insect screens on the windows would help; and I missed having oven gloves in the well equipped kitchen.

We’ve been to North Holland several times and never had a stay like this one at europarcs Markermeer. We booked five months ahead after seeing a 50% off offer. There were six adults, all over 18, and we paid for the largest house advertised because we wanted more room and comfortable beds. Instead, we were very disappointed with the house we were given. On arrival, nobody was there to help. We had to search the site for the locker with our key and information. We’d only been told it was a locker somewhere on the premises, not where to find it. The key was also very difficult to use in the doors. The kitchen was a narrow galley, with barely enough space for someone to pass if another person was in it. One room had a double bed; the other two each had uncomfortable bunk beds that made a lot of noise whenever anyone moved. With paper thin walls, we could hear people shifting in bed all night. The bathroom combined the toilet and shower, though we thought the listing showed them separately. It wasn’t accommodating for six adults. Why ask for everyone’s ages if that doesn’t matter? The pictures in the ad didn’t show our house at all, which felt like false advertising. I have pictures to prove it. They offered another house, but we already had two and didn’t need a third. Customer service was terrible, and the office was only open Mondays and Fridays. When it was open, the wait was very long because they were so busy. They said a computer booking had placed us in this house, which made no sense to us if it couldn’t accommodate six adults. They also charge a cleaning fee even though guests have to leave the place clean. We found cracks in the glass of the main door and a patio window when we arrived. The day before checkout, workers came into our house to replace the door glass and measure the patio window. Why couldn’t that wait until after 10 am the following day, once we’d checked out? The second house we rented was nice, much nicer than the one we’d booked five months earlier, and much cheaper. On the windy morning we left, an umbrella that was already in its stand when we arrived blew over and broke. We’d never touched it, but someone came to us and gave us trouble for leaving it out. If the resort was worried about the patio furniture, they should have been collecting it themselves. It was extremely windy, and they should know what high winds off the water can do. At checkout they knew we were unhappy and offered 50% off a future visit. Why would we return after they couldn’t accommodate us this time? These houses might suit two adults with very young children, but they’ll never see us on the property again. There are much nicer places to stay in North Holland. Lesson learned! 🥂👌

The view is beautiful, but the place didn’t seem clean. There were lots of dead spiders on the walls, and we had no soap, towels, or toilet paper. The walls are very thin too.

The apartment is right by the water, in an absolutely awesome location. The nights felt peaceful after summer.