Sleeping with your feet in the water in Holland

These eight hotel rooms are situated at the rear of Villa Augustus, in a former floating office of the Eerland tugboat service, which was built in 1905. It was moored in the port of Rotterdam as a mobile office for several years. Inside you can see photos of the pontoon’s original moorings in Rotterdam’s Waalhaven. Villa Augustus has a hotel, a restaurant, a gallery space, a shop and a fantastic cottage garden and orangerie, where they regularly host concerts.

Sleep in a cardboard tiny house on the water in beautiful Rijnhaven with his historic quays or amid the high-rises of Wijnhaven, in between the Nieuwe Maas River and the Markthal. This floating sustainable wooden houses are wrapped in 24 layers of cardboard and are waterproof thanks to the intermediate Gore-Tex layer. The Wikkelboats have all the mod cons such as a projector, a barbecue and a hammock and some even come with a private jacuzzi.

Cosy up to the fireplace in the hold. On sunny days, there’s always the terrace of course. This boat is moored in Nijmegen’s Museum Port, under Waalbrug and near Ooijpolder. It has nine cosy rooms where you can spend the night, such as the 1001night room or the more classic captain’s hut, where you get to sleep among the former captain’s possessions.

How about taking a canoe trip across the Hollandse IJssel and waking up with a view of the water, in tranquil natural surroundings? This is back to basics camping. You receive your camping equipment on the spot (such as a gas burner, a jerrycan with water, mats to sleep on and a toilet bucket). All you need to bring is your sleeping bag, a pillow, a towel and some food and drinks. In addition to Marnemoende there is also a floating campsite in De Wissen in Limburg and one in De Heen in North Brabant.

Scheveningen’s Pier was abandoned and neglected for many years but in 2015, the tide turned. New restaurants and pubs opened here, it’s a great place for zip-lining or bungee jumping and what’s more, it has several hotel rooms with fantastic panoramic views of the sea from their own terrace.

There are two tree huts in the oak trees of Buytenplaets Suydersee, a campsite to the east of Lelystad near Markermeer. One is decorated as a hotel suite, while the other is more basic. They both offer fantastic views and have their own terrace. If you’re up for something even more unique than a tree house, why not sleep in a sewage pipe or in a tent (a large hammock) in between the trees?

Drijfpaleis is a little like Villa Villekulla, albeit on the water, in Arnhem. The owner Ruud Hilbrands built this houseboat himself, creating his own take on an Italianate style. It has plenty of charm and the ambience is excellent. Choose from two colourful bohemian chic rooms, which come with two house cats and a terrace garden with plenty of mosaics. Good to know: Ruud serves a great breakfast. The boat is within walking distance of the city centre. Open in the summer season.