Totally into Ameland
The Wadden, I like them but I don't go there often enough for my liking. A trip to Texel for a day in between, but that was always it. Until five years ago when we took the ferry to Ameland on a cold but sunny November day. I was immediately sold, what peace, what space and yet cozy.
The beaches on the island are enormous, the villages cozy and you can bike around all of Ameland in about an hour, but I would take the longer route. The public transport is fine if you have a long walk planned and want to take the bus back to your accommodation, but otherwise, the bike is really your mode of transport here. Of course, I promised myself on that cold day in November by a fireplace to come back every year, but it took a bit longer than planned. But suddenly the hotel was booked, the fast ferry reserved and the days off requested.
If you plan to go to Ameland, and I would do it if I were you, here are some tips.
1. Take the fast service
If your days and hours are scarce, I would recommend taking the fast service to Ameland. Wagenborg will take you from the mainland to the island in twenty minutes. I would leave the car at P1, because you really don't need it. And go early, because the first fast service leaves at half past eight in the morning and you really want to catch that day.
2. Stay at Zee van Tijd
I discovered this hotel-but-also-restaurant in Nes on the last day of my previous visit. What a shame, because I would have liked to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner there every day. That's why we agreed that this would be our accommodation for a next visit, which worked out. It is a cozy but hip place, where there is activity all day long, but where you can also sit with a book on a couch in the corner. Or in the huge bath in the room of your comfort suite, just sayin’, whatever you want.
3. Just eat there too
Zee van Tijd has a nice terrace, where you can enjoy drinks under the heaters until late in the evening. Inside is just as cozy and the food, meine gute, so good. Definitely order a fifty-fifty flammkuchen with your drink, half-traditional and half-Mediterranean. And everything else is delicious, so you can't go wrong. As far as I'm concerned, the best restaurant in Ameland.
4. Rent a bike
Ameland is the island for cycling and walking. Through the Nesserbos you can walk straight onto the beach or you choose the Wadden side to bike from Nes over the dike to Hollum or vice versa, it just depends on where you are staying. You can rent a bike at almost every street corner. We went for the old-fashioned pedaling ourselves, but the electric variant is on the rise. There’s even a Cortina waiting for you on the pier or you can stop by the rental in the village.
5. Enjoy lounging at The Sunset
On the beach in Hollum to never go home again. Dip your toes in the sand, order a tropical beer and you really won't feel like you're in the Netherlands anymore. I could have stayed here for the rest of the summer. A big plate of nachos on my lap, a book beside me and just enjoy.
6. Or at the Strandhuys
In Buren not much happens, but what does happen is good. Bike through the village and head towards the beach where you can't miss Paviljoen Strandhuys. We snuggled up on a cozy bench to enjoy the view of the beach and the sea.
7. Shopping at Designboutique DAY
This was my only miss from our visit, because my beloved was going so fast on the bike that I only realized this might be the cutest shop on the island when we were already out of Hollum. I wanted to go back, but cycling the same stretch twice is unfortunately not in his vocabulary. But if you're looking for something nice, you have to go to DAY, I even saw that in the pace at which I raced past.
8. Enjoy drinks at a café in Nes
At Van Heeckeren around the fireplace or on the couch at Nescafé, these are the typical casual cafés where you can linger endlessly on the terrace with a cup of coffee or a cocktail, depending on what you feel like. Do make sure to drink an Amelands Nobeltje, the liqueur known to locals as the tourist killer. Well, then you know.
9. Arrange a box and settle down on the beach
At Zee van Tijd you have a beach box with wraps and bowls and wine of your choice, so make sure you pack one of these beach blankets in your suitcase, order a box an hour before you go and find a spot on the beach with a view of the sea or somewhere along the dike where you look out over the mudflats. Guaranteed the best idea to do, lounging after a long bike ride or walk with something tasty.
