One more night in Paris started our B&B

One more night in Paris

Valery has never found it easy to leave Paris. During that last lunch, Eric opened his phone and searched an app he had heard about. A room was available within walking distance. They booked it before they had much time to reconsider.

The hosts lived in a beautiful penthouse and rented out a bedroom and bathroom. We were guests in somebody's home, yet we had our own space. The combination stayed with us long after the drive back to Noordwijk.

Back home, the idea followed us

Valery suggested opening our summer house to guests. The idea began lightly, without a business plan or a picture of what it might become. The house already had the right bones: it stood beside our home, had its own entrance and gave guests privacy.

The private sauna made the house different from an ordinary room. From the first season, we wanted guests to use the whole place as their own. We live close enough to help, while the guesthouse remains theirs throughout the stay.

A guesthouse filled with stories

Valery never wanted an anonymous holiday rental. She filled the rooms with warm colours, art and objects connected to people or places. A blue-and-white porcelain box near the window holds a small shell. Guests often open it and find a quiet reminder of the beach.

Eric's mother made the bronze horse in the courtyard and the cobalt-blue painting beside the bed. Another painting helped Valery choose the colours for the interior. A branch found on a walk through the dunes and woods became the clothes rail upstairs.

Each object earned its place. Together they give the house the character that a catalogue interior cannot provide.

We learned by opening the door

The first version looked more like an extra guest room. We bought practical furniture, put out too many towels and added more decoration than the small rooms needed. Guests showed us how they moved through the house and which details helped them settle in.

We simplified the practical things and kept the pieces with a story. The house grew more comfortable as we learned, but it also became more personal. Guests often treat it with the same care because they can see that somebody made real choices here.

The moment guests breathe in

Valery spent time finding a calm scent for the house, the linen and the sauna. She still watches people enter, pause and take a deep breath. That first response tells her whether the rooms feel clean, warm and ready.

Breakfast carries the same attention. Valery makes marmalade, granola and baked treats herself. Guests still ask for the recipe for her courgette and banana muffins. She chooses good ingredients and buys organic or nearby products where she can. Breakfast is available on request and arrives at the guesthouse in the morning.

Two hosts, each with a role

Eric often welcomes guests, explains the house and shares his Noordwijk tips. He speaks German and enjoys hearing what brought people to the coast. Valery concentrates on the rooms, the food and the details that guests notice after they unpack.

We both live close by, but we do not step into our guests' time unless they need us. The balance has stayed the same since that Paris apartment: personal contact when it helps, privacy when you close the door.

The idea we brought home

Romantic Wellness B&B never came from a grand plan. A borrowed room in Paris showed us that staying in somebody's home could feel generous, private and full of character.

We still feel grateful when guests choose our little house. The sauna, breakfast, art and stories all serve the same purpose: you arrive, put down your bags and feel that somebody prepared the place for you.