De Lammersdamhoeve

why this house met the standard

For the view. Not from the terrace, but from inside the house. The roof windows upstairs sit so low that you look out across the fields to the treeline from your bed. That is rare, and it cannot be built in later.

For what has been kept. The whole roof structure is exposed: dark beams, oak floors, doors with wrought iron. Behind a renovated façade is a house that did not trade its character for convenience.

And for the dogs. They come along, no surcharge and no fuss, into a garden that is fully enclosed. That sounds like a small thing until you have looked for a holiday home with a dog.

A farmhouse on the edge of the De Gulke Putten nature reserve, where open fields give way to woodland. Four bedrooms, a fully enclosed garden, and a terrace that catches the morning sun. Outside there is the forest and the sound of it. Inside, everything is ready.

Behind the old façade, the farmhouse has been rebuilt from the ground up. The living space is light and flows into the kitchen: room to come together, and room to withdraw without leaving the house. The four bedrooms are spread across the house, with two bathrooms. There are two separate sitting areas, which with eight guests is the difference between being together and being on top of one another. One thing we would rather tell you before you book than after. Two of the bedrooms run into one another: the room with the double bed is reached through the room with the two single beds. For a family or for friends travelling together this works fine. For two couples it is worth knowing. Beds are made up before you arrive and all bed and bath linen is included. You let yourself in with your own code. Nobody comes by unless you ask — and then someone is reachable and close. The whole house and garden are yours. The garden is fully enclosed, safe for children and for dogs, with a terrace for slow mornings and long evenings. Parking is on the property: you arrive and you stay put. Pets are welcome at no extra charge. Quiet hours from ten at night until nine in the morning. This is a house for slowing down — not a base for large groups, and not an event venue.