For the past 12 years, we have travelled every year and have rented a house in some part of Europe. Country & Lake is by far the BEST rental we have stayed in. There is no doubt that we will be back next year.My husband and I spent the first week in April in the 3-level barn-house. The views are stunning. The view from the living room area (2nd floor) overlooks the wetlands (green-green fields), which we found to be incredibly peaceful and relaxing to watch. We loved to see the ducks, geese and other interesting birds flying around, feeding (and nesting, apparently) in the field. The farmer next door has horses, a pony and sheep, which hang-out in right in front of the huge picturesque windows. There were lambs this time of the year and it was really entertaining to watch them run around (they reminded us of puppies; following one another, tearing back-and-forth). The view from the master bedroom on the 3rd floor overlooked the Lake, which offered a whole different perspective and reminded us of how inventive the Dutch have been, managing the sea! The lower level offers a sauna and a really wonderful spa-type room, which I really enjoyed sitting in late afternoon, when the sun streamed in. In addition to the gorgeous views, we enjoyed watching the children bicycling to school every morning and the enthusiastic cyclists who used the country road, also visible from the 2nd floor living room area.
The house has ALL the conveniences and was spectacularly clean and comfortable. Onny and Saskia are warm hosts (and Fred, their cat), always ready to help.
The area is charming and there is a lot to explore; the local stores, supermarkets, bakeries and general feel is very rural. Oh, and the very narrow bridges can prove quite challenging by car (it helps to have mirrors that retract), although there were other routes to avoid the village bridges.
While the property is secluded (which we look for in a property), it was easy to be in the throng of community and navigate the small towns. It was very easy to get into Amsterdam by car (although I understand that transportation by bus is also very easy to manage). After our week at Country & Lake, we boarded a 10 day Viking River Cruise with stops in The Netherlands and Belgium. The cruise was truly wonderful, but my husband and I both agree: if we were to do it over, we would have preferred to spend our 2 and 1/2 week vacation staying-put, in Warden at THIS property.
Thanks, Saskia and Onny!