Darley's

Our hostess welcomed us and had tried to provide everything we could want. She recommended where we should eat and what we should do.

Off street parking was expensive.

We absolutely loved our stay. The hosts were incredibly kind and welcoming, and surprised us with fresh bread and pastries from the market in the morning. Such a thoughtful touch — we will definitely be coming back!

The property is very very good, well located in the center of Hilversum, super comfortable bed and overall very nicely designed and furnished. Be aware that the bathroom has little privacy (some people might not be okay with that), but other than that it was perfect for 2 people.

If I really have to point something negative it would be the privacy for the bathroom as mentioned and it would be nice to have an oven for quick meals

Darley is a very dedicated host who is always looking for a way to go the extra mile for her guests. She's super responsive, communicative and accommodating. For example I stayed with my 5 year old child and she made sure there was a step for my kid to reach the toilet/sink and brought a stokke chair to sit comfortably at the table. This made a huge difference to my child's comfort during the stay! The apartment is fully equipped with everything you can possibly need. It's clean and has a comfortable, if a bit unusual, layout. The bed is very big and even more comfortable, with a nice duvet, several pillows and blackout curtains, and the temperature throughout the apartment is perfect. Lights and sound isolation are also top notch. It has the appropriate (comfortable) amount of furnishings, ample entertainment options (there's books, a stereo, board games and a TV), and the space feels cozy and inviting. There is also a small outside area where you can park your bike or seat outside, it was cold when we were staying so we didn't use the outside area as a living area just to park my bike and for that it was great. The location cannot be better, in a quiet street in the middle of the city center close to every thinkable amenity. It is a wonderful space!

It might sound strange but the fact that the apartment was so well equipped was actually a bit hindering: there was no real space to put my own things, because it was already full -- from the shelves and surfaces to the fridge! Another thing was that the pictures didn't make the distribution and kitchen layout clear. For me particularly the fact that you had to lean for most things in the kitchen (no high cabinets, everything below the counter including fridge) was problematic because at the time of staying I was 33 weeks pregnant (8 months) so leaning so much was hard, and there wasn't any swipe that could be used standing, so you'd have to squat to clean the floor which was also a bit much for me physically. Also there is no dishwasher so you have to do the dishes by hand and if you are 8 months pregnant your belly hinders that process too. The doors towards the bathroom and from the bathroom to the bedroom are swing doors and are hard to pull/push (heavy), not easy to circulate unless you leave one or two of them constantly open. Last thing that wasn't great was the shower drainage, it didn't work super well so the shower would flood and you had to time your shower well so that you'd be able to complete it before the water spilled over onto the bathroom floor (not ideal!).