Carolien's secret vacation spot
Vacation in your own country isn't so crazy: there are so many beautiful places in the Netherlands. Last week we traveled to Buitengoed de Gaard in Limburg to sleep in a real pipowagen, cuddle with goats, and swim in our own hot tub (literally after a day of sun on it, a natural hot tub…). If you were to Google the definition of hospitality, you would see a photo of the owner. Everything has been thought of: chocolates on your pillow, fresh flower honey, and goat cheese with a recipe included, and for the kids, a certificate with a medal for taking care of the goats. In the evening, they lit the tea lights for some extra atmosphere, and we could even choose whether we wanted a scented oil in our hot tub. Otis was lost for five days to the neighbor girls on the property, with whom he secretly had a crush. Besides the lovely view and the goats, I miss that little cozy pipowagen – with air conditioning – the most, now after two nights sweating in Amsterdam on the third floor…
As much as I would love to book a spa day with my girlfriends, I am still a bit cautious about it. But my favorite Away Spa is wonderfully straightforward, and the number of people staying there can be counted on one hand (quite different from being in a group of dozens during a sauna session). Now they have a Summer Sundowner package, including a full body scrub and long massage. I treated my lovely mom to this nice treatment and then had lunch on the roof of the W: secretly much more fun than a day at a ‘regular’ spa.
Now my wardrobe is literally overflowing, but for these super high temperatures, I really have very few outfits hanging. Either something has long sleeves, or my dresses reach the ground, and that cute short suit is made of a fabric that is way too thick. My search for a light and nice outfit didn't take long, because I saw this suit from Yerse at a friend's place. By the way, that's a brand worth Googling, because this Spanish brand makes beautiful items and is not yet very well known in the Netherlands. It's nice to know that not everyone is wearing the same set.
My salvation for multitasking at home: wireless earbuds, so I can still make some work calls while doing the dishes, tidying up toys, and doing laundry. And to make this activity a bit more fashionable: last weekend I received the latest Galaxy Buds Live on my doormat, which are really a fashion accessory. Besides the fact that they look super nice, they fit really comfortably in your ear and don't stick out. The sound is truly incredibly good, something I often find much less with this kind of earbuds. Bring on those multitasking moments, because I want to wear these earbuds as often as possible.
