B&B Het Schaliënhof

We would like to thank Martine & the Houtsaeger Family for the warm welcome we received at B&B Schalienhof, for the night we stayed, on 27/7/18. Our conversation started earlier that week, when we booked the only remaining accommodation ‘Lavendel’, having been let down by our previously booked Hotel in De Panne. Martine accepted our reservation over the telephone, and trusted us to turn up on the day for payment, for which we are very grateful, given the late reservation! This was our first time driving on the continent in our own car. Having disembarked the ferry in Dunkirque, we wanted a fairly local (within 30mins of arrival), place to stay in Belgium, with some homely touches. We were not disappointed. Het is not too far from the motorway, and is easy to find with a sat nav, despite its very rural location (it is a lovely farm). There is ample safe, parking, enough for each of the 6 ‘duplex’ style units. We tried to keep Martine updated on our progress throughout the day, and she provided a very efficient check-in on our arrival. Check-in was completed in their ‘honesty bar’ “Bar Rene” (a very nice touch, despite our not being able to use it), but for anyone staying longer, this is a lovely place to hang out, and say ‘hi’ to any other guests. She took us to our accommodation, a great two story, two attic bedroomed, duplex apartment style room. Very modern, with a comfortable lounge/diner, with tv/stereo, downstairs toilet, two bedrooms (ideal for a small family), and a shower room. No kitchen, but Martine provided a great continental breakfast in the price (freshly baked bread/croissants, selection of jams, meat/cheeses, and also offered eggs cooked to your liking. Nice restaurants can be recommended and found not too far away in Veurne. Our only problem was that our stay coincided with the very hot/humid weather being experienced throughout Europe, and as the bedrooms are built into the eaves with small windows, we found it quite uncomfortable to sleep. We never asked Martine or her family if any fans were available, but it might have been helpful to have had one provided automatically, given the weather. It’s also worth remembering that the B&B is a working farm with horses, and the manure heap is to the rear of Lavendel, if you’re opening the windows to provide airflow, it may prove ‘fresher’ than expected 😆! Sadly we were only able to stay one night on our drive through to Germany to visit our daughter, and wish it could have been longer. If we ever decide to drive again, we now know where we will be able to have a comfortable, welcoming stay, and would recommend it to others wanting a stay close to arrival/departure into the ferry terminal at Dunkirque, hopefully you won’t be disappointed.