Staying on a Houseboat

 When my sister visited Amsterdam, she stayed on a houseboat Air B&B…so of course I wanted to also!  The one I found was out of the center of town, but easily accessible by tram or bus.  It was in a quiet harbor…quay..? It was lovely and the hosts were too.  There was a place right next to where it was docked that was a place people could swim…swimsuits optional.  😝 

Our boat, the Mado, used to be a cargo boat. It was built in 1932 and used as such until the 80s.  The current owners bought it and spent years renovating it into a home and Air B&B.  They have lived on it for several years…I’m not sure how long.  There were solar panels on it for their electricity and skylights, porthole windows and other places for light.  When we checked in, they led us to our rooms via the residence.  The steps to the rented rooms are VERY steep (you’ll see in a minute) and difficult to navigate with a suitcase.  So we got to walk through their home.  It was fascinating and very nice.  

Life on a boat is different.  It moves, of course.  Not dramatically, but it moves.  My balance got thrown off a bit more than once. Taking a shower on a moving boat…being inside the boat but getting wet…was a strange sensation.

Here is a tour.

The Mado

Looking out over the deck of the Mado. The solar panels are over the residence area of the boat. The part on the end is the kitchen and dining area with a wall of windows and then other residence areas.

The view from one side of the boat.

The view of the swimming area and shore line from the other side of the boat.

The entrance to our rooms was this hatch.  You had to push back the heavy wooden door and then go down some very steep steps.  To the right of this photo, not pictured, is an area of the deck for people staying at the Air B&B to use. There were a couple chairs and a comfy beanbag and a swing.  Caleb and I ate supper up there one night.

Yes, these are the steps to get down. You had to either go backwards or keep your feet sideways.

The main room - with Caleb on his sofa bed.  I didn’t realize that the thing behind him on the wall was a representation of Van Gogh until I saw it in the photos.  It is just a bunch of colored squares. Very cool.

Along the side of the stairs is the kitchenette.  There was a fridge, sink, microwave and other amenities. Lots of coffee supplies. They even left us some water, wine, beer, popsicles, ice cream and crackers! So nice to have some snacks already there!

Directly to the right after you come down the stairs is the bedroom.  I declared that the person who gave birth to the other person and the person who paid for the room got the bedroom. 😆

If you walked past the kitchen, the entrance to the bathroom was under the steps. It was a nice full bathroom with plenty of room.

There were a few of these porthole windows.  This one was in the bathroom and was a little strange to see people standing on the dock so close to you when you were in there.  But that rarely happened and the view and fresh air were wonderful.

All in all, it was a wonderful part of our Amsterdam experience and I highly recommend this place and these hosts! They were so friendly, easy to work with and fun to talk to.