Reviews of Property: Bungalow/Cottage/Haus/House in Alkmaar with large garden (Beach and Mer)

After a long journey there was a warm welcome to this very comfortable log cabin. For a family with 2 young boys this was ideal with plenty of space indoors and out. The cottage was very clean, warm and well-equipped; the owners had put much thought into providing plenty of useful information, and were also very helpful during our stay.
For a longer family stay a washing machine would be really useful, but it seems there is a launderette in nearby Bergen.
The location was great for touring; Amsterdam very easy to reach but also plenty to do and see close by, even in February. Alkmaar's ice skating rink was a great success!
Holland's traffic is pretty constant and the walk into Alkmaar takes about 45 mins but involves very busy roads. We did use the car for most journeys but taking bikes would have been good.
Thank you very much for a lovely stay. We would love to come back and see it in another season also.

5 of us aged 49 - 77 spent a week here in Oct 2008.
The log cabin was clean and comfortable.
We cooked a lot as we preferred to eat in.
Only had a flat pillow each, so if you sleep with more fluffy pillows bring your own.
A washing machine is a definite bonus rather than a dishwasher.
Owner was friendly and very helpful with tourist info.
When in Volendam try out the fish from the stalls, delicious and cheap. Souvenir shops are cheaper than Amsterdam.
Marken is quite nice, very reasonable prices in the only souvenir shop there. Owner, very friendly and helpful.
Enjoyed the windmills in Kinderdijk near Rotterdam, best place to see windmills.Also see it working.
Edam's cheese shop had best smoked cheese made from goat's cheese.Expensive but really delicious.Generous with samples.
When in Amsterdam try out the fries sold in a cone, a very Dutch thing to do.The fries are delicious with ketchup and mayo.
The set dinner menus about 11 or 12 Euros are good value for money in Amsterdam's restaurants as you walk down from the train station. Delicious and good portions.
A car is a must to stay here.
This rental location is very centralised to all places of interest. Our Tom Tom (sat nav) was a great help too.

We stayed in the Smit's log cabin for 4 days at the end of August...
The house is located only a few minutes drive outside of Alkmaar and less than 15 minutes to Bergen aan Zee therefore a car is a necessity.
The garden was pleasant and a perfect place for our 2 young girls to play in the evenings before bedtime.

I would definitely stay here again when we are in the area.

Thanks for everything!

This is a very nice, simple wooden bungalow with a pleasant garden. It's in a rural, peaceful setting just outside Alkmaar (which is actually a lovely town) and within easy reach of Harlem and Amsterdam. You definitely need a car however.
The house was extremely clean when we arrived and we'd certainly recommend it for people seeking privacy, peace and quiet. We are a family of four (2 small children) and although it is a small bungalow it was fine for us.
The owner and his family were absolutely charming and were extremely helpful.
The centre of Alkmaar is a 10-minute drive away and the old town has a lot of bars, restaurants and shops and everyone we met was very welcoming and kind.
We spent a very enjoyable fortnight here and would certainly consider staying here again. (The one drawback perhaps was the lack of a washing machine.)

We hired the cottage for our friends from England. They liked the cottage very much and had a wonderfull time. They feld very homely and enjoyed the views. Next time they come, we will hire the cottage again!

Wij hebben het huisje gehuurd voor onze vrienden in Engeland. Zij vonden het huisje geweldig en hebben een geweldige tijd gehad. Ze voelde zich erg thuis en genoten vooral van het uitzicht. Als ze weer komen zullen we weer dit huisje voor ze huren!