Garnekuul 76 - Callantsoog

We were in house number 4, and the studio itself works well for two people. The trouble is that there’s another apartment in the building, and the walls are so thin we could hear almost everything from next door. I’d gladly recommend the studio if it weren’t for that. It’s just too noisy.

The kitchen was very well equipped and the beds were comfortable, but the house was extremely noisy. We were four adults and two children in house number 5, and the size suited us. I wouldn’t recommend it for ten, though, despite being listed for that many: the dining table and living room seating wouldn’t be enough. The modern house is sparsely furnished, especially upstairs, so sound echoes. I wouldn’t want to stay in the studio if someone else was using the apartment next door. You can hear every word. On our last day, strong wind whistled through some windows and kept pushing open the small first-floor master bedroom window above the bed. That was especially unpleasant at night. The house was cold when we arrived, and windows in two upstairs rooms had been left open. You can’t adjust the heating yourself, but after a quick call the landlord turned it up right away. Cleaning was only superficial. For €1500 for 5 nights, that’s absolutely unacceptable. Makeup remover wipes from the previous guest were under the empty bag in the bin, and face cream and hair ties were under the cupboard. The shelves needed dusting, the oven needed a proper clean, and the floor by the kitchenette was stained. You’d be better off not looking between the sofa cushions. Cobwebs on the first floor looked like they’d been there for weeks and badly needed removing.

The Op t Oog houses are really beautiful, and ours was spacious, clean, and lovely when we arrived. The surroundings could use some improvement: there’s construction opposite and old cottages still standing around the new houses. That doesn’t take away from how nice the houses themselves are.

A really spacious house, well suited to a group of 12.