NOW Pet Diaries

It was late June 2020 and the first week of summer by the time the EU reopened its borders after months of lockdown due to Covid-19. Curious and cautiously excited at the thought of travelling again, my husband Onno and I drove from the Suisse alps, through Germany, to our favorite beach in west Holland called Noordwijk aan Zee with our 1year old Shiba Inu named Hachiko.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, and we were welcomed with a touching Heart-in-Hand from the Managing Director Stefan Stokkermans and his team who made a huge effort to extend their personal and warm hospitality at a respectful social distance. It is the only pet-friendly beachfront hotel in the area that offer a luxurious and truly sustainable travel experience.

We were totally pampered with an upgrade to the Advocaat Penthouse Suite, a private residence with a panoramic view over the North Sea. Hachiko was extended and I Love My Pet service and was delighted to find dog treats in the room and on the table at the large breakfast room.  She sniffed the huge ‘FatBoy’ pet bed, but we found her snoozingon the out-of-bounds king bed when she thought we were not looking. We all loved the breezy balcony where Hachiko joined me for a ‘downward dog’ pose stretch during my morning yoga and watched the dramatic sunsets.

Everywhere, we met friendly dog lovers with great stories to share about their furry friends. From the hotel, a mere 500 meters stroll on the boulevard is an amazing dog paradise named Bubbles Beach. The entrance is marked by Bubbles Beach Restaurant with an outdoor terrace and the Honden Bar (Dog Bar) with a fun selection of dog toys and accessories. We all enjoyed a leisurely walk in the fresh sea air as we watched a lively parade of canine breeds freely frolicking, growling, howling, playing, sniffing, slobbering, swimming and running up and down the beach. It was Hachiko’s first beach experience and she was fascinated by the sea and sand and the action around her. Bubbles Beach welcome dogs all year and the other beaches welcome dogs from October to May.

Authentic and traditional Dutch food and sweets are wholesome and delightfully delicious. The hotel’s beachfront terrace, Breakers Beach House and Salt Restaurant served the freshest seafood and other delicacies – tiny tasty shrimpies are called garnalen, smoked eel is called gerookte paling, herring is called hollandse nieuwe, and veal or shrimp croquette is called kroquetten or bitterballen. Stroopwafel is a melt-in-your-mouth rich caramel sandwiched between sweet thin wafers. For an exquisite culinary fine dining experience, the hotel’s Latour Restaurant has been awarded one Michelin every year since 2005.

We wandered through the old fishing village of Katwijk and its interesting boutiques, bakeries and a fish market. We explored the coastline landscape with rolling dunes and grassy peat meadows where we discovered countless fluffy rabbits to the delight of Hachiko who wanted to make friends and attempted to hop after them through the tall grass with little success. We learned stories of days gone by from storyboards standing in key landmarks. Whenever we visit the beautiful beachfront of western Holland on sunny days, we always conclude `We can live here’!

Our relaxing and carefree vacation with Hachiko was short, sweet and so memorable. Travel is a privilege and it is more precious when the simple pleasures are good for people and planet, and connect us with other cultures's and 'nature'.