We chose Zandvoort as a touring base, as our first choice in Haarlem had been booked up. Zandoort is not the prettiest of Dutch town - its dour grey buildings complement the gloomy North Sea fog of a chilly spring evening. Strandhotel is very much in keeping with the architectural style of its neighbours.

On the positive side, the rooms are adequately sized and furnished, with their firm beds and comfortable seats. Once the sun is out, views of the beach are actually quite pleasant, whilst the several restaurants and bars below the Promenade will entice you sample the ambience of the resort.

Which is just as well, as the rather tempting description of the themed buffets on the hotel menu turned out to be a disappointment. Around E25 per head is a steep price for canteen-quality food. Late diners should also be warned that the hotel restaurant closes at 19.30 (18.30 BST). The restaurant on the opposite side of the road offers freshly-cooked food with more flexible hours and a pleasant beach-front location.

Hotel guests can use the pool at the nearby CentreParks free of charge, but this is designed more as a leisure pool than for proper swimming.

The train station is just 7-8 minutes away, and provides a half-hourly service to Haarlem and Amsterdam. Do bear in mind that the ticket machines in Zandvoort do not accept notes or some cards. They do accept coins, which means having to save up a lot of small change.

The location of this hotel is phenomenal! Right on the beautiful, sandy beach. The staff was very helpful & friendly and spoke English well. Very kid friendly and fun with squash, tennis, badminton, ping-pong, bowling, basketball, 2 mini golf courses, indoor/outdoor pools, and a sauna to keep everyone entertained while not at the beach. Shopping and restaurants all within walking distance. The room was spacious & clean. Our only complaints: the water temp in the shower fluctuated between too hot & too cold, & the sheets on the bed were unbearably scratchy! We'll bring our own next time. Otherwise, it's fantastic!

It was a spontaneous decision to stay at this hotel, and as a result I was quite disappointed. Furniture in rooms is old, there's a strange smell in the whole building. A surprise was that NH hotel located less than 1 km from this one offered significantly lower rate while its rooms look much better...but it was too late to move (