Qurios Bloemendaal aan Zee: your next sustainable holiday destination

So I’ve got a little confession to make: I don’t really like travelling anymore. Maybe it’s because I’m more conscious of the environmental impact of flying or driving far (I already have to fly at least once a year to see my parents). Maybe it’s a fact that we now have to travel with our 5-year-old. Or perhaps the fact that I love our life in Amsterdam and feel a bit sad leaving it, even for a bit.

But lo and behold, living in Amsterdam just became that much better! About a month ago we’ve discovered a little holiday park, Qurios Bloemendaal aan Zee, located right on the North Sea, just a stone’s throw away from Amsterdam. Let me tell you why this little pearl has become our sustainable holiday destination and weekend away staple:

1. Qurios does so much to improve their sustainability

Ok, this IS a quick way to my heart: they touch upon so many different aspects of sustainability.

• The materials used to build this holiday park were produced as sustainable as possible and as close to home as possible.
• Their green energy is sourced from the windmill sea-park “Luchterduinen”.
• Water-saving showerheads and the professional water-saving dishwashers in every bungalow have reduced the water consumption.
• Qurios’s cleaners use environmentally friendly cleaning liquids and guests are provided with on-site waste recycling.
• The brasserie is focused on using local and bio produce, while the grocery store promotes the minimal use of mono packages.
  And these are just some highlights on why Qurios is a perfect sustainable holiday destination. If you are interested, I can tell you much more in the comment section.

There are more and more vacation parks that focus on sustainability and Qurios is definitely one of them.

2. Qurios Bloemendaal aan Zee is very close to Amsterdam.

One of the coolest things ever. You don’t need a car, nor a plane. You are on your sustainable holiday within 40 minutes from leaving your house. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. We took a train (15 min) to Haarlem from Amsterdam Central and then a bus to the beach (21 min). Sustainable and quick! (…because you don’t know pain till you go on a long drive with my 5-year-old).

Relaxing in the sun just an hour after leaving our Amsterdam apartment. Oh, and wearing the vintage summer dress I borrowed from LENA fashion library.

3. This place is gorgeous.

I’m a bit of a picky customer when it comes to architecture and prefer modern buildings with warm materials like concrete and wood. Qurios Holiday Park has gorgeous modern bungalows with floor to ceiling windows, concrete floors and minimalist interior. The bungalows are orientated as much as possible to face the dunes and even though they are close together it doesn’t feel crowded.

Our sustainable holiday home for a week, isn’t it gorgeous?

4. The nature is breathtaking.

Although the North Sea is cold, the dunes are serene; the beaches are clean and not too busy. We often go to the North Sea even in the winter: there’s nothing better than a brisk walk followed by a warm cocoa by a fireplace in a seaside cafe. I can definitely see ourselves booking a weekend at the Qurios Bloemendaal aan Zee in a winter.

Dunes are protected from the wind so they feel warmer, even when the weather turns cold.

5. Active social life.

Am I the only one who misses hanging out with my friends when I’m on holiday? If you are like me and love to socialise, you’ll love Qurios Bloemendaal aan Zee.  We’ve had friends join us for a lunch on the beach, for a playdate and I even had a night out dancing with my girls in one of many beach clubs there. We had plenty of family time but it felt lovely to also share some of our holiday with friends.

Maya with her mates: playdate on the beach.

6. Qurios Bloemendaal has an amazing kid’s program.

Ok, so if you don’t have kids this is not as interesting (although if a holiday park has a good kid’s entertainment program it keeps the overall atmosphere nice and quiet), but for us, it was one of the biggest surprises. Every day, 3 times a day, there were organised activities for the kids. Always different, well thought out and always fun. Maya had a blast. On day two she was already able to walk to the clubhouse by herself: “Bye mom, I’m going to the club.”… followed by 2 hours of quiet reading in a hammock for us. Bliss…

Maya is baking cupcakes at the kid’s club. And she brought them to us. And they were delicious.