Cabins and holiday homes in the winter in the Netherlands
Kerst, you hate it or you love it and a middle ground seems impossible. Honestly? We are on team LOVE. In capitals. But we're not the worst, on the contrary: because packing your bags during (or just before, or just after) Christmas is a great plan for all teams. Doors closed, TV on (for a nice (Christmas) movie), speakers on a shameless setting and fingers crossed for thick fluffy flakes of snow from the sky. And of course you want the hut you are moving into for a while to be of top quality. Ditto about it sound system (ergo that movie and the speakers). We do feel you. Check out the list below: the nicest cabins and holiday homes in the Netherlands to get into the Christmas spirit (or during Christmas).
Also nice: some of the cabins are equipped with the very best speakers from Sonos. Promise.
Staying in the Dutch countryside is of course always a good idea, even if it is not Christmas. In this list you will find even more nice places.
Getaway Deluxe has a lot of houses spread throughout the country, all of which are worth seeing. Lake House is no exception to this. This handsome specimen is located right on the water. Lake House is open-plan and has almost no doors, but it does have a beautiful view over the water. You enter the kitchen (cooking island with bar) and look out over the living room, which is just a little lower. There is a canoe on the beach to explore the lake. After the (not so) harsh crossing you can warm up in the lovely sitting area with wood stove. Just the way we like our The Holiday/Home Alone/Love Actually movie night.
Sweet House en Baking house in the Zeeland countryside are sweeter than sweet and cuter than cute. The Art Deco wood stove (it doesn't work, but the eye also wants something) and the antique bath on legs certainly contribute to this. The houses have been lovingly renovated and original details have been preserved. Cozy Christmas guaranteed, especially when the Christmas Station of Sonos radio blaring from the speaker in the bedroom. The house is large (or small) enough to have the best sound everywhere.
Nice, such holiday homes... But we also have to eat. Big tip: SOUS.
Remember, during the well-known pandemic en masse started cooking with home cooking boxes from fine restaurants? Fast forward to 2024: SOUS now supplies the menus of dozens of top restaurants and chefs throughout the Netherlands and Flanders – including your Christmas cabin. Ha! The restaurants and chefs affiliated with SOUS combine both traditional and modern cooking techniques and, in consultation with SOUS, create an ultimate dining experience at home... Er, cabin. And they – of course – make smart use of holidays such as Christmas. The chefs prepare the menus in their own kitchen, package the components fresh and airtight, ready for shipment. All you have to do at home is... finishing touch to do. With 38 partners in total, including names such as Ron Blaauw, Julius Jaspers and restaurants such as Treeswijkhoeve**, Parkheuvel** and Daalder*, a Very Good Idea all in all. Eat SOUS
Hands up to anyone whose Pinterest list is full of remote cabins in Scandinavia. The Dutch designer Caspar Schols designed such a cabin: Cabin ANNA, a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful design cabin with sliding walls. The first prototype appeared at Camping Hartje Groen in Schaijk in Brabant (not far from Den Bosch) and now an overnight stay in Cabin ANNA is a real fact: Holenberg is where you can book Cabin ANNA, Schaik is still the beautiful place in the Brabant greenery where you can sleep in one of these wooden and jet black (mega super cool) cabins. And thank us later.
And not only for your overnight stay in ANNA (we can say Anna), but also for the tip that we just mentioned casually: Heart of Green. Because De Boshut is part of Hartje Groen and De Boshut is by far the most cabin-esque part of the country (without overnight option that is). Wood inside and out, fireplace, cozy corner, tasty snacks: 10 points.
The Veluwe is always a pleasant place to be, even during Christmas. That project Noma Epe chose twelve Scandinavian forest houses with names such as Hjort, Sød, Knus and Grøn as a destination, which is therefore easy to understand. The tiny houses are all unique and decorated differently by different owners. Sød is the perfect place to spend the holidays, if you ask us... Located between the fir trees more Christmassy you're not going to get it.
We'll linger on the Veluwe for a while. The tiny houses van Kaatjekraal are also wonderful places to stay. You can choose from the Boshuisje or the cozy Beach House with a real beach garden. Although we secretly hope that it will turn into a snow garden at Christmas.
During the Winter Efteling, the Kaatheuvel fun village is decorated from A to Z with Christmas lights, you will find campfires everywhere, stalls with sausage sandwiches and hot chocolate, and you can join us at various locations for even more warming refreshments and winter entertainment. We are impressed by the details: just look at the singing mushrooms and most of the rubbish bins: they have also been given a winter coat. Nice, Christmasy, cozy, everything. But it only gets really interesting when we also shout about Bosrijk, one of the Efteling accommodations. We think Bosrijk is crazy, to say the least: the houses (cabins, but actually complete houses) on the lake are a dream (although the village street is just as idyllic). The details are countless: Sandman comes to tell his story at different places and times (so incredibly fun, for young and old) and in the children's rooms you can find a real Sandman game, nightcaps and reading books. In the morning, breakfast is just hanging at the door (extensive and fresh), if the weather is bad you can also dive into the swimming pool, there is a small supermarket where you can find everything you may have forgotten, and, most importantly: you walk into Efteling as often as you want (also on your arrival and departure days). If that isn't a holiday, we don't know what is.
Good news! Our beloved family of Cocoon houses has a new addition. In addition to very beautiful and cozy houses in Zeeland (Salt Flood), Drenthe (Forest Breeze) and Limburg (Buitenlust), there is now also a Cocoon House in Biddinghuizen. Randmaere is the name. And he is just as handsome as his brothers. There is a beautiful Italian pattern tile floor, large patio doors that take you to the terrace and three bedrooms. The Harderbos is around the corner and you are also in the cozy Harderwijk no time! The Cocoon Houses are ideal for relaxing with the kids (lots of games and space to romp) and the dog is also allowed to come along.
Cozy and cuddly at its best. That is Forest house Paperbird in Lochem, Gelderland. If you want a romantic Christmas for two, this is where you need to be. The house is located in a small-scale holiday park, but is nicely sheltered, so you don't have to worry about prying eyes. Come on with that one holy nights. If your group doesn't immediately make you feel warm, you can heat the 45m2 indoors no time warm thanks to the fireplace.
Starry starry night. Dwingelerveld National Park is one of the darkest places in the Netherlands, so if you want to stargaze, Dwingelo is the perfect place, provided the weather is good. It's official Outdoor party 7 a bed & breakfast, but because the two apartments are located in a quiet yard it does not feel that way. You can have an extensive breakfast delivered by the local bakery. Best of both worlds, we call that.
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