Retreat Near Sint Maartenszee Beach

Our Schmidt family had a wonderful stay in this lovely cottage, which is about seven minutes from the beach and has room for five people. Thanks, Hans and Esther. We'll be back in June 2025.

The rooms were really clean, and the holiday home itself was okay. The dishes and cutlery were a weak spot: some were old, and most hadn't been cleaned properly. We just washed what we needed. What cost it two stars for us was the staircase to the upstairs bedrooms. It's almost like a ladder, with big gaps between the steps and an open top. For a toddler who can walk, that felt really dangerous, especially with no safety rail. The garden behind the house was huge and had a little climbing slide, probably best suited to toddlers.

We had a wonderful weekend, with plenty to see around the area. The beach takes at least half an hour each way on foot, and a large supermarket in Callantsoog is about five minutes away by car. There's also a small SPAR across the road, just a minute's walk away. We enjoyed a trip to Alkmaar, around 20 minutes by car, and a stroll through the Zwanenwater nature reserve. In Schoorl, you can climb the climbing dune and walk through the Schoorlse Duinen. The cottage is in the "De Belkmer Duinen" park; we initially drove past it, which is why we took a photo of the park entrance. Parking is right outside. It's a lovely fit for four, such as two adults and two teenagers, though we thought six adults would feel cramped. There’s a small downstairs bedroom with bunk beds, which we used as a walk-in closet, and a roomy shower and toilet opposite. Upstairs, a steep staircase leads to two double beds under a low, sloping roof, with a door between them. In the living room, two sofas face the TV, and there's a large glass table that extends. The kitchenette has a dishwasher, a freestanding oven on the counter, with the kitchen light switch behind it, a kettle, coffee maker, large fridge, and a Senseo machine. The kitchen also has the cutlery, pans, and utensils we needed. Beside the house, a shed holds a washing machine, freezer, tools, a football, and two bikes. We found and booked the cottage through Booking.com.

Our arrival was delayed because we had to collect the key from another area. The service was terrible and they weren't cooperative. We paid through Booking.com, then handed the landlord another 500 euros as a security deposit, which wasn't refunded. They also charged me 500 euros for cleaning the rooms. I'm very upset. The price was already very high, and we hadn't damaged any furniture.