Join MYA in the Netherlands, one of the happiest countries in the world, replete with art, tulips, castles, bicycles, canals, dunes, cheese!, and so much more. We’ll stay in Amsterdam for the cool city vibes, Valkenburg for the magical charm, ruins & catacombs, and Zandvoort for all things coastal. In between all of that, we’ll get in stunning views of flowers…
Our adventure begins in Amsterdam as we find the hidden gems with local connections, taking in the culture, the cuisine, the abundance of art, alongside scenic canals and beautiful architecture. We’ll stay three nights in a riverside hotel full of antiques, a cozy lounge, and yummy breakfast. Adventurers will have three rooms with plenty of twin beds and sweet views. Please know that often the Dutch have their twins side by side with seperate bedding, if that makes you nervous, please consider booking with a friend :)
We have a special treat that first eve, we’ll take a 10 min train ride to a friend’s place to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal. Our first full day we’ll start off slowly giving ourselves time to adjust and take in the goodness. If the weather is good, after breakfast we can get in a yoga practice in one of the parks. The temps are usually in the mid to upper 50’s but we may get an earlier warming due to our adventure being close to May.
Being that there are more bikes than people in the country, adventurers can decide if that’s the way they’d like to move through the city. No worries if that isn’t your fav mode of transport. There are cafes & markets linger in, the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, stunning street art, and a canal boat cruise could be in the mix too. There’s also nightlife if adventurers would be up for some dancing!
More trains can be taken to nearby cities & landscapes (tulips/beaches!) to take in extended goodness.
From the city, we’ll head to Valkenburg for our two night stay in a remastered, resplendent 16th century castle, simply magical with fairy tale ambiance. Our friend/guide will be with us assuring that we don’t miss any of the awesome sights in and around the kasteel.
MYA will have two big rooms with two twin beds each and a queen or king bed (if need be, if two of my twin bed adventurers wouldn’t mind sharing or we can pop in an extra room). Breakfast is part of the hotel experience as well as gorgeous parklike grounds and outdoor spaces to lounge and explore. There is a new spa facility for additional pampering. If adventurers really want an epic spa experience, Thermae 2000 offers heated beer or wine baths!
A short walk (or bike ride) away is the quaint historic town with nooks & crannies, the velvet cave with secret escape routes connected to Valkenburg Castle, plenty of hiking through undulating hills, and cool castle ruins to check out.
Then we head to the sea! Our final two eves will be spent in and around Zandvoort with a focus on the magnificent Zuid-Kennemerland National Park. Explorations will be on beaches, coastal dunes, on trails, and in town with street art, murals, and sculptures.
We’ll stay in a vibrant hotel with a sun terrace, cute living room with board games, delicious breakfasts, bar & coffee shop, and a short walk to the beach. MYA happens to love the beach off season! Adventurers will have two to three rooms to spread out in, either a couple folks can share or booking an additional room is no problem.
Biking or scootering thru the dunes is an option as well as zig-zagging thru the flower fields. In the national park there are more than 100 different species of birds, rabbits, highland cattle, deer, foxes, horses, and bison. Forested areas, lakes, and ponds are throughout the park. The Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen nature reserve is also at our doorstep for inspirational views and strolls.
