As they say there is a first time for everything................and this was my first time in Holland, my first time in Amsterdam, my first time on a houseboat and my first time making an AirBnB booking without a single review on the listing and very few pictures, because the studio was in the process of being renovated and still under construction so to speak. During my online communications with the hostess, Albertine (which communications were always very prompt and very detailed, thank you Albertine) we struck up a report. Albertine has lived and worked in Africa and I am from Namibia, so we connected. I had a very good feeling about this place and I followed my gut (despite the absence of other reviews and my being the first customer) and I am SO GLAD that I did. This will go down in my book of travels as my best AirBnB experience ever. From the onset Albertine was most communicative and supportive, she gave me directions, the Tram Line number, and even offered to collect me from the Tram Station (which is only a 10 minute walk away from the boat). When I arrived and was duly collected I was taken to the houseboat and was greeted with a studio filled with fairy Xmas lights, underfloor heating, a Nespresso machine stocked with capsules, a complimentary bottle of wine, and there were even slippers provided to walk around with inside the boat. Then I was invited for a welcome drink and made to feel right at home - the BEST welcome any solo traveller could ever wish for in a new city. And all throughout my stay Albertine could not have been more friendly, supportive and helpful...................thank you so much xxx
As for the location - it is absolutely mind-boggling. You find yourself a 10 minute tram ride away from the centre of a somewhat manic city, yet you feel like you are on a desert island. During my week on the houseboat I spent two days (the 31st of December and the 1st of January) only in and around the boat and IJburg and I absolutely loved it................the views, the solitude, the tranquility, the sunrises, the peace and quiet!! And I was there in the middle of winter, I can only imagine how amazing it must be in summer.
Thank you again Albertine, I will see you again very soon.