Pride of Leyden is located in the historic town of Leyden, a very pleasant market town with cobble stone alleys, a citadel, old university buildings and the most museums per capita in the Netherlands. Most landmarks can be reached on foot.
Houseboat description
Houseboat Pride of Leyden is very comfortable and fully equipped with every comfort, from a well stocked kitchen, to central heating and air conditioning, a TV and Wifi internet, and a veranda with a spectacular view. The main bedroom sleeps two in a king-size bed, the study sleeps one on a sofa bed. An extra bed can be provided.
The houseboat is moored in the Nieuwe Rijn, on the edge of Leiden's centre. It is a very picturesque part of Leiden, with a view of a drawbridge, period style street lamps and typical Dutch style houses. A short walk takes you to one of Holland's largest shopping areas. And just around the corner are a restaurant and a supermarket. There is good on street parking (paid) and you're only 5 minutes away from the motorway. Leiden train station is on both the intercity network and the night train network, so trains run frequently and throughout the night.
The Pride of Leyden is situated in the historic town of Leiden, which is, among other things:
* the departure point of the Pilgrim Fathers
* Rembrandt's place of birth
* home of the Netherlands' oldest university
* the town with the most museums per capita in the Netherlands
* centrally located, with Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, the bulb fields and the sea side only a short train journey or car trip away.
Please note that the minimum stay is three nights.
Shops are within walking distance. Leyden boatst the longest shopping street in the Netherlands. The airport is 20 minutes away by car or train.
Theme:
Beach
Family
Historic / Sightseeing
Lake / Riverside
Nightlife
Romantic
Rural / Countryside
Sporting Activities
Town / City
The beach, casino and Imax theatres are a short train ride away. You can hire a boat to visit the nearby lakes or rent a bicycle to ride through the countryside, which is only 10 minutes away.
General:
Child Friendly
Highchair Availabele
Parking at the boat is paid from 9am till 7.30pm. Free parking is available at a 5 minutes'walk from the boat.
A supervised children's playground is available at approx. 10 minutes' walk from the boat.
Kitchen:
Dining Table & Chairs
Fully Equipped Kitchen
Iron
Linen Provided
Microwave Oven
Toaster
Towels Provided
Washing Machine
Oven and gas range provided. A full Dutch breakfast is provided on the first day. Basic ingredients for cooking (condiments, spices) are provided.
Heating/cooling:
Air Conditioning
Central Heating
Electric Fans
Room Fans
Entertainment:
DVD Player
Internet Access
Music System/cd Player
Satellite / Cable Tv
Wi-Fi
20 films on DVD
A number of books in English, German and French
Board games
Outdoors Facilities:
Terrace / Balcony
Activities Nearby:
Cycling / Mountain Biking
Fishing
Golf
Horse Riding
Swimminig / Watersports
Tennis
Walking / Hiking
Bedrooms:
2 Bedroom(s), 4 Sleeps Number of double beds - 1 Number of single beds - 2
The master bedroom has a king-size double bed. The single bedroom has a single bed and a sofa bed. In total the boat can accommodate four persons. The bathroom has a shower, toilet, wash basin and washing machine.
We have really enjoyed staying on The Pride of Leyden. The location is lovely - just outside the main town, but still just minutes away from the city centre. Jacqueline has made it really comfortable and we felt well looked after even though we were self catering. The cupboards were well stocked with Dutch delicacies so breakfasts and snacks were easy. A houseboat makes a lovely holiday - just to relax on the boat feels special - we made good friends with the local ducks!
Leiden is also a lovely city - small enough to be able to walk round, and yet lots to see and do.
Pride of Leiden..work of love!!
Added by: Alexandra -Florentia, date added: , country: Switzerland
Pride of Leiden is the work of love, of its amazing owner Jacqueline!! Clean, cozy, romantic but also very practical! Great location! Highlight: the swans that come to the fantastic veranda and demand their „Leckerli“!!! Definitely stay there again :)
What a wonderful houseboat rental!
Added by: Saracunningham, date added: , country: England
This is a wonderful rental. A down-to-earth decor which is spotlessly clean and well presented, but is really practical for travel with small children (3+18months). Really good welcome with local information, well-stocked provisions and a lovely smile. Superbe location on the canal with bus stops very close, but also close enough to walk to the town centre. Local facilities include parks, a brilliant playground, supermarket and eateries. And the resident ducks, swans and moorhens come by every day to be fed from the terrace!
Very well equipped floating home
Added by: Stone, date added: , country: the United States
Very Very nicely equiped. More like a B&B because of the food. nice porch and all the conveniences. This is not a criticism but a houseboat is different from an apartment.
We hit the jackpot!
Added by: Carol, date added: , country: the United States
Jacqueline’s Pride of Leyden was so much more than we expected.
Jacqueline met us at the boat and made us feel so welcome! She showed us around, explained everything that needed explaining to make our stay a good one and supplied us with everything and more that we needed for breakfast and more!
The location for us was perfect. It was an easy walk to restaurants and local shopping. There were brochures and maps on the boat to help us navigate Leyden.
We would definitely come back!
Convenient and roomy place to stay in Leiden
Added by: William, date added: , country: the United States
We had a good time in Leiden and it was anchored by our stay on the houseboat. The hostess was very accommodating (even picked us up at the Central Station) and was helpful in getting our stay started in the city.
Staying on a houseboat offered the opportunity to spread out and relax some - unlike the single room we had just departed at another Netherlands location. Transit to and from is not difficult with busses nearby; we used Leiden as a 'home base' and it worked out well.
Jacqueline Pride of Leyden was built around the year 1953. It was then several metres shorter than it now is. At some point the boat was extended at both ends, which can you still see by the fact that the boat overhangs its foundations by about a metre at either end.
It its early life Pride of Leyden was used as a beauty salon. This accounts for the large number of power points, sometimes in unusual places.
Pride of Leyden was not always the name give to this boat. When I first spotted it, it was registered under the name Medusa. Medusa, according to the myth, was a beautiful woman who incurred the wrath of the goddess Athena, who not only turned Medusa’s hair into writhing snakes, but also caused everyone who looked her in the face to turn into stone. A strange name for a beauty salon, whose aim it is to have their customers leave more beautiful than they arrived.
Due to its excellent location, I wanted to use the boat for renting out to visitors from abroad. After refurbishing it (the verandah had to be completely replaced), I took such pride in my beautiful boat, that I wanted to rename her. I would have liked to name her Mayflower, since she is a boat and the original Mayflower sailed from Leiden, but unfortunately there already is a hotel with that name in Leiden. So now she carries the proud name of Pride of Leyden, which is also her official registered name.
