The next morning I woke after a reasonable night’s sleep: you know what it is like, the first night in a strange place. Although I slept really well I woke frequently. But I had had the most comfortable night ever: I did not think such a mattress existed in the world – pure bliss.
And the heating was so good; everything was as warm as toast. What comfort, what luxury:) (At home our central heating boiler had broken down and until we knew whether or not our dog needed an operation we could not afford to replace it, so home was just a little cool!)
I got up to make a cup of tea to take back to bed, and on the way opened the curtains to see what kind of day it was. As light flooded the suite I was amazed.
My bedroom had double floor-length windows, doors really, giving onto a balcony at the front of the Villa.
The view looked over at other houses and trees, some of which still had a few leaves.
As I went through the flat opening curtains I realized just how light an apartment this was despite being a rainy day.
And, joy of joys, my dining room was in a tower!!!!!!! A tower room all to myself. Like something out of a little girl’s dream. “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”. Only I am not blond, neither is my hair long enough, nor am I young enough. Still, one can fantasize.
During the days to come, I would sit in the tower room having several of my ‘moments’, surrounded by cosy radiators, reading, doing the crossword, looking at maps, planning excursions, writing my diary and smiling at the occasional pedestrian who happened to look up.
The front of the Villa showing my set of rooms on the first floor: bedroom over the hotel entrance, sitting room in the middle and my tower room on the left hand side!
From one side I could look up and down the road, from another I could look over the lovely garden, into which the conservatory projected.
I was so happy. In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined having such a place to stay, and especially at this price. As I had my tea and then got ready for the day ahead, I felt the luckiest person in the world:)
Time to head downstairs to the basement for breakfast in the conservatory
I have copied this photo from the Villa Imhof website at http://www.hotelimhof.nl/index.php?lang=en. It is their photograph, their copyright and not mine.
(View from the side. The Villa is built into a hill so access to the main entrance is from the road on the right, whereas the conservatory where breakfast was taken is at the basement level: mine is the top room in the tower.)
And if I thought what I had experienced so far was wonderful, I had no idea what lay ahead. You ain’t seen nothing yet!
To be continued.
How many guests do they cater for as you seem to have been given half the house?
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They have four rooms/suites in all. There is another suite on the same floor as mine, then the attic and I think one on the ground floor Certainly I have never ever stayed anywhere either B&B or Hotel with so much room.
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Blimey!
How many more visits have you booked?
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Well, that is a good question. I don’t want to spoil a fantastic experience by trying to repeat it but Bloemendaal has a huge nature reserve and beach side which is home to many, many people in the summer. I guess I was lucky with my room/s going out of season but it would be fun to see it in summer.
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i am hanging on every post. next instalment soon please
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I’m so pleased you are enjoying it as much as I did:) But it is taking me ages to go through all my photos so I cannot post too frequently.
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What fun! Can’t wait to see what comes next.
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Thanks. Am working on it!
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What a glorious place. Glad you have some sun today.
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Thanks, but oh – for some warmth!!
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What a lovely villa. I like the windows and the furniture – also the other houses in the neighborhood look good. My parents had a tower in their house, but I only have a couple of small photos of the house, with them in front of it. When we go back to Paris I’ll try to go back there and take more photos. Having digital cameras have revolutionize how many pictures we now take – I certainly enjoy all yours.
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Thank you so much. I would love to see some photos of your Parisian home. I know, digital has made it all so much easier. By the way, I love the postcard collection you have but one query: how do you catalogue them so that they are easy to find when you want to use them? I have often wondered:)
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You may not be Rapunzel, but you are definitely in a fairy tale. What exceptional lodgings!
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Absolutely: they made the holiday into something really special:)
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I’ve just caught up with your adventures. It looks absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to read the next installment (does it have two ‘l’s?) and see more of those lovely photos.
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