B&B Paula
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 Here is the front of my house with the door wide open. Out in front is the "spider tree" and a couple of typical Dutch bicycles, plus a typical American mail box. Huh? Unfortunately not all days in Holland are so bright and sunny. The rooms are at the top, up two flights of steep stairs. Description B&B Paula is a new apartment in the attic of a typical Dutch home. It consists of one fully furnished apartment, ideal for 1 or 2 adults plus a small child or two. Details The rooms consist of a bedroom, sitting room with TV, fully equipped kitchen, and a shower room. There is a double bed in the sleeping room, with an additional single bed available. The couch in the sitting room opens to a third bed. The toilet is exclusive for guests and is back down one flight of stairs, all of 5 seconds. The kitchen includes a refrigerator, stove, and microwave with pans and complete table service. Included in the room price is a typical hearty Dutch breakfast of cheese, meats, eggs, bread, fruit, and yogurt, with coffee or tea. If you have dietary preferences let me know. After daily breakfast other meals are not included, but you can go to the market and shop for something to bring home and prepare yourself. Virtually every variety of international cusine and beverage is available in Haarlem or Amsterdam. Photos of the rooms. Rate Single 39 euro per night Additional persons 21 euro per night each Children age 16 and under, cost per night equals age. Example, €10 per night for a 10 year old child. Sorry, no credit cards. Reservations Please send an email with 1.) your arrival date 2.) your departure date 3.) number in your party to: Transportation Strippenkaart For public transport on buses and trams, visitors are advised to buy a ticket called a Strippenkaart costing €7.30 for 15 strips. If you are 65 or older the price is only €4,80. The same price applies to children 10 and under. You can also buy 2, 3, and 8 strip Strippenkaarten but the price per ride is dramatically higher and you can only buy these on the bus or tram. For each ride you use one strip plus one strip for each zone in which you travel. Therefore you use a minimum of 2 strips for each ride. It is valid on buses and trams throughout Holland, and on the Amsterdam Metro. The Strippenkaart is stamped by the bus driver or you fold it for the number of strips needed and insert it into a stamper machine as you enter a tram. Buy a Strippenkaart at the Schiphol VVV tourist office, at train station news stands, supermarkets, cigar shops, and at many other stores in Holland. Train tickets The train system in Holland is one of the best in Europe. Service is frequent and fast. It covers all of the major cities and most of those along the way. Maps and schedules are posted in every station. The national train company is trying to get people to use the ticket machines rather than buy rail tickets at staffed ticket windows. They have put a penalty on ticket window sales of €0.50 for every ticket. So it is cheaper, and usually faster, to use the ticket machines. The machines accept cash (euros only) and "chip cards." Unless you have a bank account in Europe you probably do not have a chip card. Credit cards and debit cards probably will not work in these machines. From Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to the Haarlem train station: To take the train from Schiphol Airport you buy a ticket in the airport outer lobby area, go down to the underground station, catch any train which stops in Amsterdam Sloterdijk (pronounced 'sloat er dike') station. There are 4 trains per hour which stop at Sloterdijk. Get off, go down two levels to spoor (platform) 7, then catch the next connecting train to Haarlem. You shouldn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for the connecting train. Total travel time is 40 to 45 minutes depending on how long you have to wait at Sloterdijk for the connecting train. The one way cost is €5.50 in 2nd class and €9.30 in 1st class from the airport to Haarlem. 2nd class is fine. You can also change at Amsterdam Centraal Station (after Sloterdijk) making the journey in about the same time and for the same price, BUT !! this station is more confusing for first time visitors and it is a rat's nest of professional beggars, pickpockets, baggage thieves, street druggists, and other lowlifes. As the signs in Amsterdam say, "Let op zakkenrollers!" "Watch out for pickpockets!" Also be careful on the train, especially just before it starts. Baggage thieves can grab your laptop and jump through the closing doors. This may sound alarming, however violent crimes like muggings and murder are almost unheard of in Holland. An alternative is to take the train to Overveen. You'll see the station toward the top of the map, about 1½km (one mile) to the north. However, there is no bus or taxi service from the Overveen station so you have about a 20 minute walk. If you come to Overveen by train buy the complete ticket at Schiphol. There are two trains per hour (hh:29 and hh:59) to Overveen making the Sloterdijk connection. The cost is €5.80 in 2nd class and €9.80 in 1st class. It is more convenient to take the bus to Haarlem train station from Schiphol, and you get a better view of the Dutch countryside as you travel. Connexxion bus number 300 from Schiphol (pronounced 'skip hole') Plaza to the Haarlem train station is a big red comfortable reticulated bus and departs every 10 minutes. It is marked Zuidtangent on the front. Make sure that the bus you get on is going to Haarlem and not Amsterdam. The cost is 7 strips on your Strippenkaart. Travel time is 41 minutes. When you get to the Haarlem station you need to take another bus to B&B Paula which will cost 2 strips. But you can save a strip if you tell the bus driver at Schiphol that you are continuing to Ramplaan near Overveen. He will then stamp you for 8 strips and you are good to go all the way without using any more strips, but you do need to change buses at Haarlem train station. A faster, and thus more expensive choice, is a taxi straight from Schiphol Airport. The best choice is probably the Ozon Taxi at €29.00 one way for one person or more who can fit in. Luggage space in taxis is probably OK for 2 or 3 carry-on bags maximum. You can reserve on the website http://www.ozontaxi.nl/english/home.html. Or you can phone 023-844-7777 from the airport or +31-23-844-7777 from outside Holland to reserve. From the Haarlem train station to B&B Paula: The Haarlem bus terminal is in front of the station. Walk across the street and locate the bus stop, line 4 direction Heemstede. If you have trouble ask someone. Everyone speaks English and several other languages. You want to take a bus to the corner of Ramplaan and Rollandslaan. There is a very small strip mall there and a Dekamarkt grocery store across the street. That's where the bus stops, 300 meters from my front door. Walk south to the end of Ramplaan and then left 1½ blocks on Leendert Meeszstraat to 104. Click the map for details of the neighborhood. If south is not evident, ask someone on the street for directions to the well-known cafe restaurant Wapen van Kennemerland. There is also a taxi rank in front of the Haarlem train station. A taxi typically costs less than €15 to B&B Paula. Ask the driver for his estimate before getting in the cab. Bring a copy of the map because some drivers do not know the area. To visit Amsterdam from Haarlem: There are 8 trains per hour for an 18 minute trip from Haarlem station to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The cost is €6.70 from Haarlem for a round trip, 2nd class. From Overveen there are only two trains per hour (hh:24 and hh:54) and the cost is €7.30 RT. In summer there are four trains per hour. Strippenkaarten are not valid on the train. Buy your ticket at one of the ticket windows in the east hallway of the Haarlem train station, or from one of the ticket machines and save €0.50. Tickets are not sold on the train and you are subject to a €35 fine if you are found on a train without a ticket. To view the schedules and other options throughout the Netherlands go to Nederlands Spoorwegen. There are schedules and a map in the station corridors and on each platform also. For International Tickets and Holland Discount Tickets: Go to the NS (Nederland Spoorwegen, Netherlands Railways) International Tickets office in the Amsterdam station. If you are scooting around Holland a lot you can buy a pass that will save you significantly for a week of travel. If you want to make a day trip to Brussels or Antwerp, buy a Super Dagretour (pronounced 'dahhg re tour') ticket and save a hefty percentage. Super tickets are valid for departures after 9:00 AM weekdays, but are not available on weekends or during July and August. Seniors, students, and children up to 11 years are eligible for discounts. Other Items - Cat in the house, but minds himself. - No smoking please. - A small English language library, novels and travel guides. - Cable TV in your room. - Plenty of free street parking 5 steps from the front door. In Haarlem Haarlem is a beautiful and interesting city on the Spaarne River. Canals, of course, several famous museums and cathedrals, a medieval town square, plenty of restaurants in all categories, and a jovial nightlife make this city a jewel for visitors. Most of the people speak excellent English, plus at least French, Spanish, or German. Haarlem is very convenient to the popular North Sea beaches of Zandvoort and Bloemendaal, and the world famous Keukenhof Garden which comes alive for six dazzling weeks in April and May. If you are into this kind of stuff, it also has red lights and weed houses like Amsterdam, its big brother just down the road. Haarlem rates two stars, "worth a detour," in the Michelin Green Guide. In the surroundings of B&B Paula:
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Where is B&B Paula?
My home is located in a quiet pastoral neighborhood on the west side of Haarlem, circa 3 km (2 miles) from the city center. Click Haarlem for a Michelin map of the neighborhood. Look for an open blue circle with three panhandles to locate my home near the bottom of the map. You can use the zoom out negative sign to see a larger area and the compass points to move around in any direction. Print the map for your reference! If you get lost ask someone for direction to the Ramplaankwatier (rahmp lahn quar tee air), the district where I live and it may help. If not, they should know the cafe restaurant Wapen van Kennemerland, just 50 steps from my front door. How's the weather? Current weather conditions in Holland can be found on several sites: Wunderground.com Michelin Additional weather information and sites. What is a euro worth? The euro, €, is the official currency of the Netherlands and neighboring countries. The value changes constantly. Visit Exchange Rates for information on the euro and links to up to date conversion rates. Type Ctrl d to bookmark this page. The original do-it-yourself travel guide to Europe. SM 
How To Europe The Complete Travelers Handbook by John Bermont enjoy-europe.com
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bbpaula@enjoy-europe.com Keywords for this page:
b&b bnb b and b holland haarlem
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