Finally officially opened: Stadeshuys Stavoren

Stadeshuys 00

I have reported earlier about the making of this exceptional 2 suites Bed and Breakfast in Stavoren in 2004 and in 2006.

It has a honeymoon suite with a view that is probably the most beautiful view of The Netherlands. When the suite was half ready we have slept in it as test sleepers.

Saturday 7th April Stadeshuys was officially opened by the Lady of Stavoren, a mythical person in The Netherlands.

Stadeshuys 01
Host Pim an hostess Jane welcoming guests for the opening
Stadeshuys 03
The Honeymoon Suite with original wall painting
STADESHUYS 02
The view from the Honeymoon Suite
Stadeshuys 04
The Lady of Stavoren enjoying the view from the Honeymoon Suite’s balcony
Stadeshuys 05
The Honeymoon Suite’s bathroom
Stadeshuys 06
The view from the Honeymoon Suite’s bath
Stadeshuys 07
The other suite: the “Jol” (= Dinghy) Suite

(All photos © Happy Hotelier)

Ane Lykke

Core 77 Design logo

Via the Core 77 Design Blog I found:

Ane Lykke

Ane Lykke, a Danish designer with a textile design background who designed the entrance doors for the Exhibition Hall in Copenhagen.

I will disclose the main reason for this post later, maybe much later.

180: Cycling Around The World

180 dart score
180 !

Why 180? Well this is the 180th post published since inception of Happy Hotelier and whenever I see the number I connect it with the triumphant referee in a major Darts Match screaming: “One Hundred and Eieieieietheeeeee!” when one of the competitors hits the top score of three triple twenties. Then I also think immediately of current PDC Darts Champion Barney, also living in The Hague. Yes I am proud and a bit triumphant myself with this 180th post here and am really sorry technically I cannot paste the 180 sound here yet….

Cycling Around The World

As a proud Dutchman I would further like to remind you that The Netherlands is bike country #1 and I switch subject to give you this link to Cycling Around The World of a Dutch couple, Paul van Roekel and Anja de Graaf, who have been cycling the world for many years and who have crated a beautiful and inspiring site about their travels with many photos.

Darren Cronian: Travel Rants and Mud Hotels / Vacation Homes

Andrere Amellal Oasis
Picture Adrère Amellal Oasis

Darren Cronian was the guy behind the Travel Rants Blog. Unfortunately he discontinued the blog later. Earlier I posted already about him.

I have a weak spot for him, because, in comments to a post about The Happy Hotelier he urged me to go on with this Blog and work hard on it, which I did since.

In a recent interview in Europe a la carte we learn a bit more about Darren:

His business is World Wide Holiday Homes. He developped this site into a business after his parents bought a holiday home in Spain which they wanted to rent. Ha ha, he obliged them by building a whole imperium of a website around the idea of setting up a site to rent the family property.

He was once asked to find a mud hut in Kenya as a vacation home and found it. This is not so strange and also not so difficult, as more than 2/3 of the world population lives in a mud house. Only we in the West usually are not aware of this fact. An important source for anything about adobe, earth, mud or straw bale building is this impressive Blog: Earth Architecture.

Actually I had collected already some links to mud hotels and vacation rentals in the past:

Out there there must be some more very luxurious earth lodges as well.

As sustainable or green holidays are becoming more and more an important factors in traveling, I believe earthen, clay, mud or adobe accommodations will get more and more attention and are worth while a consideration. Also in my own place I have experimented successfully with pigmented clay plastered walls that contain the central heating pipes.

Finally: a special way of spending your holiday is a working holiday where you learn how to build or decorate a home with earth/clay/mud.

Who has more sustainable accommodation suggestions?

A nifty Blogger's tool: Backlink Watch

If you want to know who is linking to your site Backlink Watch gives a simple to use and, compared to Yahoo’s and Google’s similar tools, reasonable complete overview of sites that link back to the site you enter.