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B&B Bij Jeanne - Best B&B in the Netherlands?? Maybe

My husband and I just spent 8 nights at B&B Bij Jeanne in Delft and I can't stop myself from reporting on how amazing this place was.

I found it on a lark by poking around Google Maps when I could find no affordable (for our budget) lodging in Delft. It looks far from the town center (the Markt) and the train station, but it ended up being far easier to walk to and quicker to do our exploring than I expected.

The B&B itself is very clean and the host (Josè) lives on site with her husband. You have access to the breakfast room where you can store items in the fridge and use the microwave for heating up nibbles. The breakfast itself...holy moly. We ended up never really eating out in Delft (besides a small sandwich or snack items) because we were that full from everything provided. And she even insists you take whatever you don't (can't) eat at breakfast to have for a snack later!

The room was the perfect size for two people, the bed was super comfy, and had enough space and storage to unpack our bags and settle in. The bathroom (private in each room), was surprisingly spacious. As I said, we were there 8 nights and it never felt too confined or cramped or like we were having to climb over one another to move about.

There are two rooms: one looks out over a very quiet street and the other looks out over Jose's gorgeous garden (this was the one we had). The conversion/remodeling (done by her husband) is solid, so we never heard our neighbors except for their door being shut and water running. The only "noise" we noticed were the church bells ringing.

But above all is Jose herself. She did everything she could to make us comfortable and happy. We showed up very early (about 11:30am) and she was more than happy to welcome us in, offer us a warm beverage (we were soaked from a very rainy walk from the train station), and then showed us to our room. Obviously this isn't going to be the case if she's booked up solid, but it was a nice welcome.

She also offered other special touches such as advice on sights to see, providing laundry service (for a very reasonable fee), and even gave us a big sack of breakfast treats when we had to leave early for the airport. She even, knowing we were nervous about making our flight, roped her husband into driving us to the airport for about the same as the train would have cost us (he had to do some work in Amsterdam that day so the airport was on the way for him).

All in all, I can't recommend this place enough and it was the perfect spot for Delft and a few day trips.

Posted by
4004 posts

Great find! I love staying at places like this. Thanks for sharing!

Posted by
10049 posts

This sounds like a wonderful place. So glad you had a great time there, and you are very kind to share your find !

Posted by
6478 posts

Thank you! We're planning a week in the Netherlands next year, but haven't decided exactly where yet. Delft sounds like it might be a good choice. We stayed in Leiden last time, and loved it.

Posted by
3961 posts

Thank you for sharing your positive experience. Your report reminded me of the B&B we stayed in Amsterdam pre Covid. Great host, access to a breakfast room with kitchen, quiet neighborhood, short walk to transportation and restaurants. Unfortunately, our host had to close due to the Pandemic. I am bookmarking this for future reference!

Posted by
1550 posts

Hi Tammie, thanks for your report. It looks like you had a great stay. I’m curious though if you stayed in a B&B in the Netherlands before? I ask this because everything you describe is what I consider to be the minimum level of service in a proper B&B, not an “above and beyond” kind of thing that would make this B&B the best one in the Netherlands.
A couple of times a year, 3 friends and I go on a hiking weekend for 2 days of hiking somewhere in the Netherlands. We always try to stay in a B&B. Because of that I’ve stayed in dozens of B&B’s in the Netherlands. Perhaps we’ve always been lucky or picked the right B&B’s, but we always had a warm personal welcome with a coffee/tea or a beer or glass of wine. We always had a great breakfast with local products, home made things, freshly laid eggs etc. We always were given the opportunity to prepare a lunch box from the leftover breakfast items or were given a lunch box. We’ve been picked up or dropped off at the start or end of our walking trail. We’ve had our hiking shoes cleaned and our clothes dried. We’ve always received tips about restaurants etc.
To me all these things should be standard in a B&B. They are what sets a B&B apart from a hotel and they are why we always try to stay in a B&B during these weekends. I should add that I’m talking about a proper Bed&Breakfast, not an apartment you rent via Airbnb.
Please, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to take anything away from the obviously great experience you’ve had with your B&B in Delft. What you describe is exactly why I always love to stay in a B&B.

Posted by
52 posts

Jane, Delft was surprisingly great. I’d been there on a day trip before, then for this trip had really only planned to see the New and Old Churches. But when we showed up, we discovered loads of things to do in Delft itself (the Thursday and Saturday markets were terrific) and ended up chucking a few of our day trip plans. I’d also highly recommend the windmill (De Roos) if you don’t mind climbing. It’s free and the volunteer tour guides are VERY enthusiastic.

Dutch Traveller, sorry, yes, first stay in a Dutch B&B, so I apologize for my enthusiasm. It may be the norm, but I still think the host deserves every five-star review she has received (which is 100% of her reviews) and that the place should be shared with other travelers who may not be thrilled with the recommendations in the RS guidebooks (I certainly wasn’t). In my opinion she did go above and beyond.

Posted by
1550 posts

Hi Tammie, I didn’t mean to take anything away from your experience. It looks like you had a great time and I totally agree with you that this B&B host deserves a 5 star review. If anything, I share your enthusiasm about staying in a B&B. It’s so much more personal compared to staying in a hotel.

Posted by
52 posts

Dutch Traveller, no biggie...your earlier comment just came across as a little dismissive for an area of the forum that's all about personal experiences of places you simply can't NOT recommend : ) And since this place absolutely had a huge influence on our terrific time in Delft....well, a bit of gushing must be allowed.

It's great to know the B&B standards in the Netherlands are top notch and that Bij Jeanne isn't the exception. I hate staying in hotels, so I now know not to hesitate to book a Dutch B&B in the future.

Cheers, and happy Dutch travels!

Posted by
13 posts

Thank you for this. Its so appreciated as we are planning a side trip from Ireland (a wedding) to Amsterdam this coming August. This B&B sounds perfect!