Valerie Jongeneel

Independent Minds: Valerie Jongeneel, Op Oost

Discover down-to-earth luxury on a Dutch gastrofarm with a ‘served by nature’ ethos

In a windswept corner of the Wadden Islands, Valerie Jongeneel met chef Joram Timmerman while collecting oysters on the mudflats of Texel – a wildly beautiful place not far from where their converted farmhouse and seaweed barn now stands. Valerie offers guests an all-natural experience at Op Oost, where the sounds of the Wadden Sea can be heard from the twelve spacious garden suites and lodges. Valerie has put great thought into every eco-conscious detail which supports the hotel’s Green Key Gold certification – from the COCOMAT mattresses to the homemade in-room vegan cosmetics and dried reusable flower arrangements.

Together with Joram, who guides guests on private oyster picking tours and wild foraging sessions along the shoreline, the couple lovingly nurture the surrounding farmland with a ‘just as nature intended’ approach, and ensure that everything is foraged, farmed, and fermented within 150 metres of Op Oost.

Feel the fresh salty wind on your skin. Grab your flip flops and walk to the Wadden Sea. It is low tide and you are struck by the special views. Gather some oysters and quietly walk back to the hotel.

Do you have a vision for the future of the hotel?

We always think about tomorrow and the world around us and are therefore very proud of our Green Key Gold certification, and to be part of the SLH Considerate Collection. For example, we save 600 metres squared of farmland, 20 animals, 259kg of CO2, and 550,000 litres of water per month by not serving meat at breakfast. We hope more hoteliers will set similar targets as part of their mission, and give the environment the love and respect it deserves.

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