As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “the pace of nature is adopted”, meaning that time seems to cruise along slower while in nature. 

It’s a good reminder to hop on the pedal boat - the one that will carry you to an idyllic island on a lake in Rotterdam. On that island is a stylish cabin, designed by Arno Schuurs and Paulien van Noort of design agency Getaway Projects, who won the Dutch Design Award in 2007 in the Best Consumer Design category. The pair mostly rented it out for two years.

​“We intend to do it the other way around,” say owners Bas and Reinout, who purchased Island Cabin in August 2020 and live nearby on Witte de Withstraat, one of the liveliest streets in the centre of Rotterdam. “Island Cabin makes the perfect retreat for us,” they say, but luckily for us, they’ll leave some dates on the calendar open for visitors.

The interior design of this 46 m² cabin in Rotterdam takes cues from the boating life, from blue walls that call up nautical signal flags to long, golden planks of wood that clad the walls and ceiling, punctuated by giant skylights. A kitchen and lounge area with low-slung, caramel leather sofas flow together with a stovepipe, wood-burning fireplace in the center. 

​Days here on the lake unspool in step with nature: lazily, but with poetic splendor. Start your day at the picnic table on the 100 m² deck, have a Nespresso, and do some reading in the hammock. As the sun changes position, perhaps you will too: go for a swim or whiz through Bergse Achter and Voorplas or around the river Rotte, on the electric boat.

Wind down later on the long bench with a well-earned cocktail and fire up the BBQ. The great indoors offers coziness of a different variety: you can curl up and watch a movie, crackling fire in the background.

Emerson had some sage advice.​

With this cabin in Rotterdam, you’ll find a bucolic escape that places you within a sublime private world of nature and cutting-edge design. The galley kitchen is sleek and fully equipped with an eat-in dining area and there are two double bedrooms and one bath. Combined with the deck and terrace, there is plenty of indoor and outdoor space for up to four people (and your dog! The owners just request that they not enter the bedrooms).

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Wifi throughout, kitchen and bath amenities, firewood. For an additional charge, guests can book an electric boat for use on the day or arrival and departure, plus for a tour over Bergse Achter and Voorplas, or the river Rotte. Pets are allowed, for an additional fee per stay. There is a small fee for extra guests after two people, for the linen and extra coffee. 

AROUND

Hillegersberg, the neighborhood where the cabin is located is a charming small village from where Tram 4 takes you right into the city center with stops at Meent (for the street market on Tuesdays and Saturdays at Markthal or Industriegebouw), witte de Withstraat (for excellent coffee) or Wilhelminapier.

From there you can walk the Erasmusbridge towards Katendrecht above the river Maas and the old Hotel New York, and the original Chinatown and sailors' quarters, where the SS Rotterdam steamship (now a hotel) is moored. Here you can take a watertaxi (a treat!) into the town center with stops at the old harbor town of Havenkwartier or het Park bij de Euromast.

From Havenkwartier you can walk towards het Park where you can find Parkiet (great for breakfast or lunch) and the beutiful Dudok in het Park. Here you also find Euromast (quite nice on a rainy day) and Amazing Oriental, a Chinese ship and supermarket. From the Park or Havenkwartier you can reach Museumpark and Kunsthal exposition park as well as Museum Boymans van Beuningen.

Then onwards to Witte de Withstraat, a historic street full of small restaurants and shops. It's a big trek but cut it into pieces is worth it to see the best of the city. Although largely wiped out in the war, Rotterdam rose from the ashes with a strength of purpose and innovative spirit, launching an exciting renaissance in urban design and modern innovation and architectural investment.

Defined as much by its modern identity as its location close to the North Sea and the home of Europe's largest port, the city lies at the confluence of both legs of the Maas Rivers, with water delineating the layout, the culture, and the way the city hums along. From canals and riverbanks to bridges and lakes, Rotterdam is a contemporary capital that swims with the times while holding onto its seafaring past. 

LOCATION

Rotterdam, Netherlands. Nearest Airport: Rotterdam International

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring through fall