Hotel Zeespiegel

Room was larger than normal with a big enough balcony. Well located, close to the beach and shops. The shower worked well with good water pressure and temperature but the semi-circle cubicle felt a bit small. Bed was comfortable with a spare cushion and duvet. Heating and TV were good too. The kitchen area was good enough for our short stay but we would have liked a toaster and we didn't use the "old fashioned" filter coffee percolator. Check-in was a bit chaotic - you must phone in advance and the "key lady" will arrive to deal with you. Don't rely on the booking dot com message system as she does not access them - you must phone. Also check the overload of messages for the final address you've been allocated as while we waited outside 2 couples arrived at the wrong one. I was a bit disturbed by all the messages received from the apartment owner. They are overwhelmingly clear about damage and the financial consequences - more so than most other places we've stayed in. But they aren't very upfront about known damage on arrival. We weren't told that the TV remote battery cover was held in by just air, or that the shower head was loose. Damage control needs to work both ways, and I'd certainly check the apartment thoroughly before handing over my deposit. Make no mistake - staying here is a business transaction, they aren't good at a welcome, they won't give you a fireside chat about the history of Zandvoort and once checked in you'll not see any staff. They also tell you you'd get a discount if you book directly through their website but that wasn't the case when we checked future dates. So I'd stick with the extra protection offered by booking dot com in case of any disputes. We will stay again though as the benefits of the property outweighed the minor irritations.