Thalita: The beach and the sea give me the ultimate holiday feeling. I grew up in Curaçao and spent countless hours on the beach there. At the age of sixteen, I moved to the Netherlands, where I first lived in Dordrecht. My wish was always to live by the sea again. It's amazing that my husband Tijmen and I were given the opportunity to run Palace Hotel Noordwijk. Now our children are also growing up by the sea, it's wonderful to pass that on. We have three sons: Sem, who is ten, and the twins Jim and Aiden, who are eight years old. They all love being in the water. Swimming, paddleboarding, surfing; they do it all. Our boys really can't sit still. The beach and the sea are the perfect big playground for them!"

EXTENSIVE DINING

From our house in Noordwijkerhout, we cycle through the residential area and the dunes to the beach in ten minutes. After work, we regularly go there. Especially during the summer period, the boys' surf training is a weekly routine. From the beach, sipping a cup of coffee, we enjoy watching them in the water. They are happy, we are happy! Moreover, we really enjoy having an extensive lunch or dinner on the beach. It's great that our boys also enjoy all kinds of food. Hamburgers, oysters, a fresh herring from the stall; they like almost everything. In our hotel, we have a new culinary concept, Mr. Sato, with Asian dishes and sushi, and they love it too.

OPTIMAL RELAXATION

'Doing activities together, preferably outdoors, is very good for us. It helps us relax in our busy lives. We have owned the hotel for four years now, and since then we’ve hardly stood still due to all the renovations. For our family, it was the first hotel on the mainland within walking distance of the North Sea, and we’re happy that it’s doing so well. Honestly, we did expect that, because Noordwijk is an iconic seaside resort. Besides the beach, there’s so much more to do—beautiful nature for walking and cycling, and major cities are nearby. We find it important that our guests can fully unwind, not just on sunny days but in every season. That’s why we have Yumi Spa & Wellness, a stylish fitness studio, and recently, a yoga studio has also been established in our hotel. All these facilities are accessible to both hotel guests and locals. This way, we try to give our guests that holiday feeling to take home with them all year round—whether you’re here for a short visit from the region or checking in for a longer stay!'

CURIOUS

'Tijmen and I both love to travel. Maybe for me, that’s especially because I grew up on an island where you couldn’t just hop in the car or take a train to go somewhere completely different. Here in the Netherlands, you have so many different kinds of nature and cities within an hour from your home. You don’t often think about it, but it’s really something special. We pass on that curiosity about other countries to our children. Together, we’ve already seen a lot of the world. For our vacations, we often choose hotels from our own family. Just like Van der Valk feels familiar and trustworthy to our guests, it’s the same for us. In some places, like Hotel Barcarola in Spain, I’ve been coming since I was young. Staying there with my own family feels very special and really helps me relax. Bonaire and Curaçao are also our favorite holiday destinations; the Caribbean feels like home to me. We love snorkeling there to see the beautiful underwater world. Plus, it’s a great way to combine vacations with family visits, because those warm family bonds always remain, no matter how far apart we live!'