Vacation Rentals by Owner

Wisconsin Family with 3 high school teenagers - LOVED IT!

Guest: Yolanda R.
Date of Stay: 04/01/12 Review Submitted: 05/19/12

We had an amazing time in Holland and our stay at the Johan house made it so. This was our kids first trip to Europe. When we arrived at the house, they couldn't believe the quaintness or "coolness" of the house and its location near an old city center. Ingrid was an amazing host. The house and its location was perfect. A 20 minute walk and you are at the train station where you can go anywhere in Holland. Ingrid provided a cell phone (where you purchase minutes and upload them) and she even purchased groceries for us so that we would have food upon our arrival on Sunday (no stores are open on Sunday). We also had WiFi. Highly recommended for everyone. If and when we go back to Holland, I would stay here.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

two couples from Ontario, Canada

Guest: Bernadine (New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/15/11 Review Submitted: 09/01/11

The Johan house was a delightful place to stay! We stayed for 11 days and rented bikes so we could enjoy the quaint town, the surrounding parks and musuems. We rented a car for 1 week and found that the location of Johan house is within easy driving distance to most of the Netherlands. We visited Nord Holland, Zuid Holland, Flevioland, Gelderland and Drenthe. We took the train to Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The house was very functional and clean. We enjoyed Ingrid's hospitality and she gave us very useful information on where to travel and which sights to see. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by Ingrid on our last evening. The dinner was very tasty and full of dutch cuisine surprises. I would recommend this property to friends and relatives. The overall charm of the house and its local in Amersfoort made our vacation in the Netherlands very enjoyable.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Canadian Home Run

Guest: Canadian Crew (Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada)
Date of Stay: 07/05/11 Review Submitted: 08/25/11

This was our first visit to Holland, and staying at Johan B&B added to the richness of the experience. Ingrid and Henk were wonderful hosts who were most helpful in providing information on the markets, laundry facilities, and even local sites to see. For not knowing anything about the country, we ended up renting in a place which is very central in Holland. We enjoyed coming back to the house and resting after a full day of exploring and visiting with relatives. The house is situated in the older part of Amersfort and is best to be accessed by foot from one of the parking facilities on ring road (if you have a car). The house is located within walking distance (less than 5 minutes) of major shopping. My daughter and I really enjoyed all the shops and even made a day of it. I think the best part of the house was we were able to experience the local flavor of the area as it is not a really a tourist area. Another plus to the house and area is it is only a 10 minute walk to the train station which can get you to Amsterdam in about 35 minutes. We loved the comfort and the home atmosphere of this rental and would definitely stay here again if the opportunity presented itself.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Family from Florida

Guest: The S Family (Florida, USA)
Date of Stay: 06/06/11 Review Submitted: 06/29/11

The pictures on the web site accurately portray the house. It's nicely furnished, has great kitchen supplies, and is clean and comfortable. The beds were comfortable as well and there was plenty of bath towels and supplies. The owner was very kind and always willing to help us. We took an excursion with the owner, Ingrid, who owns a catering business, We went to the The National Park De Hoge Veluwe in her red VW bus. We were dropped off at the park entrance, given little snack bags and rode bikes to the museum entrance, toured both inside and outside, hopped back on bikes and rode to the other side of the park where we were met by Ingrid. We then were driven to the countryside and set up for an outdoor picnic. This was a five course mid-day meal with various traditional dutch dishes. It was delicious and we were made to feel very special. This was a wonderful way to see some of the countryside. We would recommend this house and the tiny town of Amersfoort. There was always something to see and do in this town. The architecture and shopping was awesome! All the restaurants we ate at were quite good, but the one that stands out the most was the Pompey. Excellent food and service.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Fabulous hosts. Superior time!

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/29/11 Review Submitted: 08/10/11

We are no strangers to Holland; my husband was born here, and we make short visits every few years. However, establishing a home-base for weeks adds to the experience - especially by choosing central, convenient, interesting Amersfoort and Johan B&B and coming when we did on the eve of the Queen's birthday and during Holland's WWII Memorial week. This is a late posting on our terrific three-week stay (May, 2011) at Ingrid's and Hank's charming rental. Usually when we rent, we seldom see our hosts and receive little in the way of services. In Ingrid's case, we were overwhelmed with kindness and attention. We were welcomed with treats, she cleaned, even did our laundry and brought flowers weekly. She forbid us to vacuum on our own!!! Plus she provided invaluable tips that added to our pleasurable stay. The house is perfect: excellent kitchen with every convenience, great shower and beds, wireless (once we got it going....), private breakfast patio, walking distance to everything you could possibly need. Look no further...

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Extraordinary house in amersfort

Guest: camila (Bogota, Colombia)
Date of Stay: 04/24/11 Review Submitted: 05/02/11

We spend a week in amersfort at the end of april with our 2 sons and we really enjoy the house, it is beautifull, big, with all the amenities includedon the description Ingrid is an amazing person providing us tips on what to do and were to go. We reallly love our time there and will return as soon as posible.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Charming & comfortable

Guest: ENS (Stamford, CT USA)
Date of Stay: 03/30/11 Review Submitted: 04/05/11

We just came back from a trip to Holland & stayed at this lovely home for 3 nights with our two sons, aged 9 and 2. It was such a wonderful change from hotels and so comfortable and delightful. We lived in Amersfoort many years ago, but had never seen the charming cobbled streets and old homes - we felt priveleged to have this exclusive address for a few days. The hosts are wonderful, warm and generous - they provided a wonderful lunch when we arrived and our sons adored the Easter eggs they left for us. The next time we go back, we will certainly consider staying here again. Only precautionary note - the parking situation is difficult - and there are many one way streets - best off parking in a garage and carrying your bags to the door.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Our Home Away from Home!

Guest: Steve (Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States)
Date of Stay: 12/04/10 Review Submitted: 01/05/11

My wife and two daughters stayed in "De Johan" for the month of December 2010. We absolutely loved our time in "De Johan" and in Amersfoort. "De Johan" is absolutely beautiful, far exceeding our already high expectations. And we loved the location - within the binnenstad and only a few steps from wonderful cafes, restaurants, and shopping. I have been in the Netherlands since August and the binnenstad - the medieval center of Amersfoort - is perhaps the most beautiful in the entire country. The location of Amersfoort was ideal as well. Since the north-south and east-west train lines meet here, it made our daily excursions to various parts of the country easy and efficient. And Ingrid and Henk certainly made us feel at home. For example, Ingrid put out wooden shoes and treats for my daughters so that on our arrival we could celebrate Sinterklaas and then, a few days later invited us to go ice skating in the center of the binnenstad and paid for our skate rentals and chocomel! Furthermore, Henk invited us out to the beautiful countryside to pick out a Christmas tree and then purchased it for us and, on top of that, gave us lights and ornaments to decorate it! They also lent us a sled so that we could pull our girls around town. We certainly hope to return to the Netherlands as a family and if we do, we know where we will be staying! Vriendlijk bedankt Ingrid en Henk! We will never forget you or our time at "De Johan" in Amersfooort. We miss it already.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Great family accomodation in the heart of Amersfoort

Guest: Steven (Melbourne, Australia)
Date of Stay: 09/05/10 Review Submitted: 09/28/10

We stayed at Johan for two weeks and had a wonderful time. The house is in great position, right in the centre of the old city, and is very comfortable. It combines the historic charm of old Amersfoort with modern convenience and comfort. Our hosts were very helpful and generous with their time.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fantastic stay in a charming town.

Guest: Craig (Berlin, Germany)
Date of Stay: 08/10/10 Review Submitted: 08/15/10

This house lived up to all the descriptions on this website, and was all around fantastic. Ingrid was able to provide useful suggestions both by email in advance and in person after we arrived, and went out of her way to make sure that everyone in our party was comfortable. The house couldn't be in a better location. It's both central and quiet, a combination that's always hard to find. Amersfoort is well connected by rail, making it a great hub for exploring Amsterdam or other neighboring cities. The city is also very charming in in own right, and we spent many hours just wandering the local canals and relaxing. We would certainly recommend this property to everyone we know, and we wouldn't hesitate to rent it again in the future. Thanks Ingrid!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Great place to start a Holland vacation

Guest: Opa (Maryland, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/26/10 Review Submitted: 08/11/10

As a Dutch born "Opa" I wanted to introduce my two grandsons--age 10 and 12--to life in Holland. I couldn't have picked a better place to start than the Johan B&B. From the moment the two boys climbed the steep stairs to their own 3rd floor hideaway they were hooked. The beds were comfortable and there was plenty of floor space for their Lego blocks. Down a flight they liked the big shower head and on the ground floor they were intrigued by the typical Dutch "water closet." The house's location, two blocks from the Langestraat, Amersfoort's main shopping street, was ideal. In two days they found their own way to "Pataten van Van Gogh" and vowed they would eat them every day. For two boys with rather parochial American tastes, the presence of both McDonald's and KFC within easy walking distance was also a plus. The adults were especially appreciative of the warm reception--it included complimentary "drop," "stroopwaafels" and "ontbijtkoek"--the modern kitchen, the abundance of bath towels and a host of other small but important touches. The city map waiting for us with key locations such as the nearest "Albert Heijn" clearly marked was another indication of the extent to which Ingrid is attentive to the needs of her guests. This charming home is the perfect answer for visitors who want to experience the real Holland as opposed to a touristy hotel in Amsterdam. Try it and I'm sure you will agree.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway.

Beautiful home, centrally located! Clean and modern!!

Guest: Bill (Cambridge,Ontario,Canada)
Date of Stay: 05/29/10 Review Submitted: 06/20/10

Beautiful home with all amenities. Very clean and modern! This is truly home away from home. Great central location in Holland. Location in Amersfoort, close to town, which is a huge bonus. Ingrid and Henk were very helpful and and kind. We would definitely stay here again. We would definitely recommend this home to others!! This would be our number one choice of staying in Holland!!! Can't say enough! Thank you so much for the use of your home Ingrid and Henk.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

A terrific place to stay!

Guest: Doug Fort Collins CO (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA)
Date of Stay: 04/27/10 Review Submitted: 05/06/10

We had a terrific time staying at Ingrid and Henk's rental with our kids! It was very comfortable and clean and Amersfoort was a great place to visit. Ingrid was very accomodating and was kind enough to offer us some home made tompouce (delicious!) for Queen's Day and even gave us some old orange pants of her daughter's for our daughter to wear that day. We would not hesitate to stay here again and I would recommend it to anyone. Doug, Renee', Haley (5) and Henry (3) Fort Collins, Colorado

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Garret and Family
Date of Stay: 03/28/10 Review Submitted: 04/18/10

Ingrid and Henk, We wanted to thank you again for the tremendous hospitality you extended to us during our stay at Johan B&B. Our stay there was the perfect ending each day to our touring. We've told everyone here how wonderful you both were and how enchanting the B&B was. We loved Amsterdam and Amersfoort and hope to someday return. If we do, we'll definitely contact you to reserve the cottage again. Take care and thanks again for a lovely time.

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Guest: Laura Roy (Vinkeveen, NL)
Date of Stay: 12/09/09 Review Submitted: 12/08/09

We loved staying at the Amersfoort Johan house. The location was sublimely charming, on a historic little street in the city center. Amersfoort feels more authentically "Dutch" than anywhere in Amsterdam. The house itself was perfect: clean, modern facilities, and decorated with thought and care. Breakfast was great and the hosts very friendly. We hope to come back. Thank you!

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